Geraghty’s Pub – Review

Reviewers: Ken and Mark
Reviewed 1-7-09

148 West Broad St. (corner of Washington Ave.)
Burlington City, NJ
609-386-1121

(http://www.geraghtyspub.com/)

Dreams do come true for beer nerds. Right here in Central Jersey, 25 minutes or so from Trenton there is a beer paradise. Geraghty’s Pub and Restaurant in Burlington City is a beer lover’s heaven. Featuring 17 beers on tap – more micros than domestics, and a ton of great bottled beers to pop open and enjoy. Geraghty’s is a must destination for all beer lovers.

If you are stopped at the traffic light at the corner of West Broad Street and Washington Avenues in Burlington City you may notice a very typical looking corner bar there – or you may not. I know that I nearly passed the nondescript building the first time that I drove out to the address. You see I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the advertisement for Geraghty’s in a local new paper. The ad read “micro beers on tap” and “100 different beers in bottles” I quit my job and said that I am going there! Well – I didn’t really quit but I got over there pretty damn quick!

When I was at the said traffic intersection, I looked over and said to myself that this cannot be the place – no way. I parked my car on Washington Ave where there are plenty of spots on the street. I walked up to the building and immediately saw signs of hope. The first indication of the type of beers served was the Long Trail Beer umbrella over an outside table. Then I went in the door. I had an instant reaction……

Right off, you can notice that the rehab money spent by the owners went into upgrading the interior of the pub. The most beautiful floor is waiting for your step, many large televisions with DirecTV are there for your sport viewing pleasure, hell there is a TV in the men‘s bathroom! In the rear of the building features a large dining area, again with televisions. Last, but not least is the large horse shoe shaped bar.

Now let us talk about what is served at the bar!

The owner of this establishment, Ken is sure to have some of the latest craft beers on tap. Stone IPA, Dogfish Head 90 IPA and Victory Hop Devil just to name a few – trust me – that is just a few of the great beers. Ken also has some great European brews as well. How does a glass of Franziskane Weissbier sound? Or how about Fuller’s ESB? Are you sitting down? I enjoyed a glass of La Chouffe on tap recently – yes La Chouffe! Where have you seen that Belgian beauty outside of Philly or New York City? Go right to Burlington City and enjoy it! Well, of course for the non adventurous folk there are the few standards Bud and Coors Light, but only a few on tap. On the bright side you never know what you’ll see in the tap selection the next time you come in.

Here is another great fact about Geraghty’s Pub. You can get growlers of beer to go! Any of the beer on tap is available to go. You buy a growler, which is a large glass bottle to hold the beer in. Pick your favorite brew and get the beer to go. Again, I can’t think of any pubs in the Central Jersey area that offers such a service. Check the chalk board near the taps, there is usually a special each week for the growlers.

Don’t just focus on the taps, you cannot forget to look at the bottle selection! Enjoy bottles from Southern Tier, Troegs, Voodoo, Rogue, Weyerbacher, and Ommegang. Again, this is just a small portion of the beers to choose from. Ken also has a beer or two up his sleeve. You just don’t know when he will pull out a large corked bottle of beer to enjoy. The beer selection is phenomenal! You ask for a certain style of beer and Ken will recommend several bottles that he has. You will not be disappointed.

Ken’s devotion to craft beer does not stop at just supplying beer lovers with a tremendous beer line up. Each month there is a beer night. We at 3beersgone.com have not missed one since Geraghty’s Pub has been open. The beer dinners have been an absolutely fantastic experience. On the beer nights, typically a Thursday, a rep from the brewery or distributor of the featured beer comes out to the pub. We even had one of the owners of Flying Fish come out and speak to us one time – you can’t beat that! The folks that come out to the bar to speak to you are the most knowledgeable people you can meet when it comes to beer. They are very willing to talk beer. There are plenty of freebies as well. There are usually beer glasses to give away, but I have seen hats and tee shirts as well. To top things off, Ken’s cooks prepare a beer infused meal, 3 to 4 courses, to go along with the featured brewery of the night.

The cooks take some of the beer from the brewery that is featured that night and incorporates the beer with and into the food! You must have the pork chops with the stout glaze – incredible! You may have a wheat beer, something light, to go with your salad. Second, you may have an IPA to complement your main dish of meat. Speaking of IPA, next time you enjoy a chili try an IPA with it, it’s an amazing pairing. To top things of, for desert you may have a chocolate stout to go with you cheese cake to complete things. The beer dinners are very affordable and are a great dining experience.

I did just mention food at Geraghty’s. Geraghty’s serves outstanding food. It was tough to type many paragraphs without mentioning the great food. It is just that craft beer is such a rarity in this area I almost forget to mention the great food, which is bad on my part.

Geraghty’s is a very unique place when it comes to beer and food. On the menu are some of the best traditional pub food, wing, burgers and sandwiches. The twist that this pub offers to the diner is food with a Japanese flair. You heard me right, Japanese food at a place named Geraghty’s. HA! Some of the best items on the menu are Japanese; you must try the Ki Rolls – kind of a home made egg roll – delicious! Stop in on the first Tuesday of the month and enjoy an expanded menu including even more Asian dishes. My favorite is the freshly rolled sushi.

This fantastic establishment is near by and is very easy to get to. The most convenient way to get there if you are planning a day out with drinking involved is to take the NJTransit River Line. This is the Light Rail Line that runs from Camden to Trenton, New Jersey. Get off the train at the Burlington City stop and walk a few blocks on West Broad Street toward the Burlington-Bristol Bridge; you will be there in no time. Of course Burlington City can be accessed from Routes 130, 295 and 13.

Do you self a favor and visit the best beer bar in the area you will be happy that you did. Some of the best beer and beer events as well as great food to go with those brews will be found at Geraghty’s Pub in Burlington City, New Jersey. Tell them that 3beersgone.com sent you.