River Horse sells four-packs, six-packs and cases in their tasting room, as well as growlers. They also have merchandise including glassware and shirts for sale. (Photo by Albert Rende)
River Horse Brewing Company staff member Justin Burrell pours some samples during a brewery tour Nov. 23, 2013. (Photo by Albert Rende.)
Jon Harkel fills a growler for Ewing resident Ray Zeimet in the River Horse Brewing Company tasting room and gift shop Nov. 23, 2013. (Photo by Albert Rende.)
River Horse Brewing Company offers beer fans a look and taste at its new Ewing facility
On the corner of Graphics Drive and Upper Ferry Road, a small sign signifies big things for the River Horse Brewing Company.
The understated gray and black sign featuring River Horse’s playful hippopotamus logo (a hippo being the “river horse” of the company’s name) suits the underdog character of many of the nation’s microbreweries. And now that River Horse has opened its new Ewing facility to the public, chances are people who enjoy a good pint are going to start taking notice, if they haven’t already.
River Horse was founded in 1995, and for years was located in tourist-tempting Lambertville. While foot traffic was a boon, the relatively small size of the facility limited what they could do. So business partners Chris Walsh and Glenn Bernabeo, who bought the business in 2007, moved operations to Ewing in the summer, boosting their square footage from 10,000 to 25,000 in the process.
River Horse moved in back in June, but it took until the first weekend in November to get clearance from the township to open the facility to the public for tours, tastings and sales of beer and merchandise. Though the company so far hasn’t done much in terms of marketing beyond announcements on their Facebook page and website, the word is getting out: tours, which are given only on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, were mostly sold out all month.
If you’re thinking of tasting some beer at the brewery, it is possible — but only if you go on a tour. A brewing license is not the same as a liquor license, and the state has set guidelines for what brewers can and can’t do on their premises.
Before 2012, the rules were even tougher for microbreweries. While the state’s wineries had the latitude to make money via tastings and special events as well as sell directly to consumers, breweries were more restricted in what they could do. For example, they could only give their draft beer away, not sell it. They could sell a maximum of two six-packs per customer.
But in September 2012 lawmakers, recognizing that craft beer was a growing movement bringing jobs and money to the state, made some changes governing how brewers can operate and how they can market themselves. Now, places like River Horse can unequivocally fill growlers (1L and 2L bottles) directly from a tap for sale, as well as sell bottled beer by the bottle, six-pack or case. They can also serve glasses of beer to patrons provided those patrons participate in an “educational experience,” i.e. a brewery tour.
Around the state, the response to the new laws was immediate, and perhaps unexpectedly forceful. By one count, seven new microbreweries have already opened in New Jersey in just the past 18 months, and at least half a dozen are slated to open in the next year (some reports are as high as 15 new breweries on tap for 2014).
But the relaxed rules have seen some microbreweries around the state flexing their muscles a bit. Some have more than a dozen taps and ample places for people to sit; at more than one, a patron could walk right in and order a pint of beer without taking part in any kind of tour. None serves food, but some welcomed customers to bring their own.
Head brewer Chris Rakow has been with River Horse since 2009. He said they are aware that “some people would like us to be a bar,” but he said River Horse would play by the rules set up by the state. The River Horse walkthroughs are no half-hearted affairs either; visitors can set aside a half hour for their tours.
Accordingly, River Horse’s gift shop and tasting room is lined with shelves of six-packs, and there are four taps set up near the door to the brewery. A few small, tall tables without chairs are set up throughout the room, enough to accommodate those who want to try a pint or two after a tour. Beer and merchandise sales are also possible Fridays from noon to five, though no tours are given. River Horse does offer free samples (around an ounce) to customers who are trying to decide which beer to take home.
No tour is necessary if customers simply want to walk in and purchase some brew. (Or for that matter, a T-shirt.) Rakow said the thought behind opening the room on Fridays was that people might want to stop in during lunch or after work to get ready for their weekend parties. But because River Horse is fully operational on Fridays, it would not be safe for them to give tours.
He said nothing is set in stone, and that the company might make changes over time in response to how well things go.
“It’s, what, our fourth weekend?” he said on Nov. 22. “We’re still figuring out what it is, figure out what will work for us.”
River Horse has already held its first special event, however: Novemberfest, held on Nov. 8, featured draft beer and live music for the price of $15. More events are in the works, some of which sound fairly quirky, like a Hungry Hippos tournament tentatively scheduled for January 2014.
Rakow said while they aren’t going to get the foot traffic they had in New Hope and Lambertville, they are hoping maybe they will get an influx of college kids they never had before. The College of New Jersey, Rider University and Princeton University are all within 20 minutes of Graphics Drive.
And while Novemberfest was a sellout —Rakow said they learned they probably could have accommodated even more people — the brewery’s first barrel tapping was not as successful. They had hoped to attract local aficionados by tapping a firkin of one-off ale, and ordinarily such an event would be quite a draw. Triumph Brewing Company, a brewpub in Princeton, has a barrel tapping the first Wednesday of every month.
But not that many people attended River Horse’s event, and since firkins don’t last very long, much of it had to be thrown away. Rakow said they’re not sure why it wasn’t a success, but they’re thinking of trying it again.
River Horse makes 10 kinds of beer, some year round and others, like Belgian Freeze which is now available, only seasonally. Because they have more than doubled their size by moving to Ewing, they can of course brew more beer. They also have the liberty to work on new recipes and styles without disrupting normal production.
The expansion also means they can once again brew lager, a style of beer that takes a long time to ferment. In Lambertville, the lager tied up the brewing vessels too long for it to be viable for them to make; they could produce ales and stouts more quickly.
Rakow was excited about being able to do lagers again. On Nov. 22 he was putting the finishing touches on a dunkel-style lager, a darker beer that was to be packaged under River Horse’s Brewer’s Reserve label.
In the past, Brewer’s Reserve batches were only available either on tap at a bar or restaurant, or bottled as part of a River Horse Variety Pack. Now, Rakow said, Brewer’s Reserve will be available at the brewery — and not in stores — which is just one of the reasons Ewing beer enthusiasts might be pleased to suddenly find a craft brewing operation right in their backyard.
River Horse Brewing Company (riverhorse.com) is on Facebook, which is frequently updated with news. The tasting room and gift shop is open Friday through Sunday from noon to five p.m. Tours are given Saturdays and Sundays, but must be signed up for via online registration.
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