Cigar and Beer Pairing: Glenbrook Brewery | JR Blending Room | Blending Room

This past week, we’ve had the pleasure of having Conor Boucher, General Manager of Glenbrook Brewery, located in Morristown, New Jersey, stop by to hop on the Long Ash Podcast to pair some of the company’s most popular beer lines with some of our favorite cigars we have at JR Cigars. Although we’ve had a handful of Beer and Cigar pairing guides in the past, we wanted to specifically dedicate this article to showcasing how a beer company in our backyard is selling great styles of beers for all to enjoy.

Opened in 2021, Glenbrook Brewery is in the heart of Morristown, New Jersey, where you can find a plethora of unique restaurants, bars, and remains the only Brewery in the center of Morristown. The energy and vibe of the Brewery is not what you would expect. First and foremost, it’s a friendly family establishment. You walk in and you see how comfortable families are while their kids are playing board games and laughing!

With a spacious indoor area and patio, there’s always room for regulars and newcomers to come and enjoy the Glenbrook experience. Another unique aspect of Glenbrook Brewery is that they limit the number of beers they have on tap. While most breweries typically have 18 to 30 beers on tap, the brew leader and owner of Glenbrook creates up to 12 beers max for every season in a calendar year.

This allows Glenbrook to really focus on creating the best of the best for its consumers. Whether it’s a beer you can enjoy after a hefty meal, an IPA, or even Seltzer with malt-based ingredients, Glenbrook Brewery has something on its menu for all to enjoy.

While coming on the Long Ash Podcast (which you could watch the entire episode below), Conor brought three of Glenbrook Brewery’s most popular beers for us to try and pair with our cigars. Although Conor and Chris enjoyed the Crowned Heads Mother Church and the Aganorsa Leaf La Valadacion Maduro, we wanted to provide other cigar pairing options for our followers.

So, let’s dive in to learn more about the beers from Glenbrook Brewery and which cigars pair well with each!

The first pairing Chris and Conor explored was the Morristown Hazy IPA alongside the Mother Church and La Valadacion Maduro. Winner of a Gold Medal at multiple beer competitions, the Morristown Hazy IPA is a New England-style IPA utilizing Citra hops as its main ingredient. Named after the town they’re based in, and an IPA style beer to call their own, this beer is meant to show love and represent the town that’s supported them for years.

Coming in with 6.3% alcohol content, you’ll notice the Morristown Hazy IPA isn’t too high or low and is perfect to enjoy alongside a cigar after dinner on your deck, reflecting on the day you just accomplished.

Two other cigars we recommend to pair alongside the Morristown Hazy IPA are the Oliva Serie V Melanio or the Knuckle Sandwich Maduro. Both cigars on the medium to full-bodied side of strength provide delicious flavor notes of dark roasted coffee, leather, wood, cedar, and pepper. With the IPA having a touch of spice, the spice notes you’ll detect in both of these cigars will balance perfectly with one another on your palate.

Other than cigars, the Morristown Hazy IPA pairs well with spicy and zesty foods such as chili or Mexican food. Producing the Morristown Hazy IPA  in 1,000-gallon batches that take 6-7 hours at a time while using 90 pounds of Citra hops.

The second beer Conor brought for him and Chris to pair with their cigars is the Czech Your I.D. Before we get into the specs of the beer, what makes this beer so special is that the owners of Glenbrook Brewery created this blend to honor two bouncers who passed away last year. The two gentlemen were pivotal in the community and were always willing to lend a helping hand to any business around Morristown that needed help.

The two men this beer was made in honor of have their initials on the can, as well as a portion of the proceeds of this beer is sent to the men’s family. Not only is this a delicious beer but the messaging and gesture this beer line is for has a feel good story everyone can enjoy. It just goes to show how close-knit Glenbrook Brewery is to the people and businesses of Morristown.

The Czech Pilsner is a recipe created after the Brew Leader of Glenbrook Brewery attended the Craft Brewery Conference held in Indianapolis, Indiana. He took a class on Czech Pilsner and came home inspired to make one of his own. The Czech Your I.D. is on the lighter side of Glenbrook’s portfolio, showcasing a 4.5% alcohol content. The Czech Pilsner is a perfect beer for multiple situations, whether it’s being enjoyed on a cold winter’s day or a hot summer afternoon.

Although the Mother Church and La Valadacion Maduro paired perfectly with the Czech Your I.D. pilsner, two other cigar recommendations we suggest to pair alongside this crisp light beer are the Henry Clay War Hawk or the Camacho Connecticut. The Connecticut Shade wrapper on both of those cigars, while featuring tobaccos from Honduras, makes for an amazing pairing. The sweetness of the Camacho Connecticut and Henry Clay War Hawk provides superb balance and airiness that the Pilsner gives off after every sip.

The third and final beer Conor brought in for him and Chris to pair alongside the Mother Church from Crowned Heads and the La Valadacion Maduro from Aganorsa Leaf is the Spruce Run Ale. Glenbrook collaborated with Green Mountain Distillers out of Vermont for this specific beer line. While drinking the Spruce Run Ale, which has a 5% ABV, it felt like taking a huge inhale of nature and all the freshness it has to offer.

Fermenting in an applejack barrel, Glenbrook’s owner foraged the Spruce himself in the Vermont mountains. Everything about this beer tastes and feels refreshing on the palate. Extremely light and delicious, two cigars, the Spruce Ale pairs well with are the Undercrown Shade and Montecristo White Vintage Series. For this pairing, we figured having a light, refreshing beer alongside mellow cigars would provide you with the experience of really being able to enjoy the beer and cigars’ flavor profile in its entirety.

We hope you enjoyed the beer pairing and cigar selections we had for you! Please go support Glenbrook Brewery in Morristown, New Jersey, and see all they have to offer!