Style: Cranberry Shandy

Pairs well with your guilty pleasure game; a party game.

Welcome to another craft beer review for Games And A Glass! This week I am reviewing a beer from Cape May Brewing Company, located in Cape May, New Jersey. Their beer for this week will be their The Bog, a cranberry shandy. But of course, before going into the review, let’s talk about Cape May Brewing.

Their site details the story of three people looking to bring craft beer to South Jersey.

“Cape May Brewing Company began with one simple question: Where’s all the beer down here?? With that in mind, we decided to provide South Jersey with fresh, delicious, local beer to put New Jersey on the map as a craft beer state.

In July 2011, we found our home at the Cape May Airport, excitedly purchased our forklift, and delivered our first keg of Cape May IPA to Cabanas Beach Bar and Grill. Since then, we’ve proudly brewed all our beers here, crafting balanced and flavorful ales and lagers for thousands of happy locals and visitors.

Throughout the year, hundreds of our beers can be found in New Jersey and Philadelphia. We are proud to distribute our beers to hundreds of bars, restaurants, and liquor stores, ensuring premium freshness and excellent service. While the majority of our beers are only available on draft, we package several of our brews as well as our recent, highly-acclaimed Barrel Aged Series.

Our Tasting Room is one of the largest and most accessible in the state, with a spacious and sunny Beer Garden. You can visit our gift shop, “The Brewtique,” and take our interactive, self-guided tour. While many production breweries are only open a few hours per week, we are open daily from 11AM–9PM for tours and tastings.

We’d love for you to stop by!

– Ryan Krill, Chris “Hank” Henke, Bob Krill and the CMBC Brew Crew”

Cape May’s year round beers include their Cape May IPA, Coastal Evacuation double IPA and Devil’s Reach golden ale. Their specialty releases include their Summer Catch witbier, King Porter Stomp porter and Phantom Crew sour.

Cape May’s description for The Bog reads, “What happens when you make a Cranberry Wheat and accidentally add too much cranberry? Embrace it and turn it into a Shandy! A tart cranberry wheat beer blended with lemonade. The Bog is light and refreshing while still packing tons of flavor.”

And now onto my thoughts!

Nose: On the nose, there’s a nice balance of cranberry and a lighter wheat that come together to create a pleasing aroma. I found the cranberry to be surprisingly more present than I thought it would, which I appreciate.

Palate: The cranberry is sweet and juicy and I really appreciate that. I was expecting it to be tart, like cranberry juice but thankfully that wasn’t the case. It’s light and easy to drink, but it’s more tasty than I thought it would be. There’s a nice balance between the cranberry itself and the lighter, wheat taste that serves as the base.

Overall: This is really tasty! I would definitely enjoy this while on the beach or at a gathering with friends. At 3.9 percent ABV, it’s very light, refreshing and crisp. With the summer in full swing and lighter beers being the go-to choice, this is a nice change-of-pace. Especially compared to other shandies and light beers. I’d highly recommend this!

I’d like to thank you for reading my craft beer review. If there’s ever a craft beer you’d recommend I try and/or review, please let me know and I will try, to the best of my ability, to acquire it! And remember, like a fine alcoholic beverage or a memorable video game, please enjoy in moderation.

While you’re here, feel free to check out The Spirit Shop NJ on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and where I currently work, we have dozens of craft beers with new ones coming in weekly! Check us out!