Tomfoolery Brewing Co: Review

August 22, 2016 newjerseyisntboring

Tomfoolery Brewing Co, located in Hammonton, is the latest brewery that I’ve had the pleasure of visiting in South Jersey.

The brewery was started by co-owners, Shawn Grigus and Gayle D’Abate, who decided to open their own brewery due to a love of craft beer. Shawn had been homebrewing for over ten years, and before opening Tomfoolery he founded “Brew Jersey Homebrew Club” in Atlantic County, and owned and operated a homebrew supply shop, “Tap It Homebrew”, in Egg Harbor City. These, along with Gayle’s love of craft beer and cooking, made a brewery the next logical step to continue what he started.

Hammonton is known for their various wineries, so bringing breweries into the town seemed like a logical step to help the town grow as a destination. When searching within Hammonton for a location, they found a building that once housed Eastern Brewing Corporation, and knew it was a perfect fit. Along with their almost neighbor Three 3’s Brewing, Tomfoolery Brewing Co is helping Hammonton become a craft beer destination.

As a result of Shawn’s education in Biochemistry and Gayle’s in Engineering, they have the Biology, Chemistry and the processing down to a science, literally. They feel each beer recipe stands on its own and is given the same care as the one before. They also test their water regularly and treat the brewing water for each batch of beer dependent on the style and flavors they want to bring out.

With ELEVEN beers on tap the day of my visit, I decided on a flight.

Beers I Tried:
– Not so Bohemian Pilsner; 5% ABV
– Kanoe Kolsch; Southern Germany style ale 5.6% ABV
– Blueberry Capitol; English Style Pale Ale 5.7% ABV
– Crack Concrete; Belgian Tripel 11% ABV

Of course if you’re going to be a brewery in Hammonton, you need to have a blueberry beer! All four beers were incredible, but I was partial to their Crack Concrete since I am a Belgian style beer fan. If you choose to do a full pour, you can enjoy your beverage in Spiegelau glassware appropriate for the style.

Also on tap was “Shawn & Gayle’s Pale Ale”, the beer that inspired Shawn to start homebrewing. It was also the first beer that they brewed at their current facility.

Tomfoolery Brewing Co serves quality beer at affordable pricing. If Shawn or Gayle are on in the building, their eTIPS and/or ServSafe Certified bartenders are very knowledgeable about craft beer and the brewing process. The brewery is very spacious, has board games to play, a popcorn maker, and you can walk around to see their production area. Since they are continuously concocting new brews,they are definitely worth visiting more than once!