12 Craft Breweries To Visit This Season
Looking for great events, great music and even better sips? Morris and Essex’s breweries are the place to be this summer.
Take a second to imagine the perfect summer night out. Are you conjuring a group of friends with you? Some outdoor dining, perhaps? Live entertainment? And, probably, great drinks for all?
Fantastic news: Stopping by the taproom of one of Morris and Essex’s fantastic craft breweries can get you all that and more. These establishments are hubs for great music and trivia nights in addition to some seriously impressive beer.
Here are a dozen options, some of them Readers’ Choice Award nods and all of them highly rated, for you and your crew to stop by:
Autodidact Beer. This establishment has live music every Saturday and a “community library” on site if you’d like to browse a book while you sip. What’s on tap right now? A Japanese rice lager, triple IPA, hazy pale ale and a sour are just the start.
*1745 Rte. 10 Suite 6, Morris Plains, 973.206.1446
Cricket Hill Brewery. You can grab a table inside this spacious taproom or outside in the seasonal beer garden. There are 16 beers on tap, including lager, pale ale and a special “summerween” pumpkin ale. You can also pick up four-packs of 16 oz. cans here.
*24 Kulick Rd., Fairfield, 973.276.9415
Diamond Spring Brewing Company. The runner up for Best Craft Beer in our 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards, the brewery is loaded with outdoor seating. In addition to lager, blonde ales and a sour, you can also grab hard iced tea and Diamond Spring’s special hard seltzer.
*50 Broadway, Denville, 973.453.6341
Double Tap Brewing. Try out golden ale, red ale and wheat beer at this spot, also a nod in 2024’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Food trucks and bands stop by the taproom periodically, so keep an eye on the website’s constantly updating calendar.
*50 Parsippany Rd., Whippany, 973.240.7506
Fort Nonsense Brewing Company. The winner of Best Craft Beer in 2024, this spot is a local favorite for very good reason. Events abound, with the brewery hosting everything from afternoon yoga to floral arrangement classes (stop by on July 12-13 for a sour beer and music fest). Of course, the drink offerings are also top-notch.
*220 Franklin Rd., Randolph, 862.397.4777
Four City Brewing Company. With a sleek, modern interior and an impressive spread of brews (including two sours and imperial IPAs and a non-alcoholic option), this taproom has quickly become a go-to local gathering spot with a very popular trivia night.
*55 S. Essex Ave., City of Orange, 973.630.1411
Glenbrook Brewery. You can bring your dog to this Morristown taproom, tucked right into the heart of the Green. With a Revolutionary War theme (try the porter named after Morris Militia Light Horse captain Jacob Arnold) and true local pride (they have a hazy IPA named for Morristown), this is a must-try.
*95 Morris St., Morristown, 973.206.1712
Magnify Brewing Company. The menu here is always a treat, making it an Editor’s Pick in our Readers’ Choice Awards. In addition to stouts, sours, lagers and more, you can check out Magnify’s seltzer works in flavors like cherry and coconut.
*1275 Bloomfield Ave., Fairfield
Montclair Brewery. A true microbrewery and a Staff Pick in the Readers’ Choice Awards, you can count on this Montclair staple for innovative flavors (the “kitchen sink” IPA is famous) and events galore, including screenings from local filmmakers and karaoke.
*101 Walnut St., Montclair, 973.850.0541
Oakflower Brewing Company. The ingredients for the beers here are all locally sourced and agriculturally minded. Try out the signature Dew Drop, for instance, a farmhouse ale with lemony acidity and floral notes.
*1932 Long Hill Rd., Suite A, Millington, 609.621.9472
Twin Elephant Brewing Company. A previous Reader’s Choice runner up, the beer cans at this spot are works of art in and of themselves, and have names like “Above Ground Pool Party” (an American double IPA) and “Crocodile Tears” (a pilsner).
*13 Watchung Ave., Chatham, 973.507.9862
Varitage Brew Works. If you’re unfamiliar with the word, that’s because the founders of this brewery made it up—it’s a portmanteau of “variety” and “heritage.” Check out bingo nights and sports watch parties here in addition to red ales, hazy IPAs and more.
*58 Washington St., Bloomfield
Have a favorite craft brewery in Morris or Essex? Tell us all about it on Instagram @morrisandessexmag!
