restaurant with best beer selection in the area. just moved here
Haven't been, but have heard The Stirling Hotel has good selection - about 15 miles out. Most of the local wine/beer stores have been growing their stocks.
http://www.thestirlinghotel.com/
I'm a fan of the beers brewed and sold at the Trap Rock.
Food is excellent as well!
http://www.traprockrestaurant.net/
Cloverleaf Tavern, on Bloomfield Ave in Caldwell.
http://www.cloverleaftavern.com/
stirling hotel is amazing. Check their website for events. The office in Summit. Tiff's in Union. Trap rock.
You have to check out the Gaslight in South Orange. Be sure to wear a hat and bring a baby. 
ArchBroad said:
stirling hotel is amazing. Check their website for events. The office in Summit. Tiff's in Union. Trap rock.
Agree on #1 and #3. Other two not on the same level IMO, though Trap Rock can sometimes surprise, even if overpriced.
Stirling Hotel is an experience. Huge outdoor beer garden with bocce ball and bag-o while you wait for a table. And they have chickens! Check out Zeppelin Hall in Jersey City for a similar size of selection but a more classic biergarten vibe.
ArchBroad said:
stirling hotel is amazing. Check their website for events. The office in Summit. Tiff's in Union. Trap rock.
How's the food? I was just looking at menu, and it looks good.
I second Cloverleaf. It's in West Caldwell, so a bit of a drive from SOMA (less for me going from West Orange), but it is a nice place. They have a fun program called the MBA - Masters of Beer Appreciation. It's a little card with a "course" of beers in all different styles, and you get a little punch in the card for each one you have. It's a fun way to broaden your beer palate and try some styles you may not otherwise.
I've done Stirling Hotel once, and enjoyed it and plan on going again. It's a few blocks from a train station, so I think in theory it'd be possible to train it out there and back, but have no idea how convenient the schedules are.
I've tried Gaslight in South Orange a few times, and have found the beer quality to be inconsistent. It's a shame as I really wanted to like them.
St. James Gate in Maplewood doesn't have a wide selection, but it has a nice cozy atmosphere and I enjoy getting a pint there. Great location, within easy uber distance if you're not within walking distance of it.
ETA - Cloverleaf is in Caldwell, not West Caldwell.
huntley taverne. Avoiid gaslight, unless you hate yourself, imho.
Robert_Casotto said:
huntley taverne. Avoiid gaslight, unless you hate yourself, imho.
The atrocious lack of service at Gaslight, and managements 'I don't give a ****' attitude when we explained why we were leaving, makes this a place we will NEVER go back to.
As others have mentioned Cloverleaf in Caldwell. Ever changing selection and they have selected days each month where they do a tap takeover and offer numerous selections for a selected brewery (and we are not talking Bud type brewers).
It probably worth noting that due to NJ's "unique" liquor laws, many of the best restaurants in the area have no liquor license, so there is a liberal BYOB culture at such restaurants. As such, you can bring your favorite craft beers -- not to mention wines -- along with you when you dine out. As to where to find the best craft beer retailers, that's a topic for another thread (which I think has been ongoing for a while).
weirdbeard said:
It probably worth noting that due to NJ's "unique" liquor laws, many of the best restaurants in the area have no liquor license, so there is a liberal BYOB culture at such restaurants. As such, you can bring your favorite craft beers -- not to mention wines -- along with you when you dine out. As to where to find the best craft beer retailers, that's a topic for another thread (which I think has been ongoing for a while).
But, I would chime in anyway to say that Wine Barrel on Springfield Ave and A&D Liquors on Valley Street are both excellent 
Total Wine in West Orange is great as well.
Bonds Tavern in WO. Just opened, great beer list. Can't wait to try it.
http://bondstavern.com/
I really like the food at all except Trap Rock. My wife despises Stirling food for some reason....
shoshannah said:
ArchBroad said:
stirling hotel is amazing. Check their website for events. The office in Summit. Tiff's in Union. Trap rock.
How's the food? I was just looking at menu, and it looks good.
ArchBroad said:
I really like the food at all except Trap Rock. My wife despises Stirling food for some reason....
shoshannah said:
ArchBroad said:
stirling hotel is amazing. Check their website for events. The office in Summit. Tiff's in Union. Trap rock.
How's the food? I was just looking at menu, and it looks good.
Then she obviously hasn't tried the pimento grilled cheese yet 
kenboy said:
Bonds Tavern in WO. Just opened, great beer list. Can't wait to try it.
http://bondstavern.com/
Only complaint upon first glance are some of the descriptions on the menu, particularly for beers like Bud Light. My old haunt on SI (Adobe Blues) is not too far (10 min?) from the Bayonne Bridge and has about 200 going for it, and some decent TexMex. Here's their list:
https://www.beermenus.com/places/2078-adobe-blues
ETA: And a few minutes closer to the Bayonne is Nurnberger Bierhaus, with a very wide and German-only (!) selection of beers, and a 9,852-calorie Kartoffelpfannchen that will sink you into your chair, and worth every bit of grease and sodium.
ArchBroad said:
I really like the food at all except Trap Rock.
Wow. I think the food is really good at Trap Rock. Better than the beer, actually.
Without re-reading the whole thread, I don't recall a mention of Hat Tavern in Summit. (Not to be confused with Hat City in Orange.) Hat Tavern is in the rear of the Grand Summit Hotel and has a reliably solid, frequently changing craft beer list. The food is nothing to write home about, but it's not bad. They have some outdoor seating, and it's kid-friendly if that's a factor for you.
A little off-topic, maybe, but craft beer lovers in NJ need to know about this:
https://newjerseycraftbeer.com/club/
Just a couple or three visits to somewhere like Cloverleaf or Tiff's will pay for it. After that, the more you drink, the more you save.
I like Coda.
They have twelve beers on tap and maintain a focus on NJ beers.
The beers rotate frequently although a casual observer might not notice since they will keep the same brewery tap handle on while rotating through different beer selections from that brewery.
Chris, the daytime bartender curates the beer selection and is always happy to introduce me to the latest beer when I stop in.
just moved into town from florida. very much into craft beers. looking for suggestions where to go locally. thank you