Core 3 Brewery (Clayton, Gloucester County)

Posted on by Pretzel 
Core 3 Brewery
609 N. Delsea Dr.
Clayton, NJ  08312

Review Date: 01/26/2020

Reported by: Pretzel

The Beer Posse headed over to Clayton to spend a most enjoyable afternoon at one of my favorite new breweries, Core3.  We had a good contingent of Beer Posse members available for this review – Pretzel, The Stoutmeister, Princess, B3, The Good Neighbor, The Wrangler, and The Rabbit.

Let me start with the facilities.  Core3 is small, and it’s very popular.  Thus it is small and crowded.  The rather large bar has the most seating, wrapping around 3 sides of the gorgeous wooded accent wall and taps.  High tops for 2 surround the outsides of the bar.  There is a rustic fireplace with granny rockers in 1 alcove, and a lobby area with games and 1 unisex bathroom.  In warmer months (of course we had to come in January), the garage doors can be opened up to a nice patio area decked out with barrel tables and stools.  It’s a little difficult for a big group like ours to hang out and play a game or two unless we take over the lobby.  But the lobby also gets a line of people waiting to use the single restroom.  And as you all know, The Stoutmeister and I must have kidneys the size of a pea since we made several trips to the facility during the review.

The beer tenders were busy the entire time, but they were very prompt in taking your order and friendly as well.  Larry was able to answer all our questions about Core3, while managing all his orders.  And let me tell you, it’s not just about pouring beers!  Oh no, it’s much more than that!  First of all, there were 11 beers on tap, 1 craft soda, and 5 Core3 cocktails.  More on the cocktails a little later.  With each beer selection, you could also choose to have your glass smoked with up to 5 flavors including Hickory and Applewood.  It definitely adds to the flavor and aroma of your base beer!  It was interesting to see that almost all the Beer Posse preferred the Ardennes Forest Belgian Strong Golden Ale, with the exception of The Good Neighbor who henceforth will be known as The Bad Neighbor.  The Beer Posse has such a wide range of tastes, we never agree on one beer being in our top choices.  Now to the Core3 Signature Cocktails…  I was very skeptical on beer cocktails.  We tried several including the Barbaros S’Mores and The Lemon Rose!  They were AWESOME!  I loved the S’Mores!  The beer and the mixes worked extremely well together and were a delight for the taste buds.  I would have tried the Berry Mint Blast, except for the MINT part.  Every since an unfortunate incident in college with Peppermint Schnapps, I do not like the taste of mint in any form whatsoever!  But I’m sure those of you who do like mint would have found it delicious, so don’t let my mint phobia stop you from trying the Berry Mint Blast.

Core3 also keeps the customers happy with some free bar snacks – candy, and on our visit, they had mini-cupcakes which were the BOMB!  I’m surprised The Rabbit didn’t grab them all for a doggy-bag to take home with him.  There was also a big tub of Philly Pretzel Factory pretzel bites.  Ok, I’m not sure if these were provided by Core3 or if they were the snacks brought by another large group headed by a guy who told me he was Donald Trump.  I wasn’t buying that!  His hair was way to nice!  So I made sure I was surreptitious when I swiped a few pretzel bites.  So The Stoutmeister was tacking with the large fun group, and I snapped a photo for our Facebook Page and Blog.  I was very good at getting everyone’s name, and asked for the correct spelling (Cindy vs. Cyndi, Megan vs. Meghan) you get the idea.  So I get to the last guy and he tells me his name is Donald Trump.  So I reply, “and you spell that A-S-S-H-O-L-E, right?”  He got quite a kick out of that!

On the downside, we asked for a personalized tour from Larry and he said he would try to fit us in.  Unfortunately, with only Larry and 1 other beertender on duty, they just did not have the bandwidth for a personal tour.  He promised if we can in when they weren’t so busy, they would accommodate us.  Since I left my phone case at Core3 and have to pick it up, I might take him up and his offer (and have another S’Mores!).  We do recognize that the breweries are a place of business, and their customers are their first priority, so we don’t hold it against them for not providing a live tour when they are crowded.

So if you want great tasting beer, smoked glassware, and awesome beer cocktails, head on over to Core3 Brewery in Clayton.  You will not be disappointed!

Beers on Tap:

  • Washington’s Summit – American IPA (ABV: 7.2%)
  • The River Runs Black – Black IPA Nitro (ABV: 7.8%)
  • The Graceful Maiden – Minty Pale Ale (ABV: 7%)
  • The Hearthside Bellow – Rauchbier Nitro (ABV: 5.5%)
  • The Barbaros Oat – Oatmeal Milk Stout (ABV: 4.7%)
  • The Road to Fisler’s Mill – Cream Ale (ABV: 6.5%)
  • Ardennes Forest – Belgian Strong Golden (ABV: 9.1%)
  • Rhine & Rhone – French Saison (ABV: 7.4%)
  • Baby Doll Blonde – Belgian Blonde Ale (ABV: 4.9%)
  • The Mandailing Hunter – Coffee IPA (ABV: 6.6%)
  • Maple Sugar Shack – Porter (ABV: 7.4%)

Signature Cocktails:

  • The Bloody Summit – Bloody Mary Mix served over the hazy IPA
  • The OH SO RAD!! –
  • The Barbaros S-Mores – milk stout in a chocolate drizzled glass, marshmallow fluff, rim dusted with graham cracker and cocoa
  • The Lemon Rose
  • Berry Mint Blast – muddled blackberry added to The Graceful Maiden minty Pale Ale

Favorite Beers of the Day:

  • The Rabbit – The Hearthside Bellow (Rauchbier Nitro), Ardennes Forest (Belgian Strong Ale)
  • B3 – Ardennes Forest (Belgian Strong Ale)
  • The Stoutmeister – Ardennes Forest (Belgian Strong Ale)
  • Pretzel – Ardennes Forest (Belgian Strong Ale); Rhine & Rhone (French Saison), The Barbaros S-Mores (milk stout cocktail)
  • The Good Neighbor – The Hearthside Bellow (Rauchbier Nitro).  Extremely smooth, easy drinking beer.
  • Princess – N/A (I’m the DD you idiot).
  • The Wrangler – Ardennes Forest (Belgian Strong Ale), Lemon Rose Cocktail

Additional Posse Comments:

  • The Wrangler – Core3 is a really cool place that feels like you’re stepping into a medieval rustic tavern with a touch of magic.  Whimsy.  Shrek vibe!
  • The Wrangler – tootsie rolls in the bathroom.  Awesome or Gross???  You decide!
  • The Stoutmeister – I could not believe they came up with some beer better than my favorite stouts/porters!
  • The Rabbit – Free mini cupcakes!!!
  • The Rabbit – Smoked beers are awesome!
  • The Rabbit – Beer cocktails are not convoluted and are a welcome variation of the good beers already on tap.
  • B3 – Will definitely be back in warmer weather to check out the patio!
  • Princess – I love this place!  They offer a craft beer for the non-drinker and a lot of options for the beer drinkers.  The smoked glasses are unique.  If only the space was larger, I’d rate the facilities a 10!

Website(s) & Social Media:

Overall Pretzel Score (8.45 out of 10): 

Final Scorecard (click to open):  Core3Brewery

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2 thoughts on “Core 3 Brewery (Clayton, Gloucester County)”

  1. I visited this place at the end of 2019. I must agree for a small place it packs a great tasting experience. Good stuff and this is only a hobby for the brewmaster. Enjoy the visit and spend the time talking with the owner. The wall tree is a great art piece.

    1. Agreed! We quite enjoyed the visit! I will be back for a live tour whenever they have the bandwidth! Thanks for the comments!

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