Another look at Newark's Port 44 Brew Pub

Port 44 Brew Pub continues to find its footing with the lineup of house ales it has been producing for three months now.

It can take a little while to find the sweet spot with the newly installed brewhouse, some time to nail down the efficiency of the equipment as far as mashing and hop utilization go.

But brewer Chris Sheehan (pictured at left) says he's getting comfortable with the results of his recipes for Port 44's flagship brews that include a golden ale, red ale, wheat beer and a stout named for New Jersey bootlegger Abner "Longy" Zwillman.

The wheat beer, Siren's Wheat, will help serve as a fundraiser for college scholarships for children of police, fire and EMS personnel. Chris says the inaugural batch had an unintended hop signature that overrode the wheat flavors, so some tweaking is order.

But he says his Goldfinch golden ale and Devil's Red have hit the mark. "I'm locked in on those recipes," he says. (A pomegranate wheat and a winter seasonal strong ale were among his brewing plans earlier this month.)

Port 44 opened back in the spring with guest beers on tap and began turning out house ales in August, figuring in the crowds that hit the nearby Prudential Center for concerts and New Jersey Devils and Nets games into its business model.

A few lingering things remain to get squared away, Chris says, such as setting up a Web site, purchasing an inventory of growler glassware, and acquiring a keg washer so serving tanks won't stay tied up too long by a single beer.

"It's still a work in progress," Chris says.

Chris plans to have the keg washer custom-made with the help of a metal fabricator from the city's Ironbound section. Then the brewpub's stock of 30 Hoff-Stevens kegs can stirred into the mix to get more house brews on tap. (Brews from Cricket Hill and New Jersey Beer Company are two of the guest brews that remain on tap for now.)

"We have eight taps here but I have five serving tanks," he says. "The other three taps I want to fill with my own beer instead of having guest beers."

In the meantime, Port 44's second-floor bar area has been pulling in private parties from the corporate crowd in Newark (Prudential and Verizon, for example), as well as students from Seton Hall law school.

"We've been doing a fair amount of business that way," Chris says.

Port 44 and Hizzoner Corey Booker

Some video footage of Port 44 Brew Pub's grand opening about a month ago.

Nice to see Mayor Booker supports craft beer. (And FYI, the footage was shot by the city)

Now, respectfully speaking, do us a real favor, Mayor Booker, and patronize Port 44, become its friend. Here's why: Maybe someone else will think of Newark as good spot for a brewpub.

After all, Newark used to be home to lots of breweries.

April's good for Jersey beer growth

Looks like the second of two brewery launches in the Garden State will happen this month.

The folks at Port 44 Brew Pub in Newark say their opening is "so close we can taste it." That's from owner John Feeley, who took a few moments today to field a phone call about the brewpub's status.

The pub's interior is finished, and Port 44 has its federal license to brew beer, as well as its license from New Jersey regulators to sell beer. All that's left is a state license to brew and a bar license from the city of Newark. (In New Jersey, municipalities control the licensing to sell beer, wine and liquor for on-premise consumption.)

What's happening right now is some T-crossing and I-dotting – in other words, overcoming some lingering red tape – that could see Port 44 pouring beer at its Commerce Street site at least by mid-month, if not sooner. The first brews to flow won't be house beers, but rather craft brews from around the region, since the flight of Port 44-made brews won't be ready just yet.

Cricket Hill, in nearby Fairfield, has been a big supporter of Newark's second brewing enterprise (mega brewer Budweiser is the other) in eons – and first craft brewer, so you can expect CH to help inaugurate Port 44's taps. Look for Port 44 to to have its house-made ales on tap toward the end of April.

Port 44's jump into the world of better beer comes on the heels of New Jersey Beer Company launching as a production brewery in nearby North Bergen, making the two companies the second and third craft brewer enterprises to join New Jersey's beer scene in less than a year.

Iron Hill became the first new brewery in New Jersey to open in a decade when it began pouring its pub-brewed ales and lagers in Maple Shade in July of last year.