New Jersey's New Craft Beverage Trail Draws Car-less New Yorkers

    NEW YORK, NY, November 10, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New York City craft beverage lovers without a car are in for a real treat with Somerset County, New Jersey's new "Sip & See Somerset" Craft Beverage Trail — just across the Hudson River and about a 90-minute train ride from Manhattan on New Jersey Transit.

The brand-new 5-stop trail is a new hot spot to share a cocktail or a cold brew with friends and consists of three breweries (Flounder Brewing, Village Brewing, and Jersey Cyclone Brewing), a cidery (Burnt Mills Cider), and a distillery (Bellemara Distillery).

With five new itineraries for imbibing New Yorkers wanting to escape the city sans car for a stint, the trail makes an affordable, safe, and perfect local day trip because each stop is accessible by mass transit.

In addition, starting in 2023, multiple area hotels will offer official "Sip & See Somerset" overnight packages to allow carless visitors to make a weekend getaway out of the experience, savor each location and explore local attractions and outdoor recreational opportunities.

"Somerset County has an exciting and cutting-edge craft beverage scene, but the safety and well-being of our visitors drinking alcohol is a top priority," said Melissa DeFreest, Somerset County Business Partnership's VP of Tourism and Communication.

"We're working with local travel expert EscapeMaker, to develop alternative transit itineraries and packages for craft beverage lovers, eco-travelers, and public transit riders. With our five new itineraries, now visitors can safely explore the craft beverage trail and discover dining and activity options throughout the county while also lowering their carbon footprint," she said.

Funded by the Somerset County Board of County Commissioners, the "Sip & See Somerset" Craft Beverage Trail also offers a Passport Program with rewards along the way, including T-shirts.

"Hundreds of guests completed their trail passports as the word got out to locals and New Jersey residents about the trail launch, said Jan Chwiedosiuk, Jersey Cyclone Brewery's owner. Jan went on to say "We're pumped to welcome NYC visitors and groups to the area-- especially given all the trail stops are accessible by NJ Transit or a train/quick Uber combo and we're located within walking distance to a dozen hotels."

Bellemara Distillery owner Cam Winkelstein commented, "We chose to locate the distillery right next to Flounder Brewing on a bucolic farm in Hillsborough when we opened in 2021 so that customers could spend the entire day tasting, relaxing, and floating between the two spaces. It's a tasty all-inclusive vacation within a 90-minute train ride from the city," he said.

For more information about the new "Sip and See Somerset" New Jersey Craft Beverage Trail, the Passport program, and five alternative and safe transit itineraries, visit: https://visitsomersetnj.org/itinerary-somerset-nj/sip-see-transit

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