Central Jersey beer lovers, get ready to clink your glasses to celebrate new freedoms that local breweries and their customers will enjoy in 2024 after a hard-fought legislative battle. Brewers and customers alike have a lot to be excited about, as do patrons of all local beverage makers, including wine and spirits.

On January 16, 2024, New Jersey enacted a law to relax restrictions that had limited brewery coordination with food trucks, the number live music performances, and other special events. The changes are leading to much more fun in Central Jersey’s craft breweries, to go with many award-winning beers.

Asheton’s offers a D&R Canal beer!

“The main impact for our guests with the passage of the bill is the ability to create more events at our beautiful spot,” said Jeremy Lees, owner of Flounder Brewing, located in a historic barn in Hillsborough.  “We will now be bringing singer-songwriter based musicians every Friday for Acoustic Fridays as well as a lot of great pop-up events.  For March come by as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day for four days straight.”

“At Ashton Brewing we are excited to be able to offer more than just great beer to our customers,” said owner Steve Ashton. “We’ve already started bringing in live music on Fridays and Saturdays and we are looking into jazz on Sundays. And that’s just the beginning. Look for yoga classes, more pet adoptions and beer educational seminars.”

Another change is allowing local beer at more special events—for example, on farms and at historic sites. “The new law allows us more opportunities to go off-premise, so we will use that to be the exclusive beer vendor at the Battle of Bound Brook April 13 and 14, serving our Staats Pilsner at the Abraham Staats House,” Ashton said.

Lone Eagle Brewing in Flemington is most enthusiastic about having more food in the brewery. “Perhaps the biggest things our customers will benefit from is our newfound ability to coordinate with food trucks and unlimited events,” says owner Bob King.  “Anyone serving alcohol understands that consuming food with alcohol is simply being responsible.  Our plan is to coordinate with all local restaurants and fill in the gap with food trucks to further create great experiences for our customers.” On March 16, Cousin’s Maine Lobster Truck will be at Lone Eagle Brewing along with Live Music.

Central Jersey Offers Wine & Spirits Too!

Bellemara Distillery offers a still-view with your drink.

Lone Eagle’s historic hometown of Flemington is a hub of local beverages, history, and fine dining, as you’ll find by visiting the Love Flemington website. They also are home to Skunktown Distillery, and they are a starting point for the historic Black River & Western Railroad, which offers a popular Wine Train to visit Old York Cellars in Ringoes, which is always worth a visit whether by train, car, or bicycle!

In addition to award-winning wines, Central Jersey’s wineries offer great live entertainment. You’ll find great comedy scheduled regularly at Old York Cellars, and a wide range of live music—from jazz to classic rock and country—at Hopewell Valley Vineyards on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. In fact, one of the owners is an accomplished jazz musician!

At Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes, live music will be served with wine on Grilled Cheese Weekend March 16-17, and there will be wine and music at the Spring Artisan Weekend April 27-28. A musical high point of the year will be the Sourland Mountain Festival at Unionville Vineyards July 13^th.  Buy your festival tickets early because they usually sell out.

Enjoy the Old Hights beer garden before dinner at nearby 12 Farms restaurant.

Central Jersey also has a growing distillery scene, with Sourland Mountain Spirits in Hopewell, Bellemara Distillery in Hillsborough, and Skunktown in Flemington. Central Jersey’s distillers will tell you it’s all about the quality of local water, sourced from deep and pristine aquifers, under the Sourland Mountain or in the “Skunktown” area near Sergeantsville in Hunterdon County.

The month of March 2024 will be an especially wonderful time to visit Central Jersey’s beverage makers, with numerous special events for St. Patrick’s Day. And if a wine or beer garden is what you like, April and May will be glorious for fresh air sipping at all Central Jersey wineries, and many breweries, especially Old Hights in Hightstown, Lone Eagle, and Flounder.

And regardless of where you get your beverages, round out your day with a visit to one of Central Jersey’s great farm-to-table restaurants, farms, or historic sites. You’ll also find great shopping and culture in beautiful and historic Princeton, Flemington, and Somerville.

Besides brewery reform, 2024 also has the distinction of being the first year when the State of New Jersey has presented Central Jersey as an official region of the Garden State, following a signing ceremony last summer. To find what all the fuss is about, learn about the region’s special places and activities at DiscoverCentralJersey.com.

For more information about everything to see and do in Central Jersey, visit discovercentralnj.com.  This article is supported in part by a grant from New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism.

Live music in the garden at Hopewell Valley Vineyards.

Forget the New Jersey stereotypes. Central Jersey is a paradise of farms, nature, parks, and history—and just an hour from New York City. It’s the perfect destination for daytrips, weekend getaways, and more.

The D&R Canal towpath is perfect for walking and bicycling.

One of Central Jersey’s best kept secrets is the D&R Canal State Park, a skinny 70-mile-long park that follows the historic Delaware & Raritan Canal and forms a “V” that straddles the entire four county region. The lazy canal offers walking, kayaking, and canoeing while passing by a dozen charming villages such as Frenchtown, Stockton, Lambertville, Kingston, Griggstown, and Millstone.

Upon arriving in New Jersey in 1781, a French officer fighting for American independence described the area as “a land of milk and honey.”

The state earned the “Garden State” nickname thanks to farms famous for Jersey tomatoes, sweetcorn, peaches, blueberries, and more. Proximity to New York made the region a breadbasket to the nation’s booming metropolis during the 1700s and 1800s. Indeed, for one hundred years the D&R Canal transported Jersey fresh produce to market in New Brunswick, Newark, and New York City. Today, you can use the D&R as a pathway to Central Jersey farms, craft beverage makers, history, and recreation.

Terhune’s winery will continue to offer “Sips and Sounds” in an old apple orchard.

Farms and Vineyards

Small family farms dominate Central Jersey agriculture today. Terhune Orchards is the biggest draw for visitors seeking to pick their own fruits and vegetables, sip farm-made wines, while enjoying live music and children’s activities. Griggstown Farm offers its famous poultry in a beautiful on-farm store, while nearby Snyders Farm has fresh-picked sweetcorn in the summer and pick your own pumpkins in the fall.

Fans of organic farming will enjoy cheesemakers Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse, Cherry Grove Farm, and Dogwood Farms.

Winery lovers will enjoy visits to Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Old York Cellars, and Unionville Vineyards. All these special places offer indoor and outdoor seating. Check their websites for live entertainment options and schedules. Central Jersey wineries are regularly winning awards for the quality of wines produced by Garden State soils and climate.

Craft Beverages Makers

Flounder Brewing’s historic barn is now open.

The Central Jersey region also is enjoying an explosion of craft beverage makers, including Jersey Cyclone Brewing in Somerset, Lone Eagle Brewing in Flemington, and Flounder Brewing, recently relocated in a gorgeous, historic Dutch Barn in Hillsborough. This fall, Flounder will be joined by Bellemarra Distillery at Carriage Farm.

Sourland Spirits in Hopewell takes advantage of the high-quality aquifers of the Sourland Mountain region, one of the largest contiguous forests in New Jersey. The distillery is located on a farm where you can also enjoy a farm-to-table dinner at Brick Farm Tavern, next door. They’ll mix you a fancy cocktail, or sell you a bottle of high-quality gin, whiskey, vodka, or rum.

Farm-to-Table

Some of the earliest farm-to-table restaurateurs got their start in Central Jersey, inspired by the high-quality local meat, poultry, and fresh produce available nearby. In addition to Brick Farm Tavern, you’ll also find Brick Farm Market in Hopewell. In the Princeton area, you’ll love Eno Terra, Jammin’ Crepes, Mediterra, and Teresa’s Caffe.  You’ll be amazed at the difference fresh, local food makes to your restaurant experience.

Children’s Activities

Siblings choose a pumpkin at Terhune Orchards.

Terhune Orchards is a “can’t miss” visit for kids, but in addition be sure to check out Hidden Spring Lavender in Skillman for its cute alpacas (and fragrant products for mom and dad), while Gorgeous Goat Creamery in Stockton encourages visits with adult and baby goats (as well as goat milk soaps and cheeses). Howell Living History Farm gives families a chance to see farm animals and farming practices of more than a century ago.

Trails for Walking and Biking

The pandemic sparked a new appreciation for the value of outdoor activities in Central Jersey. In addition to the 70 miles of the D&R Canal towpath, some of the best places to walk or bike include the manicured parklands of Duke Farms; the mountain biking trails of Six Mile Run; the educational trails of The Watershed and Fairview Farms; and 44 miles of hiking trails managed by D&R Greenway Land Trust.

Entertainment Options

Somerville’s Mission Street is a pedestrian thoroughfare.

Central Jersey offers a lot of great entertainment, including the AA Yankees affiliated Somerset Patriots, top-flight theaters in New Brunswick and Princeton, and museums throughout the region. Nightlife is available in the college towns of New Brunswick and Princeton, of course, but also in Somerville, which is emerging as a foodie destination.

Visiting Central Jersey

The easiest way to visit is by car, a drive that is rarely more than 60 or 90 minutes from New York City. If you’d like to come via public transit, take New Jersey Transit out of New York Penn Station, and make your destination one of these stations:

• New Brunswick, where you can walk to city restaurants, hotels, and arts organizations, or take a short rideshare to a nearby farm or historic site
• Princeton Junction followed by the “Dinky” train to the university town, where you’ll find the highest concentration of farm-to-table restaurants. Try rideshares and bikeshares to get you around the larger area.
• The Raritan Valley Line can bring you to Bridgewater for the Somerset Patriots, to Somerville for a downtown experience, or to Raritan for access to Duke Farms.

If you still need convincing, watch this music video celebration of the farms and natural places of Central Jersey, created last year to replace a canceled music festival. It will inspire you to appreciate the beauty and bounty of the Garden State!

Click on image for a musical celebration of Central Jersey’s beauty.