Hidden gem, parking and entrance in back lot. Cozy brewery. Great staff and beer. Recommend the pumpkin & Abby! Cheers read more

Cricket Hill Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

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Not bad! Interesting little brewery, hidden in an industrial area. The inside was very spacious, plenty of seating and live music. Service was pleasant. The beers were okay. We weren't a fan of any that we tried in our flight. read more

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Hands down one of our favorite places! Good beer, some great live music, and we love Ed and Gwen! They have pretty good beer... I love the yearly pumpkin beer and we enjoy the Diablo with its spicy kick! I actually like all their IPAs. You can bring your own food or order delivery they have quite a few tables. If your looking for "beer snobs" this isn't the place. This brewery is always filled with everyday hard working people. All the times we have been here no one had ever been rude and no drama so it's a nice change from some other spots. They have great shirts for sale and this year they made Christmas ornaments out of beer tops so you know I had to have one! Stop in it's worth it read more

The venue could be cleaned up a bit, but the beer selection makes up for it. Small bar, but plenty of seating in this Fairfield facility right off of Route 46. Plenty of seating, both inside and out when weather permits. Plenty of beer choices, friendly, welcoming, staff. Would've liked to see the beers a little bit more complex and developed. Although I have not experienced it, they have live music here which I hear is pretty good. Also, a venue that hosts parties, events, birthdays, etc.. read more

Cricket Hill Brewing - $12 for flight of four beers. - Breweries Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

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Local brew(eries) unite! A space big enough to house all of your needs when it comes to social fun and good times. Not to mention, the beer has the decent quality of old school traditional lagers, ales and the new burst of IPA flavors. A stout/porter for those darker times, but a great selection for each palate. A little difficult to find, but a diamond in the rough when you do! Stay local my friends cheers. read more

Cricket Hill Brewing - Flight, 12$ - Breweries Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

Wifey and I wanted to go DO something today (six months of COVID be damned) so we decided to try Cricket Hill Brewery. Wifey and I LOVE good beer (and just can't be bothered with crappy generic beer) and are especially fond of trying places like this. We've been to a bunch of small breweries like this up and down the east coast and wanted to give this a try. When we walked in we were happy to see an amazing assortment of Cricket Hill beers and tried the following: Pumpkin Ale, Psycho Cricket Porter, Octoberfest Lager and the Bourbon Barrel Red Ale. All the beers were fantastic, though Wifey wasn't a huge fan of the Bourbon Barrel Ale (too edgy for her). We ended up buying a four-pack of the pumpkin ale to take home. Nice outside seating (a little loud because it's by the generator), dog friendly, great options, easy to get to, and fairly close to home. read more

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I'm delving into this craft brewery thing late in life -- goaded by my millennial sons -- whispering ok boomer into my ear. Lol I guess I never fully comprehended how many exotic flavored IPA's are being created right here in the Garden State that pair so well with just about anything I like to eat. So I visited Cricket on a whim and a Yelp steer on a Sunday afternoon -- after a shopping spree at Costco with Sweetie and some well spiced Szechuan cookery at Chengdu 23. All that was missing was something other than tea to wash it down -- and this was the perfect choice. First off this ain't no foo foo brew pub. One of the oldest in NJ (opened in 2001) it feels like McSorley's on the LES used to -- when I was a pup. Grizzly, blue collar vibe snugged in an industrial park with machine shops all around. This vibe was perfect for my mood and my sensibility. One other couple was seated in the tasting room and Rick the founder/owner was serving tastes. What a gentleman! Really made us feel at home. I swished down most everything on tap that Rick served up -- and I fell hard for their bourbon barrel aged doppelbock! WOW. I'm a bourbon fan and this stuff is like a fine sipping whiskey. Rich flavor from the barrel age -- I walked out with a growler -- I'm saving it for a cold night. :)) Also enjoyed the Hopnotic IPA -- plenty hoppy and hazy and citrusy -- I bought me a 6 pack of this too. Apparently Fairfield is home to several craft breweries and at least one distillery. Makes sense given the industrial nature of the town. Need to investigate more. Even Sweetie is on board for the trip! Top Tip: No eats here but you can bring your own -- which is what I intend on doing next time. Corrado's and Calandras bakery are just down the road and have plenty of stuff to suit these quality brews. read more

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Came on a Saturday afternoon. The staff was friendly and I enjoyed one cider out on the patio tent read more

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Cricket Hill is large with plenty of seating, but bring a jacket if you go in the winter because it is chilly inside. The beers are decent, but over priced for only being 12oz pours and in plastic cups. A 12oz put is between $5-$7 where most places are $5-$6 and 16oz pours. Drinking out of plastic cups ruins the experience for me. read more

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We stopped at Cricket Hill Brewing the other day to sample some beers. While they had a reasonably-sized outdoor beer garden available, we decided to take our beers to-go. We were in awe of their lengthy list of brews, which spanned all categories including ales, bourbon barrel-aged varieties, IPA's, lagers, and darker porters/stouts. Most of their beers were served in 4 or 6-packs of bottles, and we instantly selected the two 4-packs that most appealed to us - the Jersey Devil Imperial Red Ale and the Wit and Wild Belgian Ale. My boyfriend declared that the Jersey Devil was one of the best brews that he had ever had, and I agreed. I found the rich, malty flavor surprisingly light, versatile, and easy-to-drink. The Wit and Wild was also enjoyable with its crisp, smooth, and mildly hoppy drinkability and notes of coriander, citrus, and spice. Cricket Hill Brewing was certainly impressive, and we look forward to returning when we can spend more time in their beer garden or their rustic, dark inside bar. read more

My hubba and I visited Cricket Hill this weekend. We were greeted at the bar by Rick who is funny and welcoming. It's a gem of a place in an unusual location. Highly recommend. read more

Great beer selection, all very yummy. Decent sized brewery and some outdoor space. Knocking a star because there was a band which was actually really good but so loud if you were a person with average hearing, you really couldn't listen from inside. All for live local music, just wouldn't recommend if you want to be able to hear yourself think...or have a conversation. read more

I don't know if working in a brewery is glamorous work. Make beer. Drink beer. Mingle with beer fans. Sounds great doesn't it. Let me tell you. It is hard work. Why do these men and women do it. There are a thousand and one reasons. Main reason "the art of creation of beer". Sounds corny. Maybe not. The passion and effort with love and experience makes for some tasty beer and Cricket Hill Brewing has all that. Cricket Hill Brewing has some tasty beers. I only tried 5 of the 12 on hand on my recent visit. It was a wonderful experience of flavors. This place has some serious flavor. If you are a true beer person, Cricket Hill Brewing is a must visit. I must admit, I was overwhelmed with flavor. Cricket Hill Brewing is a true working brewery. The Tap Room is right in the middle of production. Pretty cool. Very roomy. Clean restrooms. CC friendly. Cool tunes. Life is good. What sets apart Cricket Hill Brewing from everyone else is the friendliness of ownership. I was the first to walk in on a Wednesday afternoon and was made to feel welcome, special and appreciation. I forgot the name of the first guy I met, but he just introduce himself and made my experience memorable. Rick was my beer tender. Funny, attentive, all around good guy to simply talk beer with for a couple of hours. Overall, Cricket Hill Brewing is in my "Top Five Breweries". Beer is good. Knowledgeable staff. Comfortable Tap Room. Friendliness. Life is good when you can enjoy beer with beer lovers..... read more

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Wow! This place has an open tasting room 7 days a week! A very nice brewery right in an industrial section of Fairfield. Saw they had a weekend celebrating their bourbon barrel doppelbock and just had to go for that. It was delicious and very unique. We each had a flight of four so we could try eight of their beers. Really liked their Jersey Devil red ale and their black IPA -- found those quite special too. Other IPAs, American Pale Ale, Summer Breakfast -- a bit more ordinary as good craft beers, but very good nonetheless. Really pleasant servers. Space was big with a great bar and several high tables with stools. Nice rock soundtrack. They had great price of $34 for a case of their bottles--could be mixed. We had brought two growlers and always appreciate when they will refill--even if their name is not on the growler. So now we get to enjoy some more Cricket Hill later this week. Arrived around 4 on Sunday. They were open until 5 and we really enjoyed our hour introduction to Cricket Hill. read more

I was really disappointed in this brewery. I had one beer and decided to leave. The taste was really off-putting and skunky. I really wish they had flights available, but they didn't. It's also very easy to miss the entrance read more

I gotta admit, this place isn't as great as it used to be. I came here 2 years ago for a beer tour.. and there wasn't a tour. I came back recently and it was the same thing.. No tour. Whatever, that's fine because 2 years ago it was awesome. Let me tell you the difference now. When I came in the past, you pay $5 for Cricket Hill pint glass (it was yours to keep) and they give you drink tickets. However, we never ended up using all the drink tickets that were given to us because as long as you tip, the staff would fill up the pint glass almost all the way (with the drink tickets, they would fill up about half the glass). Let's just say.. back then, you can get really loaded here for cheap and would definitely need a DD. Everyone was probably around the same BAC level too - it was a good time! Now there's a $1 cover charge, no pint glasses available (at least not during my last visit) or drink tickets. It's at least $4.50 for a beer. Um, I think I can just go to a liquor store and buy a 6 pack of Cricket Hill, watch some Netflix and call it a night instead. 2 years ago, you can get at least 4x the amount of beer during their 'beer tours' with the same amount of $. There was live music during my most recent visit but it was way less crowded this time. It used to be very crowded on a Friday night. I really don't have any desire to come back. Came here with a group of friends and we pretty much just drank one beer and left. read more

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Cricket Hill was recommended while I was visiting other breweries in North Jersey. I heard that they were a more established brewery and were very serious about producing fine beers. That turned out to be true. Cricket Hill is still true to their roots as a production brewery. They are different from the more experimental breweries that may have opened up in just the past year. They don't try to compete with the bars that they supply, so they keep their hours limited to times when they are brewing anyway. There is really no proper tasting room, but rather just a small counter area that was retroactively installed inside the production facility already in operation for years. The owners are really, really experienced and know every detail. They gave me an in-depth tour and taught me many things I didn't know about the brewing process. They sell 6 packs right from their facility, as they bottle on site. For me, what makes them stand out among all other breweries in NJ is that THEY MAKE LAGERS, among other fine beers. I have heard so many excuses from other breweries how lagers take too long to brew (hence "lagern" in German means "to store.") However, Cricket Hill views this as their strength because they sell more lagers than anything else. When you import lagers from Germany, for instance, it gets stale in transit. Going to Cricket Hill may be the only way you can get a fresh lager right here in the Garden State. read more

Cricket Hill Brewing - Only one side of the menu. They have LAGERS! - Breweries Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

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It's a Jersey brewery, most of which, like this one, are in industrial parks. That said, do not expect fancy furnishings and accoutrements. What you CAN expect, and what I come for, is delicious beer! They make sours, ales, stouts and more - all or which, unlike the other Fairfield NJ brewery, have clean, unique tastes. Definitely my preferred brewery in the area. read more

Cricket Hill Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

My sister and I went here a couple weeks ago. It is a nice brewery to sit and just relax. I really liked reading their chalkboard and the other artwork that they have to decorate the place. The guy working was very friendly and helpful. All the beers that I tried in my flight were fantastic. I wish I could have taken some home on the airplane with me. I definitely recommend going here if you like to try craft beer. read more

Cricket Hill Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

Came on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago. There was ample outdoor seating to choose from, and even though many tables already had small groups at them the outdoor space did not feel crowded. Love that they're dog friendly as we had a puppy with us and wouldn't have been able to go if they weren't. Beer selection was great and there were plenty of options, and everyone really liked everything they ordered. Also loved that we could bring our own food/snacks with us. Downside is that they are not offering flights at this time so it was hard to taste a larger selection. read more

I was bit disappointed about this place. It's in an industrial area but it's not hard to find (a sign on top of the building gives you a clue of it's location). Outside there was a car with it's front end on blocks...very strange. Anyhoot, there is no clear entrance. I do enjoy their beers but for some reason I didn't like the vibe here. Maybe because it was a weekday but overall I wouldn't go back. read more

Glad I stopped here to check them out! Nice variety of beers, which I appreciate because a lot of breweries these days are all IPA forward and not much variety. Walking in, the space is a little dark/dimly lit but plenty of tables and some cute decor. Nice homey, rustic type of vibe. We shared 2 different flights to taste all the goodies, which I enjoyed most of and I think my favorite out of what I tried was their Trippel Abbey... oh my gosh, so so so good! I also had a pour of their Barleywine (Not available in flight form) and it was enjoyable, but not my favorite barleywine ever. Still had a slight red wine kick in the sip. I should have gotten a pint of the Abbey! I will definitely be back for more of that! Also as a sidenote, they do not serve food here but they did have pretzels out for their guests. I definitely enjoyed this brewery and will return. read more

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I have a 2 tap kegerator and I order 1/6 kegs from here. Very friendly staff and they always have the beer that you want. My favorites are the East Coast Laget and the Breakfast Blonde. read more

I have been going there fore more than fifteen years. I have made many new friends over that period of time. We have live music every Friday night of which I am most always there... The establishment has a very mature frequenting and it is very relaxing there as well. There is a number of choices in brews for everyone's taste pallet You can bring in your own food if you care too. read more

Excellent brewery. The brewery is in a awesome building that is very industrial which adds to the laid back atmosphere. You will always find great people here just hanging out drinking beer and having a good time. The beer is very good. My favorite is the black ipa, this puts a great spin on a ipa. I recommend this place for anyone that loves beer. read more

Love this place and the beers. Great welcoming and fun atmosphere inside with bands every Friday night. I love how they have a great diverse beer selection and not just citra IPAs like most NJ breweries. My favorites are the Colonel Blides ESB and the Oak Cask Ale which has an oaky bourbon taste to it. read more

Cricket Hill is fantastic - we had no trouble finding the place (probably because we knew we would have to look for it in the midst of commercial buildings), and ended up spending four hours there on our first visit. The couple who was working on the Saturday that we visited were extremely knowledgeable and gave us an almost private tour (it was friend + me and another couple). It's clear that they're passionate and knowledgeable about beer, and even though my friends and I have been on a bunch of different brewery tours over the years, we learned a lot of new and interesting information. The tasting room is small and nothing special, but the beers are exceptional (and seriously - $4.50 a pint is the most expensive beer on tap? I'll take four, thank you). The Hopnotic IPA is delicious, and I also really enjoy the Reverend (something... I cannot remember the full name for my life). The Black IPA was also a really nice one, as was the Colonel Blides. We were there until close, and even then they didn't kick us out - we just really enjoyed an afternoon of great local beers and fantastic conversation. read more

Put a buck in the jar for the guitarist channeling Neil Young, buy a pint of craft brew for $5 and hang out at the Cricket Hill open house. Drink local! This is totally a factory, big stainless steel equipment and a bunch of beer lovers standing around drinking, either outside in the dark or indoors under industrial lighting. No food other than a few pretzels so plan ahead! Loved the reserve Bourbon Barrel Imperial Porter, aged in Buffalo Trace barrels, hints of bourbon in a dark but not monster (5.5%) beer, my fave. Simcoenotic imperial IPA was a huge flavor hit, deeply colored and properly hoppy, strong too at 8.5%, yummy. (Name so goofy I had to google it - uses Simcoe hops and their other IPA is called "hopnotic" so etc. etc.) No flights but you can get a taste of anything. Like, we tried the pumpkin but said omg, only pie should have this much nutmeg in it lol. Basically the open house means, stand around and drink our product. Nothing wrong with that!! Unfortunately on the Friday eve when we went there was no tour, no explanation of the 15 barrel brewing facility. And of course the bottling line wasn't running, the kid in me just wants to see it in action. They were not terribly strict about closing down at seven pm. Translation: everything continued exactly as it was before. But they ran out of T-shirts! At least they didn't run out of beer :-) Takes credit cards. Parking is tight. read more

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The beer is decent. The indoor space large and dark and clean. My main beef is simple. My 2nd time here (forgetting that I had been here the year before). If you're going to charge top beer price for brew ... give your clientele some consideration and respect and serve the beer in a glass not cheap crappy plastic cups. It's craft beer not miller lite. My second time here And my friend reminded me of my comment from last year about the cups. Even flights were in plastic cups. Just Sad. read more

There are a ton of breweries everywhere, but most of them have sprung up over the past few years. Cricket Hill has been around a few seconds before it became cool to brew craft beer. As pioneers of the cool beer movement, they know how to steer clear from the kind of pitfalls most modern breweries ignore. For starters, their selection does not consist mainly of IPAs. They have one, and they put some of it in a wine barrel, and some of it in another kind of barrel, so you get three very different IPAs from the same stock. All of their other beers are clearly defined, and surprisingly not over-hopped. There is enough variety to go around, and each batch is distinct from the other. Many breweries make the same beer, with a slightly different flavor, and claim it is something else. They don't do that. This is a great place to learn about beer without feeling intimidated, and a great place to try different, unique varieties. read more

The rant the brewer gives is absolutely hilarious, and the beer is great too! Tours are 5-7 on Friday and for a couple of bucks you can sample what they have on tap. I got to be on of the first to try the Fall Festivus and it was GREAT. Cricket Hill will also put out lots of munchies to accompany the beer. You can hang out in the brewery or outside on the plastic chairs. Sometimes a band will be playing too. I heard Fairfield was severely flooded. I hope the brewery survived.... read more

AWESOME spot! Great service and just right for whoever enjoys a good beer. Many types offered, fresh and no corn in it :) read more

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Love this place. No frills brewery. Delicious beer. I came here recently to redeem a gift card and I had a wonderful time. There was a tour going on, but I went straight to the tasting room. It's a cozy room that fits about a dozen people comfortably. I tasted a bunch of different beers, but loved the Abbey Triple Cherry Lager the best! So damn good. Their IPA is great too. The beers were either $4 or $5 bucks for a 12oz. Not a bad deal. I will be coming here again asap. read more

Given that I make a conscious effort to sample real beer around the globe whenever possible, it's nice to have a brewery virtually on our doorstep. Went there on a Friday night to see my uncle's band play - $1 on the door for the band then $5 a beer in their tap room. Sure, these prices are probably pricier than staying home with a six pack but they're better than standard bar prices for this standard of beer and everyone was having a great time. Parking appeared fairly limited but we still managed to get a spot ok. Haven't done a tour but it's definitely worth a visit for a relaxed Friday evening. read more

We came in on a Monday with a group of people to celebrate a co-worker. I tried calling ahead to alert them our large group would be coming in but I didn't get a call back - good news was they did in fact get my voicemail and were ok with our group. We also asked if they could stay open a bit past the 6PM close and it was no problem! The owner was our bartender and was accommodating from setting up extra tables and chairs for us to turning the music down a bit. We mostly all started with a flight (best bang for your buck) then switched to full beers - I loved the sour! The place is a true brewery and no frills! read more

I discovered Cricket Hill brewing about four years ago. I got to know the owner Rick and his staff really well. The atmosphere is very comfortable and family style. Rick allows you to bring food and pizza and snacks with you while you're tasting his wonderful selection of beers. The bar is located in a semi corporate area but there are eating establishments close by. The beer menu changes with the season. Rick provides stouts and porters in the fall and winter months and lighter beers in the summer months. He also provides entertainment every other Friday which is a very nice change up to experience every now and then read more

Another one of those places that I can't believe I have not reviewed. First off, you gotta come on a Friday so you can get a front row seat to see Rick Reed, owner of Cricket Hill. I like to refer to him as the George Carlin of brewery owners. According to Rick, Cricket Hill brews the finest beers ever made on the planet earth while Coors has the coldest beer on earth, which means nothing! If you don't know what I'm talking about look up some of this videos on YouTube. They are hilarious. A buddy and I have been talking about coming here for years now as they are one of the first micro breweries to open in NJ along with RiverHorse, Flying Fish, etc. We finally made it here but made it a point to come on a Friday since those are the nights that Rick gives his rants. The beer here is pretty good. I'm not much of a lager guy, but on a hot day, their East Coast Lager is a thirst quencher like no other. I also really enjoy their Jersey Summer Breakfast Ale and their Nocturne Chocolate Ale. We hung out for a while, had a few beers and even talked with Rick for a bit. Unfortunately we got sidetracked and ended up missing his address as we were talking with another home brewer inside when the performance took place outside. Oh well, just more reason to come back! read more

I work 10 minutes from this brewery and I was happy to meet up here with some of our foodie group people who recommended we try it out. They have tastings from 5-7 every Friday and considering the amount you pay for the tasting, and quality of the beer, it's very well worth it. Cricket Hill is hard to find, its hidden behind some small warehouse type buildings, in an industrial area of Fairfield behind RT 46 somewhere. We tried the IPA, which was the only beer we overall felt did not taste like an IPA, a bit more on the flat side. It could have been the bottom of the keg perhaps. All the other beers we had were very good. The stand out's were the Nocturnal and the East Coast Lager. I would recommend checking this place out on a Friday evening from 5-7, instead of hitting up your average happy hour bar. The tasting is inexpensive and you get to keep your own Cricket Hill glass. read more

It's a small brewery; wouldn't have guess its a brewery from the outside. Go there on Friday nights 5-7 PM and listen to the founder passionately evangelize about local quality craft brews. Cricket Hill does have a cask ale but it unavailable for sampling that day. However, I very much liked the American Ale and breakfast ale. read more

Cricket Hill is a NJ craft beer mainstay, one of the longest lived in the state. Though they don't have quite the range of some of the newer craft brewers in the region, the beer is very good and you won't find anything bad. The list is fairly big at about ten beers on tap. The space is nice but a bit dark and not incredibly well used for seating. The folding tables and lawn chairs could use an upgrade. To me, it's a place you visit to try out some of their brews you won't find in stores, but continue to mostly enjoy the beers at restaurants or in bottles where the ambiance can be a bit better. read more

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