Czig Meister Brewing — Restaurant in Hackettstown

A quick update to my previous review. I was back at Czig's for a networking event. Once again I ordered a flight. This time I selected four new releases: 77 Fire Irish Red Ale Chaos Belgian Dubbel Everett House Helles Lager Chieftains Covenant Doppelbock From the first sip I noticed a huge difference. All four were right in style! As is appropriate I started lightest to darkest order. The Helles was nice, clean and light with a light noble hop bite. The Irish Red was crisp and clean with a hint of malt sweetness and a medium/light body and rich head. The doubles were a draw for color, but a quick sniff or sip immediately identified the style. The Belgian with the complex yeast driven flavor with bread, stone fruit and raisin. And though the body might have been just a smidge light for my taste, it is well within the style standards. The Doppelbock has a rich, velvety mouth feel with a deep malt chewy sweetness. Everyone was enjoyable and right in style across the board. This was the biggest change in beers between visits that I have run encountered. I would gladly have a full point or two of any of these beers. So much better! Highly recommended!

This is a tough review to write. I want to be fair and honest, but this review really has to be divided into two parts. The venue and the product. The venue is great. It is big, open, warm and welcoming. The staff are great. They were so friendly and engaged it was great. I observed that they seemed to know many of the regulars and warmly greeted them and had lively conversations. The biergarten was large and clean. The street parking was limited but was adequate. I really liked everything about the place. The problem is that this is a brewery. I have had a few of their beers in cans, but this was my first visit to the brewery. I was really hoping that the beer would be better straight from the taps. Unfortunately, as a hardcore beer guy the product was disappointing. I had a flight that sampled their core lineup, seasonal, and rotating. Marzen/Octoberfest is one of my all time favorite styles. I had to check the ticket to confirm what it was. I couldn't tell. It is supposed to be a clean, crisp lager, with a big slightly sweet malt backbone, a medium body, rich mouth feel and just a touch of a noble hop bite. This was thin, watery, with very light carbonation and less flavor. It was a nice straw color and had a touch of sweetness. The hefeweizen was a little better. The hazy light color with a light head looked good. It has the characteristic banana/clove flavor although I prefer a richer body and stronger flavor, this one was stylisticly accurate. Next was the Blacksmith Oatmeal Stout. I liked the flavor of this one. The dark malts and roasted barley were definitely prominent. However, it only took one look to see that this is way too thin and watery. Oatmeal is added to add a creamy rich sweetness to a stout. A stout is supposed to be black and opaque. The mouthfeel should be very rich and velvety. There was no body or mouth feel. It's like a weak handshake. The last selection I had was The World Awaits NEIPA. This one looked spot on and the aroma was great. Nice fresh aromatic hops. It was nice and hazy. The hops blend was nice and clean. As per style it has a strong hop flavor without as much bitterness as a traditional IPA. However, the malt backbone was missing. The strong hops of IPAs make them the easiest and most forgiving style to brew because they hide most mistakes. But the key to a great IPA is balance. They need a big malt base to balance out the brew. There is definitely an overarching theme with all the beers. A lack of body and balance. A solid boost of crystal/cara malts and maltodextrin to all of the grain bills and a slightly higher mash temperature could make a world of difference. Now I absolutely acknowledge that most people are not going to be as a critical about the beers. But at the end of the day, the beer is the business. I still think this is a great place to hang with friends and the...

Favorite place to grab a beer in the area. They brew a wide, dynamic selection of amazing beers at fair prices. Growlers and various merch are available. The service is great and the staff is friendly and informative.

The environment is family-friendly, dog-friendly, and is appealing for people of any age demographic. The seating consists of large, "beerhall" style benches, which, in conjuction with the wide variety of tabletop games Czig provides, offers and comfortable social experience with strangers. The indoor section is open and well-lit, with views of the brewing equipment, and the adjacent outdoor section is relaxing beer garden. Live music is often present and i believe you can take tours of the small brewery.

Due to not being a true "bar/restaurant," customers can't order food, but are actually encouraged to bring their own, which is perfect considering Czig's location and the many delicious culinary options within walking distance. I've seen other customers actually cook meals at home and bring them to Czig (and even share). Delivery is always an option, as well.

Great spot to bring the family, a friend, a date, or even if you feel like stopping in alone to grab a drink and...

RUDE! Unpleasant experience! Went in and purchased 2-'4 packs'. Easy. We asked for our Grains & Grapes Trail stamps. As this was our last stop as we completed our trail, I said "You're our last stop.". Instead of politely asking me to come back because they were very busy, I was yelled at and the server said "No way! There's just no way.! ". He said it 3 or 4 times. I was so taken back by his agitation, I said "No problem, we'll come back another time"... Trying to calm him down. Relax Buddy. He then said you'll need to go somewhere else for your Grains & Grapes sweatshirt. Whatever.... Also, don't bother doing the Grains & Grapes Trail. I am a supporter of local businesses and local agriculture, honoring the preservation of New Jersey's and Warren County's farmlands. However, this gimmick of the Trails isn't worth the trouble. We have participated in the trails twice now and both times we had to work to get the prize promised (a customized sweatshirt). Don't offer a promotion if you...