Best craft breweries in New Jersey: 12 worth the trip

The best craft breweries in New Jersey include Kane Brewing Company in Ocean Township, Carton Brewing in Atlantic Highlands, Cape May Brewing Co. in Cape May, Bolero Snort Brewery in Carlstadt, and Icarus Brewing in Brick. Fill out the trip with Twin Elephant in Chatham for German-style lagers, Departed Soles in Jersey City for gluten-free beer, and Tonewood in Camden County for hop-forward IPAs.

New Jersey taprooms run under rules that shape every visit. Production breweries cannot cook, so most welcome outside food, partner with food trucks, or point you to a neighbor that delivers. The upside is a scene built around the beer itself, from shore-town IPAs to small-batch Czech and German lagers, spread across a state where each region makes an easy day trip.

Quick picks

• Best shore IPA: Kane Brewing Company, Ocean Township
• Best easy-drinking beer on a boat day: Carton Brewing, Atlantic Highlands
• Best for a beach vacation: Cape May Brewing Co., Cape May
• Best for events and groups: Bolero Snort Brewery, Carlstadt
• Best for lager lovers: Twin Elephant Brewing Company, Chatham
• Best big taproom with a beer garden: Icarus Brewing, Brick
• Best for gluten-free drinkers: Departed Soles Brewing Company, Jersey City

New Jersey breweries at a glance

The 12 best craft breweries in New Jersey

1. Kane Brewing Company

Where: Ocean Township

Kane is a cornerstone of the Jersey Shore beer scene, and its site leans into that local heritage: "We've grown up on these beaches." Its flagship, Head High, is a 6.6% American IPA that the brewery says it has brewed every day since day one. It uses five hop varieties and leans toward grapefruit, citrus, and pine. Overhead, an 8.2% imperial IPA, and Party Wave, a 7.4% IPA with Galaxy, Mosaic, and Citra, round out the hoppy core.

Sneakbox, a 5.4% pale ale made with 100% Citra, takes its name from a small boat that Kane says was invented in West Creek, New Jersey, in 1836. Kane also releases barrel-aged stouts. The 2026 release of Dripping Maple is an 11.4% imperial stout with Vermont maple syrup, aged in bourbon barrels and conditioned on cinnamon and vanilla.

The tasting room at 1750 Bloomsbury Avenue is first come, first served, with no reservations. Children are welcome with adult supervision, but only service animals are allowed inside. You can bring your own food, and the brewery offers light snacks.

Good to know: Kane is closed on Mondays. It fills clean 1- or 2-liter growlers you bring yourself, but it does not fill crowlers.

Visit Kane Brewing Company's official site

2. Carton Brewing

Where: Atlantic Highlands

Cousins Chris and Augie Carton started Carton Brewing in the seashore town where they grew up. They converted a turn-of-the-century red brick warehouse at 6 East Washington Avenue and fitted it with a 15-barrel brewhouse. The goal, in the brewery's words, was to make tasty beer in the place their tastes were formed.

Boat Beer is the beer that put Carton on many radars. It is a 4.2% IPA conceived in 2011, fermented with Kolsch yeast and loaded with American hops, so it stays crisp while still tasting like grapefruit and pine. If you like the idea of a full-flavored beer you can drink a few of, our guide to session beer explains the style. Carton also brews a family of 7.8% IPAs with names that read like local ZIP codes, including 07750 and 077XX, plus Carton of Milk, a 4% stout, and This Town, a 4.9% lager.

Recent tap lists mixed those everyday beers with bigger ones, such as Regular Chai at 12% and Ship Wreck Porter at 10%.

Good to know: The taproom opens at 4 p.m. on weekdays and at noon on weekends. Retail can sales open at 1 p.m. on Fridays.

Visit Carton Brewing's official site

3. Cape May Brewing Co.

Where: Cape May

Cape May Brewing opened in 2011 and says its story began with hand-delivering the first keg of Cape May IPA to a local beach bar. It has since grown into one of the largest craft breweries in the region, with cans and drafts sold in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

The tasting room sits at 1250 Hornet Road inside the Cape May Airport complex, a short drive from the Victorian streets downtown. The brewery calls it one of the largest and most accessible tasting rooms in the state. You can walk a self-guided tour on the way in, then spread out between the main bar, a barrel room with actively fermenting barrels, and a beer garden out back that is covered by a large tent in summer. The beverage list runs from hop-forward IPAs to traditional styles, fruit-forward beers, seltzers, and gluten-free options.

Food trucks rotate through, and the brewery has a bring-your-own-food policy. Seating and service are first come, first served, so expect waits on summer weekends.

Good to know: The outdoor beer garden is dog-friendly and open year-round. The Brewtique fills standard 32- and 64-ounce glass growlers and sells merchandise and beer to go.

Visit Cape May Brewing Co.'s official site

4. Bolero Snort Brewery

Where: Carlstadt

Bolero Snort spent years as a gypsy brewer before it had a home. Founder Bob Olson started developing the idea in 2011 and 2012, and the company incorporated in 2013, when it says it was one of only 16 brewing companies in New Jersey. For seven years it brewed at more than a dozen partner breweries around the region.

That changed on December 27, 2019, when Bolero Snort opened a 16,000-square-foot production brewery in the Meadowlands. It runs a 30-barrel brewhouse with its own canning line and a large public tasting room. The brewery calls its beers "Hoof Crafted Ales and Lagers," and the bull theme runs through the whole brand.

The calendar is a big part of the appeal. Recent listings included live Rocky Horror screenings and an emo night with a live band, so check the events page before you go. Free facility tours are offered when staff are available.

Good to know: Well-behaved dogs are welcome. Minors can visit if they stay at the table with an adult, but strollers are not allowed. Bring your own clean growler for fills, since the brewery does not sell empty growlers.

Visit Bolero Snort Brewery's official site

5. Icarus Brewing

Where: Brick

Jason Goldstein opened Icarus in Lakewood in January 2017 with six beers on tap. Over the next seven years the brewery built a following around beers like Yacht Juice, Drinking Crayons, Kalashnikov, and Private Beach. In June 2024 it poured its last beer in Lakewood and moved to a much larger brewery on Route 88 in Brick.

The new space is built for variety. Icarus releases three to five new beers in an average week and keeps about 30 beers on draft, covering hoppy IPAs, lagers, sours, stouts, and barrel-aged bottles that are only sold at the brewery. With a list that long, our tips on how to read a tap list can help you narrow it down. Inside there is a main taproom plus a smaller barrel room. Outside, the beer garden has shaded seating, a fire pit, and table heaters for cold nights.

You can bring your own food, and a QR code on the tables lets you order from the burger restaurant next door for delivery to your seat.

Good to know: The whole property is 21 and over after 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and the lounge and mezzanine bar are always 21 and over. Friendly, leashed dogs are welcome anytime.

Visit Icarus Brewing's official site

6. Twin Elephant Brewing Company

Where: Chatham

Twin Elephant is a small brewery at 13 Watchung Avenue in Chatham Borough, and it is one of the best places in the state to drink German-style lager. Recent on-site pours included Wolfhaus, a German pilsner served as a keller pils, and Stammtisch, a Franconian amber lager. The list also carried an Italian-style pilsner, a honey Kolsch, an English-style brown ale, and a West Coast double IPA, so lager is the strength but not the whole story.

If you are still sorting out the difference between those styles, our explainer on pilsner vs lager is a good place to start. Four-packs to go rotate often, with new releases posted on the brewery's site.

Twin Elephant does not rent the space for private events, but it does take reservations for seating areas of 15 to 20 people inside and up to 8 outside. You can bring food or order delivery from local restaurants, though platters and trays for groups are not allowed. The building has an accessible ramp, service counter, and restroom.

Good to know: Kids are welcome only during set family hours, which end in the late afternoon or early evening depending on the day. All other hours are 21 and over. Dogs are allowed in the outdoor beer garden, not inside. Beer to go comes in 32-ounce crowlers, not growlers.

Visit Twin Elephant Brewing Company's official site

7. Magnify Brewing

Where: Fairfield and Medford

Eric Ruta opened Magnify in Fairfield in May 2015, when he was in his early twenties, according to local coverage at the time. The brewery sits in an Essex County business park at 1275 Bloomfield Avenue and built its name on a constantly rotating draft list and busy can releases.

Vine Shine, which Magnify calls one of its original three beers and its first flagship, is still on the list. Recent releases leaned heavily on hops, including Maine Event, a 6.5% hazy IPA with Citra and Simcoe, and double IPAs in the brewery's Hop Elevated series. The Fairfield pickup list also carried Belgian-style and traditional beers under the 2nd Favor Brewing Co. name, such as a grisette, a porter, and a Märzen.

In July 2025 Magnify opened a second taproom at 17 North Main Street in Medford, according to Pint Perspective, which gives South Jersey drinkers the same beers without the drive north.

Good to know: Fairfield is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Pickup is first come, first served with no preorders, and online delivery is available only to New Jersey residents.

Visit Magnify Brewing's official site

8. Tonewood Brewing

Where: Barrington and Oaklyn

Tonewood is a family business. Brothers Eli and Taylor Facchinei founded it in June 2016 with their parents, Anne and Jim. Eli learned commercial brewing at Telluride Brewing Company in Colorado, while Taylor kept homebrewing through college, and the family pooled brewing, construction, and homebrew experience to open in South Jersey. The brewery marked its 10th year in 2026.

Hazy and hop-forward IPAs make up much of the lineup. Tonewood says Crosby Hops in Woodburn, Oregon, has been part of the brewery since day one, and the team visited the farm for hop selection during the 2026 harvest. Lager drinkers are covered too. Recent menus listed a pilsner brewed with Czech pilsner malt and Saaz hops, Lumberyard Lager made with German pilsner malt and hopped entirely with Tettnanger, and a lager built on traditional Munich malts and German hops.

The two taprooms are both in Camden County, at 50 Clements Bridge Road in Barrington and 215 West Clinton Avenue in Oaklyn, so a short brewery crawl is easy to arrange.

Good to know: Each taproom posts its own tap list, so check the one you plan to visit. Online ordering is available for pickup.

Visit Tonewood Brewing's official site

9. Conclave Brewing

Where: Raritan Township

Conclave has been brewing in Hunterdon County since 2015, and it is a good reason to plan a western New Jersey day trip. The brewery describes its mission as making distinctive beers that do not stay inside traditional style lines, and the core lineup backs that up.

Gravitational Waves, the flagship IPA, is dry hopped with Galaxy, Citra, and Mosaic and shows peach and melon. English Rain is an extra special bitter brewed with a simple grist, only East Kent Golding hops from the UK, and a classic English yeast strain. Shadowfall is a black IPA with coffee and chocolate notes against piney hops. Two pilsners show the brewery's interest in ingredients: Acts of Grand, a West Coast pilsner with Nectaron and New Zealand Cascade, and Vacant Throne, an Italian-style pilsner made with Eraclea malt grown near the Adriatic Sea.

Four-packs of 16-ounce cans are sold in the taproom, along with 32- and 64-ounce growler fills.

Good to know: Conclave's site links to the Hunterdon Beer Trail, a handy way to pair it with other breweries in the county.

Visit Conclave Brewing's official site

10. Bonesaw Brewing Co.

Where: Glassboro and Deptford

Bonesaw's Glassboro brewery is the original, and the company says it was the first brewery developed from the ground up in Southern New Jersey. It combines a production brewery, a taproom with large outdoor areas, and the Lager Loft, an event space that overlooks the brewhouse.

The second location, the Bonesaw Pilot House, takes a different approach. It is an 8,000-square-foot brewery on the south side of the Deptford Mall with an aviation theme drawn from classic airports, including a flip board, a skeleton pilot overhead, and a cockpit lounge. Both pour the core lineup, which includes Swoosh, a juicy IPA, Crimson Skull, a Vienna lager, and Shore Town, a helles lager. Seasonal beers and barrel-aged limited runs rotate through.

Bonesaw calls itself a food-friendly brewery. You can bring your own food or have it delivered, and limited packaged snacks are for sale. Orders are placed at the bar, with no table service.

Good to know: Kids are welcome, seating is first come, first served, and the taproom is accessible. Everyone ordering alcohol must show valid photo ID.

Visit Bonesaw Brewing Co.'s official site

11. Departed Soles Brewing Company

Where: Jersey City

Departed Soles opened in Jersey City in 2015, and its story is personal. Founder Brian and his best friend Chris planned a brewery together. After Chris died in a car crash in October 2010, Brian enrolled at the American Brewers Guild in 2012 and built the brewery to honor him.

The brewery aims for a tap list as diverse as the city, with hazy IPAs, lagers, and sours. What sets it apart is gluten-free beer. Departed Soles brews these beers from 100% gluten-free ingredients, not with an enzyme that reduces gluten. Two of its fermenters have never held a gluten beer, and the canning line has a dedicated setup for the gluten-free products. Suppliers certify the grain and yeast as gluten-free.

That makes it one of the most practical stops in the state for a group that includes someone with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance. It is also an easy add-on to a day in Manhattan, given its location at 150 Bay Street.

Good to know: Last call is 30 minutes before closing. The brewery posts a current menu on its site.

Visit Departed Soles Brewing Company's official site

12. Death of the Fox Brewing Company

Where: Clarksboro

Death of the Fox opened in Clarksboro in 2017 as New Jersey's first craft brewery that is also a coffeehouse, and it added a microroastery in 2020. The brewery takes its name from the Death of the Fox Inn, a Clarksboro inn built in 1727 that has ties to an early fox hunting club, according to South Jersey Beer Scene.

Founder Chuck Garrity trained at the Siebel Institute and spent years studying coffee roasting before the brewery opened. The result is a place that works at both ends of the day. The flagship at 119 Berkley Road serves espresso, lattes, and wellness drinks alongside house beer, including stouts that sit on the menu next to the coffee.

The company has since added High Grounds Coffee Roasters in Glassboro Town Square and High Grounds Lounge in Carneys Point. Those sister locations focus on coffee and food, so make the Clarksboro flagship your stop for beer.

Good to know: Each location has its own hours and menu, listed separately on the brewery's site. Check the Clarksboro listing before a beer visit.

Visit Death of the Fox Brewing Company's official site

Best cities and regions for a New Jersey brewery trip

Monmouth and Ocean counties

The northern Jersey Shore has the deepest bench of established breweries. Carton in Atlantic Highlands, Kane in Ocean Township, and Icarus in Brick sit along a line you can drive in well under an hour. Start at Carton near the harbor, head south to Kane for Head High at the source, and finish at Icarus, where the beer garden and long tap list reward a late arrival.

Cape May

Cape May Brewing is the anchor for a beach vacation at the southern tip of the state. Because the tasting room is open daily and has a covered, dog-friendly beer garden, it works as a rainy-day plan as well as a sunny one.

North Jersey and the Meadowlands

Departed Soles in Jersey City and Bolero Snort in Carlstadt are both close to New York City, and Bolero Snort is a natural stop before or after an event at the Meadowlands. Twin Elephant in Chatham and Magnify in Fairfield sit farther west in Morris and Essex counties and pair well on a lager-and-IPA afternoon. If you are crossing the Hudson in the other direction, our guide to the best breweries in New York covers the next leg.

South Jersey near Philadelphia

Camden and Gloucester counties hold a tight cluster. Tonewood has taprooms in Barrington and Oaklyn, Bonesaw has Glassboro and the Deptford Mall, and Death of the Fox is in Clarksboro. Magnify's Medford taproom, in Burlington County, extends the route east.

Hunterdon County

Conclave in Raritan Township is the reason to head west. The Hunterdon Beer Trail links it with other local breweries, and the drive through farm country makes a calmer day than the shore in summer.

What New Jersey brewers are known for

The shore shapes much of the state's beer identity. Kane names its beers after waves and local boats, and Carton built Boat Beer around the idea of a light, hoppy beer you can drink on the water. American IPA is the common language, from Kane's Head High to Magnify's Vine Shine and Conclave's Gravitational Waves. Our guide to what an IPA is explains why the style dominates so many New Jersey tap lists.

Lager has a strong second voice. Twin Elephant, Tonewood, Conclave, and Bonesaw all keep pilsners, helles, or amber lagers on the menu, often brewed with German or Czech malt and hops.

The taproom model is another defining trait. Under state law, limited breweries cannot run a restaurant, so New Jersey taprooms rely on bring-your-own-food policies, food trucks, and delivery from neighbors. That is why so many brewery websites in this guide spell out their food rules.

New Jersey also has a long industrial brewing history that has been shrinking. Anheuser-Busch, the brewer owned by AB InBev, announced in December 2025 that it would sell and close its Newark brewery, which opened in 1951, according to NJ.com. Flying Fish, one of the state's oldest craft breweries, filed for bankruptcy in 2023, and Baltimore's Guilford Hall Brewery bought the brand, according to NJBIZ. Those brands are not part of this list.

The Connecticut picture is similar, and our Connecticut brewery guide covers another small, dense state with a lager streak.

New Jersey craft beer by the numbers

According to the Brewers Association's state craft beer statistics, using 2025 data:

The numbers show a state with plenty of breweries in total but few relative to its large adult population, and modest production per person. Most New Jersey breweries are small taproom businesses rather than big packaging operations.

The count has also been falling. NJBIZ reported in October 2026 that New Jersey lost roughly one in five breweries between 2019 and 2025, citing the Brewers Guild of New Jersey. Recent closures included Jersey Cyclone in Franklin Township and Eight & Sand in Woodbury. Check a brewery's own site for current hours before you go.

Planning a New Jersey brewery trip

Food. New Jersey's craft manufacturer licenses still prohibit breweries from operating a restaurant or selling food, apart from small snacks such as chips, crackers, and nuts, according to the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control's 2024 advisory notice. Breweries can coordinate with food trucks and restaurants to bring food to customers, and they can sell non-alcoholic drinks.

No more mandatory tours. The same notice explains that a law signed on January 16, 2024, lets limited breweries serve beer for on-site drinking without first giving customers a tour. Some breweries still offer free tours if you ask.

Events. The 2024 law also loosened limits on events and televised sports, which is why trivia nights, live music, and game-day crowds are now common in taprooms.

When to go. Shore breweries are busiest from Memorial Day through Labor Day, especially on weekend afternoons. Fall is a good time for Hunterdon County and South Jersey routes, when traffic eases.

Getting around. Plan a designated driver or a rideshare. Departed Soles in Jersey City is the easiest pick in this guide to reach without a car from New York.

Related questions

What is the best brewery in New Jersey?

Kane Brewing Company in Ocean Township is the strongest single pick for a first visit to New Jersey. Its flagship Head High IPA has been brewed every day since the brewery opened, and Kane also releases barrel-aged imperial stouts such as Dripping Maple. Carton Brewing in Atlantic Highlands and Cape May Brewing Co. are close behind, each with a different style and setting.

What is the best area in New Jersey for brewery hopping?

Monmouth and Ocean counties are the best area for a New Jersey brewery trip. Carton in Atlantic Highlands, Kane in Ocean Township, and Icarus in Brick are all within a short drive of one another. For a South Jersey alternative, Tonewood's two Camden County taprooms, Bonesaw in Glassboro, and Death of the Fox in Clarksboro make a tight loop near Philadelphia.

How many craft breweries are in New Jersey?

New Jersey had 159 craft breweries in 2025, according to the Brewers Association, which ranked the state 20th in the country. That works out to 2.2 breweries per 100,000 adults of drinking age, ranking 42nd. The count has been shrinking, with several taprooms closing in 2025 and 2026.

What beer is New Jersey known for?

New Jersey is best known for hop-forward American IPAs, many with a Jersey Shore theme. Kane's Head High and Carton's Boat Beer are two widely recognized examples. The state also has a growing lager scene, with German and Czech-style pilsners at breweries such as Twin Elephant, Tonewood, and Conclave.

Are New Jersey breweries kid- and dog-friendly?

Many New Jersey breweries welcome children and dogs, but the rules vary by taproom. Bonesaw welcomes kids, and Bolero Snort allows both kids at the table and well-behaved dogs. Kane allows supervised kids but only service animals. Icarus and Twin Elephant set adults-only hours, and Cape May Brewing's outdoor beer garden is dog-friendly.

Do I need reservations at New Jersey breweries?

Most New Jersey breweries do not take reservations for small groups. Kane and Cape May Brewing are first come, first served, and Bonesaw seats guests the same way. Twin Elephant is an exception, taking reservations for seating areas of up to 20 people inside and 8 outside. Large parties should contact a brewery directly.

Can you buy beer to go at New Jersey breweries?

Yes, New Jersey breweries sell cans and often growler or crowler fills to go. Cape May Brewing fills 32- and 64-ounce glass growlers, Kane fills customer growlers but not crowlers, and Twin Elephant sells 32-ounce crowlers. Bolero Snort fills clean growlers you bring, and Magnify offers first-come pickup plus delivery to New Jersey residents.

Sources

• Kane Brewing Company and FAQs
• Carton Brewing about page and Boat Beer
• Cape May Brewing Co. about page and visit page
• Bolero Snort Brewery about page and FAQ
• Icarus Brewing about page, taproom and beer garden, and hours policy
• Twin Elephant Brewing Company and FAQs
• Magnify Brewing
• BestofNJ: Magnify Brewing Co.
• Pint Perspective: Magnify opens in Medford
• Tonewood Brewing who we are and Oaklyn taproom
• Conclave Brewing our story and tasting room
• Bonesaw Brewing Co. visit page and on tap
• Departed Soles Brewing Company about page and gluten-free beers
• Death of the Fox Brewing Company and owners page
• South Jersey Beer Scene: Death of the Fox opens
• Brewers Association state craft beer statistics
• New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control Advisory Notice 2024-03
• NJBIZ: Whims Brewing to close Atco taproom
• NJBIZ: Brotherton Brewing to reopen in Atco
• NJ.com: Anheuser-Busch Newark brewery to close
• Hunterdon Beer Trail

Brewery details were checked against official sources on October 26, 2026.