I Love Taking A Little Wander Back In Time…And Beer!

Ok, so this past week, Dave and I had Chris Henke, Brian Hink and Justin Vitti of Wander Back Beerworks on the show. Now I’m not sure if it was because there were three guests on the show, or any of a variety of other possible reasons, but the show ran over three hours. Several shows in the past have done the same, but not many.

We had acquired five Wander Back beers for the show. Originally not setting out to drink all five, we wound up doing just that. Between the length of the show, the great conversation and the quality of the beer, we were destined to enjoy them all.

The first beer that we had was their Wander Back Lager (4.9% ABV) - A single decocted Helles Lager brewed with 100% locally grown and malted Rabbit Hill Farms (Shiloh, NJ) Pilsner Malt, hopped with Mittelfrüh and Saaz, and (according to the three gents) appropriately lagered for “many moons”!

Wander Back Lager pours a pale yellow with brilliant clarity and a creamy white head. The aroma is subtly herbal with a little fresh bread. Sweet, crackery malt dominates the floral hop flavor, and it finishes bright and clean. Definitely a great way to kick off a three hour show (🎶A three hour show🎶 - Sung in my best Gilligan’s Island theme song voice)!

The second beer that we had was Hugo (5.0% ABV) - A decoction mashed Pilsner brewed with 100% Rabbit Hill malt. Most of Wander Back’s beers are brewed with 100% locally grown malt. You can tell the ones that use one hundred percent NJ malt by looking at the can under the UPC code. If it says “Made With Jersey Fresh Barley”, then it is!

Pouring a bright pale gold with a fluffy white head, this Pilsner is two beers in one! The hops shine through in the nose and flavor with big citrus, tropical mango and even a bit of pine. However, the bright, crisp malt stands its ground right beside its greener counterpart. A beer to be enjoyed by both IPA fans and lager heads!

Up next (number three for those of you playing at home) was Future Proof Pils (5.5% ABV) - Another Wander Back beer Made With Jersey Fresh Barley. This traditional German-style Pilsner is “Crisp AF” (as Dave had mentioned). He wasn’t wrong! We were done drinking this beer seemingly before we even started. I mean, talk about crushable! This beer is crisp, clean, dry and perfectly balanced. Yeah, I need more of this one!

We opted for a change of pace for beer number four. Enter Dark Matter (5.4% ABV). The first Wander Back beer that we had that night that wasn’t brewed with 100% local NJ malt. That’s right, it was about 95%!

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I had had this beer before. It was a few weeks ago, on tap at Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Atlantic City. I was, however, sitting at the bar eating a delicious sandwich at the time, so I was able to just enjoy the beer for the beer while drinking this can on the show.

Dark Matter pours a beautiful deep amber/brown with a creamy tan head. After enjoying the subtle coffee and chocolate nose, the flavor brings notes of cocoa along with mild caramel a slight roast. The Magnum hops, along with their Noble cousins (Hallertau & Saaz) add a bitterness on the back end that helps dry out the finish.

Which brings me to beer number five. As if we actually needed it. Well, yes, we actually did! It was time to wrap up this night of imbibing and conversation with an IPA. Yes, an IPA on The Lager Room!

Perfectly Cromulent IPA (6.2% ABV) pours a hazy pale gold with beautiful white head. A big, bright citrus nose is followed by more citrus and some subtle lime on the palate. Some residual bitterness for a dry, clean finish. A very well balanced IPA!

Wander Back Beerworks is planning to open their brick & mortar in Vineland, NJ in the not-to-distant future. However, you could currently find these beers across Southern NJ. From Burlington County and South we were told. I have a feeling that distribution area will expand a bit at some point as well! As for other information, check out Wander Back’s social media, and give the podcast a listen.

Episode 223 was jam packed full of great info on some wonderful beers from three great beer guys! Ok, ok…five great beer guys! 😜 We drop some knowledge and a bunch of entertainment! Give it a listen, you’ll enjoy it!

- Jersey Johnny's Show Beer Reviews -