Latest reviews from Hackensack
| 76 /100 78 JOHNSON AVE “Nice tasting room located in a out of the way location, though only a coule of blocks from Alementary. IT is just off the main road and very easy to miss, but well worth finding. They have two fairly small rooms, one with the bar. Games at the tables,kid and dog friendly. They had about 10 beers on tap when I visited and they were all pretty solid.“ |
| 80 /100 58 VOORHIS LANE “Very small brewery with taproom, established in 2016 in Hackensack, found by coincidence. They had 9 beers on tap and another 6 in cans. Barrels with aging beer right at the entrance, wifi, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff, no food, flights available and i tried 4 of their beer which were all quite above average. Worth a visit. The only negative thing I can say is that they charged higher prices for single cans, when I wanted to have singles.“ |
| 74 /100 58 VOORHIS LANE “Went last April with my Dad and brother. Nice little place. Beers were all good. It's small and was pretty busy when we visited (on a holiday weekend), but the service was good and I really liked the vibe. It is a bit hard to find - a little off the beaten path, but well worth a visit.“ |
| 84 /100 58 VOORHIS LANE “Cool little spot. Love the old barn wood look. Friendly staff, 8 beers on tap, and two different can releases when I was there. Had a flight of 4 and all beers were pretty solid. Definitely worth checking out. I’ll definitely be back when I’m the area!“ |
| 86 /100 58 VOORHIS LANE “Pretty cool newer brewery in Northern Jersey. A little hidden away. I really liked the set-up of the place, nice look to it. Had a pretty decent crowd when we visited on a weekend afternoon. You could call it crowded for sure. Food truck in the lot and you could also bring in your own food. Beers were above average for sure, with some interesting ones. Excited to see how this place progresses, it has a lot of potential.“ |
| 92 /100 58 VOORHIS LANE “Beautiful new nano with their own lab. Beers are very good. Friendly owners - check them out.“ |
| 82 /100 58 VOORHIS LANE “I visited for the grand opening...on Saturday 4/16...on line at noon when they opened the doors for the first time. This is a really good looking place...especially the taproom and the outside facades. Let me start by saying there were some learning curve issues for the grand opening regarding service...partly given that the crowd that showed up might have been bigger than they expected...I won’t go into detail...but I am very hopeful they will work these out in the coming weeks..."because"...the beer here is fantastic! I was very impressed. They opened with 8 beers (which is something in itself) and there wasn’t a throw-away in the batch. In fact a number of them were very, very good. Examples..."1st Session" was amazing (took a growler home with me)...super crushable west coast IPA...they call it a session IPA...but at 5.2% that’s a bit high...nonetheless...great beer. Also, some additional strong selections & hoppy beers (4 of the total 8)...A-Game...east coast IPA, American Tradition...American pale ale...both very good (& there was also a black IPA). As for the non-hoppy...the Kolsch was very good as was a lime gose called Let’s Begin...which had a nice tartness without being sour...so a good match to the lime...and a great summer beer. There was a wonderful American porter that I recommend too (last beer was a low alcohol English dark mild). A review of this place would be incomplete without mentioning how nice the owners and staff were...I had brief conversations with a few (including someone who identified herself as only "Grandma"...she was very nice...and obviously proud of what had been accomplished)...of course the staff were hustling to accommodate the crowd. I look forward to coming back soon...after the service kinks are worked out...you might try them on a Sunday or Thursday...but definitely go!“ |
| 56 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “I’ve been to Firewaters in Hackensack a couple of times now as its close to where I live and has a great selection coupled with good service depending on who is working when you visit. Sonia is the only bartender there that has shown any bit of passion for craft beer while I’ve visited.
The atmosphere here in Hackensack is pretty typical for a NJ bar with a Hooters attached :) What you expect is what you get. Lots of sleazy guido dudes eating Hooters Wings while drinking Coors light at the bar. And some of us more refined drinkers trying to be adults by refraining from mocking them :)
Pricing is more expensive than a standard bar but not as much as you would expect from a high end beer bar.
Pints range from $4 - $8 bucks for the most part. 750ml bottles can range from $10 - 25 bucks on average. Obviously they have some selections that are more expensive but I’m just trying to illustrate that lots of offerings are there to be had in the price ranges I’ve listed.
Reviewed on: 09-01-2008“ |
| 54 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “8/2010 - Update - after a few more visits I wonder if they realize they should clean their taps. All beers tasted off significantly
Plan on giving this place another shot but I could see where the negative reviews may be closer to being accurate. Not much going on the night I stopped in. DIdn’t have an Otter Creek brown I asked for and the Hibernator tasted old. Didn’t seem to care that people may actually like good beers here as most folks at the bar looked like the ’regulars’ and were drinking mixed drinks. Maybe that’s a sign. Still location is good should the bridge traffic be backed up which would give me a reason to stop in for a cold one.“ |
| 56 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “Firewaters is a good idea. A beer bar conveinently located and comfortable.
The execution is pretty generic. Bar, a couple tables, dart boards, dance floor. Could use a little imagination, less volume on the music, and more light. At least until later in the night.
Service was poor, I asked for a sampler, and I guess that it was too much to wait for me to make a decision. I had to chase my beers, and even had trouble getting a bill.
On the up side the selection is great. 50 beers on tap including some great ones, and another 100 in bottles. Not many places compete with that.
Price, I showed up on a Tuesday and all drafts were $2. I’d go back if it was every Tuesday!“ |
| 42 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “Sorry. Sure, theres a wide selection. Dont plan on enjoying the aroma of your beer, however. The place smells like a frat house; cheap cologne, urinals and vomit. Whats the point of having good beers if the place stinks?!?! Friendly service, I will admit.“ |
| 82 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “Maybe things have improved since the prior reviews, but I just found this place a couple months ago, and it’s a favorite. The service is friendly and knowledgeable (Laura and Lauren know beer styles and glassware!) and the variety is striking. I can always find something I like there, and Laura’s new 101-beer club is widening my beer repertoire. The food is regular grill food (Hooters is next door, and I believe the probably share a kitchen), but it’s delivered fresh, hot, and enjoyable. The place does get a bit loud, the music is cranked up, but you can always have a conversation with the guy on the barstool next to you about good beer, it does attract beer geeks.“ |
| 60 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “The choice of tap beers is nice but the beers don’t move (too many just sit there since 90% of the patrons are drinking coors light). The lines are not cleaned as often as they should which ruins a good beer. Barmaids are pretty clueless about the beer. I’d rather spend my money at The Coppermine or Andy’s where I’ll get better, fresher and new tapped beers every week. The one thing that Firewater’s has is ditsy barmaids with low-cut shirts trying to get an extra dollar by showing their cleavage. Oh well, you can’t have everything but if I want to see cleavage, I’ll go to a strip joint, if I want a good beer, I’ll go to Andy’s.“ |
| 62 /100 Frontier (Beer Store) RIVERFRONT PLAZA, 500 SOUTH RIVER ST. “just came back from over there today. they let you break sixpacks. when you assemble a six they give you 20% off the regular one beer price. on a 9$ six the one beer price is usually around $2.33. the young guy at the counter had asked where i had heard about them, so i mentioned ratebeer and asked for the discount. he just changed the subject. i got a 22 oz yeti and an unearthly ipa 22 from southern tier for $6.99 each. they have some pretty good beers mostly local. the place is clean the lady is -jersey friendly-and she really pushes the lottery tickets. got some gritty (md) and some yards (pa). guess it’s worth a trip if you’re near. funny when i called to check up before going lady asked what do you want to come here for?“ |
| 24 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “So maybe I went on the wrong night, Friday night about 10pm. I was told to take off my Yankees hat as if they didn’t just clinch. Even though there was another dude wearing shorts, and flip flops. So a hat is not correct attire how? The boobalicious bartenders had no clue about the beer they were serving and were not accomodating at all to my questions. For the area known as the beer wasteland as EDA said, yes the selection is pretty nice for the beginner beer geek. For me I wanted a few things they did not have and got the same dissapointing response every time. All on the menu - Russian River Pliney the Elder, never had it she said, Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot, never had it, Legacy Euphoria, never had it. So, what, they just advertise good beer to get you in there and then force you to drink expensive bottles, which they also had a lot on the list they did not have. New Glarus Belgian Red, Three Floyds stuff like Bruce. Come on, not like I don’t enjoy a 90 Minute but not when I was expecting something else. I could have had an $8 Choufe but she said she would only fill the already small snifter half way. You can tell the Miller Lite pays the bills here. Not sure how fresh anything really is. Don’t think I will be going back unless for another gathering when I would expect not to have any good beer that night.“ |
| 64 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “While purported to have a large tap offering, many are frequently not in use. Staff generally has little knowledge, or appreciation, of the beer. Nights become loud and obnozious, more like a club than anything else. A martini bar is also offered; while the building is shared woth hooters. Often a disappointing experience despite terrific beer.“ |
| 66 /100 Frontier (Beer Store) RIVERFRONT PLAZA, 500 SOUTH RIVER ST. “Lots of local and regional micros, seasonals as well as some Belgiums. Although the beer assortment is not maintained in the neatest fashion, and there is limited assistance from the staff, the best thing about this place is that you can break up the sixes, which hardly anyone does. A very ordinary selection of wines as well“ |
| 78 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “Nice tap selection with mostly East Coast micros and a few macros. Some Belgian stuff was on as well. The bottle selection has just about everything thats available in NJ. There’s stuff in the walk in that’s not on the beer menu or on the beer wall. Talk to AD the General Manager. They are working on getting better and better stuff in there. The problem though, is going to be keeping the stuff fresh and rotating. I was there on a slow night but was told the place rocks later in the week. I would only assume it’s the younger BMC crowd though. Happy Hour is 4-7 where the drafts are $1 off. I think this place kicks Andy’s ass, just by the bottle selection. The decent looking bartenders don’t hurt either. I think it’s worth a visit if you’r in the beer wasteland known as New Jersey.“ |
| 60 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “Lets us just say, the bartender told me perkono’s hammer was a good lager, a bit dark but easy to drink???They did not seem to know too much, or to even care. Must echo Maibock, can they keep it fresh, and get someone who knows and cares about beer. Bad location, I think, next to Hotters?“ |
| 66 /100 Firewaters (Bar) 41 ROUTE 4 EAST “Very uncomfortable bar stools in this place. Marble bar in front of a row of 50 taps. Many comon brews/macros, but a few gems such as smoked Ur-bock, Blithering idiot, DFH 90 minute, Perkunos Hammer and others. Very nice bottle selection. The question is: will they be able to keep the beer fresh. Staff was not too knowledgeable, and maybe not as into beer as one would like. Hooters is next door, but the location may not keep the place in business, for all others there have failed. We shall see. worth a look when looking for something unusual to drink while out.“ |
| 60 /100 Frontier (Beer Store) RIVERFRONT PLAZA, 500 SOUTH RIVER ST. “Nice selection, and they are willing break up 6packs, so you don’t get stuck with a not so tastey bunch of swill. Also, tell them ratebeer.com sent you and they throw in an additional discount, but only if you ask.“ |
