Long Valley Pub & Brewery

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev -2.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

Housed inside an old stone farmhouse, tons of exposed brick and wood beam work. Open feeling but warm and cozy at the same time. First floor has a decently sized bar in the center, flanked by dining areas on the left and right, the brewhouse exposed in the rear. Upstairs has another small bar and more seating. Big outdoor patio with bar and stage and ample seating. Only oddity is the placement of the many HD TVs in the interior.

4-5 House brews fairly light and straightforward. The porter the best of the bunch. Descriptions of other seasonals not currently available look promising. Food menu was expansive and covers burgers and sandwiches to steaks and such. Decently done, nothing spectacular. Service friendly and attentive.

Come for the atmosphere... everything else enough to keep you here a while.

07-09-2012 14:44:47 | More by rfgetz

jjboesen

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -5.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $$

Hidden in the rustic wilds of central New Jersey, within the quaint confines of historic Long Vallley, a neat little Colonial village that saw some action during a little dustup called the Revolutionary War (By George), Long Valley Brewpub is a small batch brewpub that provides award winning crafts to thirsty patrons beneath the sturdy rafters of an atmospheric stone structure that dates from 1771.

There is a roomy patio area, great for those warm spring days when the cool winds licks the back of your neck as you sip on a pint of their savory Lazy Jake Porter. Enter the double doors and you are faced with the small bar area, which is opposite the smiling brewing tanks ensconed behind a steaming glass window. To the right is a larger dining area where slobbering patrons stuff theri maws with vittles; on the left, a smaller room decorated with an inviting fireplace that must be magnificent during the hostile New Jersey winters. Upstairs, beneath the aforementioned rafters is another area in which the aforemetioned patrons can also slobber.

Looking at the row of taps, one detects an affinity for German beers - this neighborhood was once know as Germantown. (Hessians, anyone?)

The food is fresh and filling and the bartender was a friendly college student wonderfully endowed with breasts and a friendly smile.

Long Valley may be out of the way, but it is certainly a trip worth making. History and beer: perfect together. (Apologies to former Governor Tom Kean.)

09-10-2012 01:43:51 | More by jjboesen

muskiesman

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +7.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

One of the most spectacular settings and spaces for a brewpub. In the Schooley Mountain base in a restored 200 year old barn. Massive patio with gas heaters.

Two beers stood out for us the Lazy Jake Porter a slightly thin pour but a great blend of malted barley leads to a robust backbone and good body overall and the Marzen a lively hop and malt mix.

Food here is always topnotch. We love to hit this on the way home after a long day on the trail. The spicy ginger Calamari, and sesame ginger chicken wings are our favorite starters.
Cedar plank salmon, short rib gnocchi and homemade meatloaf are all amazing
Another pet peeve the clear glass screw top growlers.

02-04-2012 15:24:21 | More by muskiesman

bogus564

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Last visit: July 2011

A very nice looking place. I've been there twice thus far, the second time because a friend's band was playing there.

The atmosphere is nice - stone walls, old wooden tables, reminds you of an old school bar and grill. The female atmospheres are rather pleasant as well. The place has a nice hangout vibe, whether you're sitting at the bar or at a table.

The service is okay - the food takes awhile to come out once ordered, but is worth the wait. The steaks are incredible, the pasta sampler is just as good, and the appetizers are A Plus. The wait staff is a bit dodgy, though, and quick to blame slow service on the kitchen staff.

The beer selection is limited, as it's a brew pub, mostly serving their home-brewed stuff. Speaking of which, I found most, if not all of their beers a tad on the watery side. After the good food, that can be rather disappointing.

The food is darn good, and I have not had anything that I didn't like, including that which I picked off friends' plates.

The place is a bit on the pricey side, but I don't mind that, when the place has really good food and is stocked with attractive members of the opposite sex. I just wish it didn't take me over an hour's drive to get there.

10-01-2011 22:51:15 | More by bogus564

djrn2

New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -18%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$

To be honest i really only go to this place for the food. This is a local place for me so if it wasent close i wouldn't go nearly as often. The food is good with your usual amarican fare. Ribs are always good as are there burgers and sandwiches. Service can be bad at some points due to big crowds and there new outdoor patio. Actually i was there lastweekend and it took over an hour to get our food. That's the first time that ever happens and hopefully the last.

As for the the beer, it leaves something to be desired. Four regulars (light, amber, pale) that are mediocre at best and the porter which has won metals at the GABF is pretty tasty. With usually one rotating seasonal, once you do a sampler you'll probably just go back to the porter like me. Your typical english style ales that i wish they would update or even change. If your in the neighborhood i would check it out but i wouldn't travel to far.

08-02-2011 19:17:39 | More by djrn2

9InchNails

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

While walking through the entrance, the bar greets you straight ahead. Since I was taking my girlfriend on a date, I didn't think it was romantic to sit at the bar, as much as I wanted to, we got a table. We got a seat right away since it wasn't busy.
The waitress was very nice, answered our questions about the food. She was very attentive, we were her only table but I've had servers forget I existed when they only had my table. She didn't seem like she was too knowledgeable about beer so I didn't engage her in a conversation about it.
I got the Lazy Jake Porter which was delicious! I made sure I got myself a growler fill of that before I left. Also tried their German Valley Ale which was pretty good.
The food was good, it seemed to be a little pricey though. I got a Turkey Burger which was tasty, a little smaller than I expected. The fries were homemade and I could tell, they were really good. My girlfriend got some kind of Macaroni dish that I tried, I should have also gotten that because that was delicious. It had a smoky ham flavor to it with visible pieces of smoked ham.
The look of the place is nice and it's a very old building; that just adds to the atmosphere. It was a little chilly next to the stone wall, I advise to request not to sit next to it. There is an upstairs but no one appeared to be up there. Overall it's a nice looking brewpub. It didn't seem like the place to be loud and obnoxious like some brewpubs I have been to. I didn't even recall a jukebox, which is good because you always get that one person who has to put some annoying song on. This is the place where you can bring a date or bring a buddy, have a few brews and relax. The Lazy Jake Porter is worth the trip alone so make sure you try that.

02-17-2011 09:33:40 | More by 9InchNails

Sneers

New York

3.6/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

I live about 10 minutes from this place, so I'd been here many times with my family before I even had beer. However, the last time I went here was the first time in a long while.

The place is a big, beautiful stone barn that is two or three hundred years old and was renovated in either the 80s or 90s. The inside has two floors with stone walls, wooden beams all over, and fireplaces. It's usually pretty busy, and it's not uncommon for a few young children to be about. Certainly a casual place.

That said, however, I find the rest of the place to be somewhat lackluster. They had six beers on tap; four regulars and two seasonals. Between the three of us, we tried four of them: their porter, amber ale, pale ale, and fresh hop pale ale, which supposedly uses locally grown hops. All were good, the porter was the best, but none were great.

The food was pretty good, but part of an all-too-standard menu: salads, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, etc. I don't recall seeing menu items that would be hard to find at a diner, but they're probably cooked better here.

I'm almost certain I'll be back here soon enough. It's good beer and good food, reasonably priced. [Also, anyone checking this place out from out of town should definitely look into the dairy farm around the corner that has delicious artisinal cheeses available]

09-24-2010 23:06:05 | More by Sneers

magnj

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -7.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $

A - Approaching from the gigantic parking lot you are greeted with a new outdoor bar and an existing outdoor dining area with ~12 tables. The outdoor bar is a great addition, although the layout is somewhat ill conceived. Inside you are greeted with another bar and dining areas to the left and right. It's a big space, not terribly stylish or interesting. Simple wooden floors and basic tables that reflect the pub style where most NJ BPs are more industrial style. It can get loud and there is live music some nights so it's not prime date territory but it's good for a medium sized group.

Q - The appearance doesn't suggest that your going to get a culinary masterpiece in the place but the quality is good for what they serve. Beer is solid and the food is good for the price.

S - Service is fine, it can go either way really. Most staff don't seem to know the beer and make odd suggestions and they don't read the specials or anything. Come and take the order and keep the glasses filled.

S - The menu is a good size although I never seem to find anything that really pops. Standard pub fare, burgers and average entrees. Beer selection is usually 6+ brews, sometimes something on the handpump.

F - All the food is decent, again nothing really pops but you get what you order and it's priced right.

Becoming our go to spot although it's a little far it is much cheaper than our favorite BP chain. Try the Lazy Jake Porter on the handpump if you get a chance, good stuff.

08-21-2010 20:35:20 | More by magnj

Kwak

New Jersey

3.03/5  rDev -19.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4 | $$$

iv been here a lot i love the food but the beer is only average at best. i like the happy hour free food half priced beer what else do i need b
only average beer for a lot of money every time i go here i am alone at the bar
mabey that should say something about the beer
great looking place good service and good food
its a little crowded even for a saturday they gave out pagers like outback
i would like to eat their again but could not be bothered with the brews not bad but not great
i would not go back for the beer but i would go their to eat!!

05-11-2010 06:26:24 | More by Kwak

bob3701

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$$

What a senic ride just to get to the place. We had beatened the dinner crowd there so we go a seat right next to the fireplace. The building is from 1771 all fieldstone and big exposed timbers great atmosphere. Note we were there when it was 19 degrees outside, do not sit next to the stone walls very cold. Sevice was excetional. Our server was pleasant and knowledgeable about the beer he served and we never waited for a beer. Food was good but it was early and one had their classic burger and I the bison burger both were good. We will be going back.

12-31-2009 04:21:33 | More by bob3701