Yesterday, Rhonda and I dropped Aaron and Joey off at the House of Fun and headed over for a couple of beers at Tonewood.Brewing in Barrington, NJ. Tonewood’s non‑IPA beers consistently stand out; they don’t read as perfunctory crowd‑pleasers aimed at the Budweiser set, though widening their appeal may well be a factor. They feel like deliberate, respectful riffs on time‑honored styles. That’s no knock on their IPAs, though, which are excellent.

Yesterday, I tried the Birdie Rice Lager, and the Picnic American Pale Ale.

Birdie Rice Lager 4% : Light refreshing and crushable! Our Rice lager is brewed with Extra Pale Pilsner Malts, Jasmine Rice and Acidulated then hopped with Saaz, Mandarin Bavaria and Lemondrop.

Picnic American Pale Ale 4.8%: Notes of orange water ice, mango and papaya fruit cups, sticky pine sap and a fresh Spring breeze in Yakima

I nearly got the Slipstream Pub Ale again, but I wanted to try the Picnic. I still want to try the Slipstream on the hand pump at their Oaklyn location.