Dark City Brewing Co in Asbury Park: Review
Dark City Brewing Co, located in Asbury Park, is a brewery I’ve been wanting to try since they opened in January of 2016. Asbury Park is definitely becoming an area for new businesses to sprout up and gain success.
The brewery is located very close to the downtown area. It is very convenient to restaurants and other bars in the area. Since it’s downtown, they don’t have their own parking lot, but there is plenty of street parking as well as metered parking and garages in the downtown area.
Why the name? Dark City is actually the nickname for Asbury Park. In fact if you look it up on urban dictionary, it says that “The name was derived primarily as a reference to the post-riot urban decay experienced by the city in the latter half of the 20th century”. The name is tied into the history of Asbury Park, but if you have been to the area recently you know the city is now one of the top destinations to visit in all of New Jersey. It was only a matter of time before there was a brewery there (and more breweries and distilleries are coming soon).
The day we visited they had lots on tap, as well as variations of their flag ship beers. At the time we were there, for $8 you can do a flight of four beers.
Beers We Tried:
– Bond Street Brownie 4.8% ABV
– One Way Street (Bloody Mary Variation) 3.8% ABV
– City Limits (Citrus Variation) 4.5% ABV
– Charrette 7.7% ABV
All four beers, despite their variations, seem to be flagship beers at Dark City Brewing Co. The Charrette is a Belgian-style rye IPA, and was my favorite of the four I tasted that day. I also enjoyed the City Limits, which is a hop-forward American pale ale. I tasted a version of the City Limits that was more citrusy, but the standard version is also fruity. The One Way Street is single-hop Session IPA, we happened to try a Bloody Mary variation where you could definitely taste the tomato. It was very different. Last but not least, the Bond Street Brownie, is a dark, American brown ale. It’s more on the stout side, but is nonetheless a brown ale.
I love that this brewery takes pride in the fact that they’re from Asbury Park. They have beers that are collaborations with other local businesses like the Asbury Park Roastery, named after streets (like Bond St), or named after different aspects of city planning (One Way Street, Charrette).
I loved their mural wall (seen above) as well as the local art they have on their walls. I also enjoyed the color scheme of the bar and the fact that there was plenty of space and seating. They have a pretty big sized bar with seating all around it, as well as tables with seating plus it’s a pretty open layout so there is plenty of room to stand if they are crowded.
There is also plenty of light in the brewery since there walls are lined up with windows bringing in the sun and giving you access into looking out into the city.
I highly recommend going to Asbury Park and visiting Dark City Brewing Co. Since they are a craft brewery, they are always testing and creating new beers for you to enjoy. Plus you can always bring a growler to a local restaurant that offers BYOB.
About Dark City Brewing Co:
(From Their Website) We are incredibly proud to be Asbury Park’s first craft brewery, this town has a very rich history and it feels so amazing to be a part of it. Our primary goal at DCBC is to craft beers that are unique and eccentric. Asbury Park is a very creative community, it always has been, which is one of the many reasons we love calling it home. This city is bursting at the seams with innovative cuisines, music, art galleries galore and so much more. We want to salute the creativity in this community. As such, our tasting room is a shrine for local creativity in every form. The rotating local art wall, our mural wall, the beers themselves. Everything.
Address: 801 2nd Ave, Asbury Park, NJ; (732) 455-3792
Check out more info on their Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter