| Baker Street Brewery's founder and head brewer Art Hannemann takes you on a journey to find the ales. Catch the train for Arty's ride to the New Jersey suburbs in search of, what else, great beer! It's going to be a fun trip as Arty reviews and rates a new stop each month as he takes the rails to the ales.....and beyond! |
| Take The Rails to The Ales to... Off the tracks— Keep It Under Your Hat The Auld Shebeen ------- 1401 Route 10 East Whippany, NJ (in the Hanover Marriott Hotel) (973) 942-8666 Walk into the Hanover Marriot and to the right you will find a doorway that transports you into Ireland and Irish history. In fact the Auld Shebeen is actually a genuine Irish pub that was originally built in Belfast Ireland, dismantled, shipped to The Marriot and then reassembled. And I mean everything from the ceiling to the walls to the bar itself. It's the real deal. Look around and you'll see some great, authentic historic artifacts inside the pub proper including a fireplace that was once in an old Belfast mansion. There are also several church kneelers from a seminary college in Dublin. The floor itself is constructed from 200 year old pine flooring from Stormont Castle which served as the official residence of the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972 . It also served as the location of the Cabinet Room of the Government of Northern Ireland during that period My favorite artifact in the entire pub an the 18th century whiskey still from a….. you guessed it….from an Auld Shebeen!! Question - All right, what is a Shebeen anyway ? Answer: At first I thought it meant hat as in their logo, but actually a Shebeen is a speakeasy of sorts. A Shebeen is a business that serves beer and/or liquor without a license. In their logo the word Shebeen is under the hat. In other words keep it a secret. You might be asking how did I find this place since it's stuck inside a Marriott Hotel with no exterior signs touting its location. Well, when I first started writing for BeerNexus I would often meet many of my colleagues at the Auld Shebeen from which we would go to investigate area bars. We met there because it is centrally located and easier to get to then our office for many of our writers. In those days the Shebeen's beer selection was lets’say corporate for lack of a better word. You could get a great pint of Guinness but the rest of the lineup was Marriott Standard. You know the usual suspects, t beers such as Bass Ale, Harp, Stella Artois, Coors Lite and for some reason Magic Hat #9. And they're still standard at Shebeen. Ah, but now for the good news. The standards are now side by side with Dogfish 90, Troegs Perpetually Hopped, ClimaxNut Brown Ale, Chimay Triple and a Sam Adams seasonal. Not bad, right? With a newly expanded menu, and a few great beers to choose from this meeting place has become a popular destination for us and not just a place to move on from. The Auld Shebeen is directly off of Rt. 287 so it's easy to find. Simply take Rt.287 to the Route 10 west exit, then take the first u-turn and stay to the right (because it comes up fast) you will see the entrance to the Marriott Hotel (Whippany). Go in the front, the bar is to your right. It made me happy to see a nice bar work towards becoming a great craft beer pub! I am pleased to give it 4 out of 5 engines. -------------------------------------- ============== Hope you get a chance to stop in at my new restaurant in the Bradley Gardens section of Bridgewater NJ. Bring your own great beer and enjoy my great food! Neil's All American Grill, 85 Old York Road Bridgewater NJ. 908-300-8658. Chicken Specialties, Sloppy Joes, Subs, Falafels, Burgers Cheesesteaks, Salads, Vegetarian Menu, Italian Specialties and All kinds of crazy stuff. BYOB ! Stop in if you are in the area and mention you read my column! =================================== *********************************** Here's some good info on planning your own Railes To Ales trip. First step go to www.njtransit.com web site. Then click on train schedules. Next click on "use our map to plan your trip." Now select your train station on the map. And next select your destination on the map. A new page appears and you want to select weekday, holiday or weekend accordingly. A new page appears with your schedule of departing times and length of travel time. Print this up and then go to the bottom of the schedule and it will say click here for return schedule--click away. Now print this page up as well and you have all the info you need to plan your trip. Remember to allow walking and drinking time. Gotta catch my train back-- see you at my next stop! Remember to leave the car at home and......Take The Rails To The Ales !!!! Arty Hannemann |
Rails to Ales........and beyond ////////////////////////////////
by Arty Hannemann
by Arty Hannemann
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| Arty's Ratings Five engines= the very best Four engines= excellent Three engines=good Two engines= fair One engine= bad news Zero engines=stay away For Off The Rails it's Barely Sacks instead of Engines |
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