Grab a Drink on the Island! My Review of Ship Bottom Brewery

Looking for something to do off season in LBI? Ship Bottom Brewery located in Beach Haven, NJ is one of the only places open year round on the island for your enjoyment! I got a chance to visit the brewery on a very rainy, gloomy, foggy, cold day in February.

If you’re looking for place to brighten up a gloomy day, Ship Bottom Brewery is definitely the place to be. It’s interior beachy decor will make you forget all about what is going on outside. And their friendly staff will make you feel at home!

Ship Bottom Brewery opened in August 2016. It was a long time dream of President and Owner Robert Zarko who started homebrewing in the Summer of 1995 in Ship Bottom, NJ (hence the name).

When Zarko secured the space for his brewery in Beach Haven he asked Jake Stablein, who he met while he was an assistant brewer at a brewery in Delaware, to be Ship Bottom’s Head Brewer. Together the two collaborate on beers for the brewery, including their two flag ship beers, the Shack IPA and the Barnegat Lager.

The brewery has a prime location in Beach Haven right near Fantasy Island Amusement Park along with local shops and restaurants. Because of this they get A LOT of food traffic from tourists and locals, including people wouldn’t typically visit a brewery. It’s a fun attraction; a beer tour with a beer tasting!

Plus, the brewery is located on the 2nd floor, which gives you great views of the bay.

Since opening the brewery, they have put out over 20 different styles of beer; everything from IPAs, Stouts, Hefeweizen, and have experimented with seasonal fruit beers. They have six 15 barrel tanks and 1 tank strictly for experimental beers. To check out their full beer list, click HERE.

While I was there I did a flight and sampled four of their beers including their two flagships, the Beach Patrol Hefeweizen, and their seasonal Strawberry & Cream Ale W/ Chocolates (for Valentine’s Day).

They typically have six to ten beers on tap depending on the season. During my visit they had ten on tap, but in the Summer when they’re super busy they usually have 6-7 since their beers tend to sell out.

And yes, they can!

Ship Bottom Brewery sells their beers in cans and their designs are really neat. I loved the can for their Barnegat Lager since it features the famous lighthouse of the island…

and the Baconator Stout. We had to take this home a. for the fact that it’s a bacon maple porter, and b. that can is amazing.

Ship Bottom Brewery also collaborates with business in LBI including the Chicken or the Egg IPA, a collab with the famous Beach Haven restaurant known for it’s hot sauce, beer ice cream with The Wahoo, and beer infused dishes at local restaurants. You can also find their beer on tap at many restaurants on the island.

For additional information on Ship Bottom Brewery, be sure to check out their Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

For additional New Jersey brewery information and reviews, click HERE