The Ship Inn » News & Events

Guy Fawkes 2010 at The Ship

The Brewer — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 23:52:12 +0000

Join us Weds, November 3rd for our annual Guy Fawkes Night.
Guy Fawkes was convicted of attempting to blow up London’s Parliament in in 1605. His goal was to shift political power from the Protestants to the Catholics. Each year England celebrates the foiling of his plot with a “Guy” burned in effigy. We continue the celebration here at The Ship with a burning of the Guy and 1600‘s period costume feast.
Event begins at 6:30
Reservations required. $40 per person. 1 round house beer included.
Cancellations must be submitted before Oct. 26th to avoid the cancellation fee

Ovarian Cancer Benefit

The Brewer — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:48:28 +0000

Turn the Town Teal- Ovarian Cancer Fundraiser and Awareness Night

In memory of Ann Hall, owner of The Ship Inn

Saturday, 25 September 2010 at 19:00

The Ship Inn

Our Summer Achievements

The Brewer — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 22:22:38 +0000

This summer has seen a number of important changes at The Ship Inn. We’ve sourced food locally: vegetables from Open Acres CSA, and beef, pork, and lamb from Swift Farms, all within 5 miles of the restaurant. We’ve returned our compostable vegetable and brewery refuse back to those farmers. We’ve also purchased bio-degradable drinking straws, to-go containers and sauce cups instead of plastic ones we’ve historically used. We’ve decreased our electric usage two years in a row. It has been a pleasure to convey this news to our customers, who also share our enthusiasm for sustainability and support for community.

The Learning Curve in Beef and other Thoughts on Meat

The Brewer — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 06:30:52 +0000

We’re just about through our first steer, Number 27, from Swift Farms and the second one is scheduled for the end of August. What have we learned so far? For one, a single steer weighing 740 pounds butchered provides about a week’s work of ground beef (100 pounds) and four weeks’ worth of steaks and roasts. This is problematic when most of your beef business is in burgers. On occasion, we’ve gone back to Dickson’s Farmstand Meats and the local Amish Market to bolster our supply.
So we started looking at other cuts of the animal and wondered what else we could use besides the chuck. Chuck comes from the front of the animal and when all is said and done, provides about 15% fat into the grind. A bit of fat is helpful in creating a pleasing texture in addition to flavor. Furthermore, it helps keep the burger from falling to pieces while on the grill.
Other parts of the animal are leaner. Roasts from the back end of the animal do not contain quite as much fat but we would rather grind them up for burgers instead of the filet or the prime rib. At the end of the day, we need a few hundred pounds of ground beef per month, not just one hundred in order to make our burger business work. We’ll be sampling and savoring our burgers over the next month to see how the different cuts nuance our burgers.
We’ve also been reminded that grass-fed beef is really really delicious but can get tough when cooked inappropriately. Steaks don’t do well past medium. Braises and roasts take a little bit longer to cook to improve tenderness. As you tuck in, please be reminded that you may need to chew a little bit more than you would with a feedlot-raised animal. The animal got exercise and so shall you.
We’ve also just bought a whole hog and a whole lamb. We’ve ground up almost the entire lamb, except for the chops and a leg, because we feel that at least SOMETIMES, you should have a Shepherd’s Pie with lamb. Up until now, it has been very difficult to get ahold of ground lamb for this purpose. Lamb Shepherd’s Pie will be a dinner special soon.
The pork has already started to make an appearance on our menu in the form of bacon and ham. The other cuts, like braised pig’s feet, smoked hocks, and even a home-made pâté will appear soon.
It’s very rewarding to use the whole animal. It reminds us that it is a local resource to be respected. It exercises our cooking skills, provides a much wider palate for creativity, and more dining choices for the customer. We are happy we made the leap to locally pastured meats.

Weekend Specials 9-3

The Brewer — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:35:15 +0000

Soup of the Day ~ Potato Leek
Starters

Chicken Skewers
Diced, marinated chicken on a skewer with sweet plum sauce served with seaweed salad ~ $7.95
Shark Bites
Cajun seasoned, Mako shark bites served with salad greens ~$6.95

Main Course
Chicken Ravioli
Sauteed chicken with proscuitto and swiss chard in a pink stilton sauce over vegetable filled ravioli ~$15.95

Today’s Catch
Grilled, wild caught Costa Rican King Klip fillet with fried plantains, waffle fries and papaya salsa ~$16.95

Oyster Salad
Cracker crumbed plump oysters over Vidalia
vinaigrette dressed mixed greens ~$14.95

Pork Chops
Local brined pork chops with sauteed apples, mini potato pancakes
and apple sauce (2)~$14.95 (3)~$16.95

Pan Scallops
Pan seared, fresh, dry sea scallops with spinach
and pine nuts in a butter sauce ~$17.95

Vegan Selection
Fresh, organic zucchini cakes with butternut squash sauce served with salad greens and hummus~ $12.95

Hunterdon Hospice Benefit

The Brewer — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:03:01 +0000

The Ship Inn cordially invites you to join us at A Culinary Affair

A fundraiser to benefit Hunterdon Hospice and Visiting Health and Supportive Services

Monday, September 20, 2010 from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Hunterdon Hills Playhouse
88 Route 173 West
Hampton, NJ 08827

Sample delicious food, wine & beer from over 20 restaurants & vendors.

Browse & bid from a wide assortment of auction items!

Tickets: $75 per person

Tickets are available online at http://aculinaryaffair.kintera.org or by calling the Hunterdon Medical Center Foundation at 908-788-6141

Questions? Please contact the Hunterdon Medical Center Foundation at 908-788-6141

Thanks and we hope to see you there!

Ajiri Beer Coasters have arrived

Chris — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:27:17 +0000

The Ajiri Beer Coasters have finally arrived! These beer coasters are handmade from lacquered banana leaf. Each is one of a kind. We asked Ajiri Tea if the ladies of Kisii, Kenya could make beer coasters for us to help support the Ajiri Foundation. Upon the first delivery, they asked us when they could make more. The coasters come in packs of four for $16.

Dinner Specials 8/20

The Brewer — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:50:55 +0000

Soup of the Day ~ Cod Chowder

Starters

Oyster Torte
Cracker crumbed fresh oysters in a sherry cream sauce served with a puff pastry and salad greens ~ $8.95

Baked Brie
Walnut crusted baked brie served with fruit garnish ~$7.95

Cajun Sea Scallops
Pan seared, cajun seasoned sea scallops served with a mixed green garnish.

Main Course

Stilton Chicken
Sauteed chicken with proscuitto, and portabella mushrooms in a pink Stilton sauce over
whole wheat penne pasta ~$14.95

Today’s Catch
Grilled, fresh, wild caught Carolina tilefish fillet with herb butter, seaweed salad and
sweet potato fries ~$15.95

Ham Salad
Local smoked ham with sauteed apples and mini potato pancakes over Vidalia vinaigrette dressed mixed greens ~$11.95

T-Bone Steak
18 oz. local steer t-bone steak served with waffle fries and today’s vegetable. Because this beef is grass-fed, we recommend temperatures no higher than medium. ~$19.95

Vegetarian Selection
Baja black bean cakes with spicy sweet potato sauce garnished with plum tomatoes served with mixed greens and hummus ~ $12.95

House Beers on Tap as of 8/20

The Brewer — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:50:01 +0000

Best Bitter, ESB, Robin's Dirty Blonde, Chocolate Porter, Golden Wheat, Farmhouse Ale

Ajiri Beer Coasters

The Ajiri beer coasters have finally arrived. Your purchase of handmade lacquered banana leaf coasters support the Ajiri Foundation. Visit Ajirifoundation.org.

Gluten Free

The Brewer — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:10:04 +0000

We are working on making as many items as feasible gluten free: First stop is to alter our gravy recipe and our Shepherd’s Pie. We will overtly mark items on our menu when we’ve made these changes

House Beers on Tap

The Brewer — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 22:32:26 +0000

Golden Wheat, Best Bitter, ESB, Chocolate Porter, Farmhouse Ale. List is current through 8/15.

Handmade Beer Coasters Coming End of July!

The Brewer — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:18:16 +0000

We’re very excited to take delivery of handmade beer coasters from our friends at Ajiri Tea. Ajiri Tea is an organization set up by Ann and Sarah Holby . It’s goal is to provide education funds for Kenyan Aids orphans in the Kisii district of Kenya and employment for women of that same region.

It has been something of a mission for the Ship Inn to contribute to their cause by selling as many tea boxes as we can. Then we had an idea: We were absolutely charmed by the handmade tea box labels, made from lacquered banana leaf. We asked Ajiri if the ladies of Kisii in Western Kenya could produce beer coasters with the same resources as used for the tea box labels in a Fair Trade manner. This would increase employment opportunities and raise awareness for the cause of Ajiri.

Well, the beer coasters are on the drying table in Kenya right now. We thought we’d post a preview. Each coaster is handmade and unique, with the design made from lacquered banana leaf. They will be sold in sets of four. Thanks for your enthusiasm about The Ship Inn and for supporting Ajiri Tea.

The Brewery Floor: Update

The Brewer — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:32:16 +0000

The base layer of mud and board is down. The slope is set towards the drain from all quarters. The Redgard is down. The tile is coming soon!!!!!!

More on the green initiative

The Brewer — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:00:54 +0000

The next step in being an ecologically responsible restaurant

House Beers On Tap

The Brewer — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:51:19 +0000

Golden Wheat, ESB, Chocolate Porter, Farmhouse Ale, Best Bitter, Dark Charger

Your beer dollars at work

The Brewer — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:47:09 +0000

After 15 years of brewing and the brewer’s foot going through the floor boards, it’s a about time to mend the fermentation room floor. The floor was originally built over 2 x 10 joists with a sandwich of 3/4 inch and 1/2 inch plywood and epoxy top. The epoxy was supposed to be harder than concrete and watertight, allowing the brewer to squeegy water down to the drain in the middle of the floor.

Well, water got under the epoxy coating. It sneaked in first around the drain, where gallons upon gallons of water flow each week, and then it sneaked in under the door sill. Before we knew it, we had a spongy floor. The water spread laterally along the layers of plywood under the tanks so that when filled, the tanks’ feet started depressing the floor surface.

Last week, we said enough was enough. Frank the tile man was kind enough to clear his schedule (or find a gap in it) and start working on the floor. The demolition phase is a bit slow going to find out where the rot ends and the good wood begins. Some of the epoxy is intact and is indeed harder than concrete, chewing up saw blades like nobody’s business. We hoisted one of the empty tanks up to the ceiling (yes, levitating beer tanks) to create work space in the small room. Soon, both tanks will be swingin from the rafters. We’ve scored some large 18 x 18 ceramic tile from Home Depot at a very reasonable price. After day 3, Frank is just starting to put some permanent wood and concrete boards down. Hopefully, we should be back up and running within two weeks.

In the mean while, you will have noticed the 7 beers on the beer board behind the bar. Supplies should last.

Demolished Fermenting Room Floor

House Beers On Tap

The Brewer — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:51:30 +0000

House Beers This Week : Golden Wheat, Dark Charger, Triple IPA, Chocolate Porter, Best Bitter, Farmhouse Ale

UK-USA Match

The Brewer — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:35:44 +0000

We had avid supporters of both teams. The nice thing was that there were always cheers no matter who scored.

Bar floor and alley fence repaired

The Brewer — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:53:10 +0000

The bar floor was repaired to day. We replaced the linoleum under the beer taps and bar sinks for easier cleaning. Thanks Gerard.

The back alley has been a regular source of entertainment and puzzlement for Tim. It is something of an experiment in human behavior. The goal: Keep a nice environment for people to smoke and nurse their pint. Keep them happy about being contained in a permitted area. Simultaneously The Ship needs to prevent customers from wandering around Honeysuckle lane with their drinks (this is not New Orleans), carpeting the street with cigarette butts, and prevent minors and non-approved substances from entering the back alley beyond the purview of our staff.

It has proven to be quite a test. The crowd has resented the fence as an infringement on their personal freedoms and has sought to circumnavigate as best they can. Today is Generation 3.0 of the fence: it’s longer, more difficult to jump over, and now impossible to crawl under. Coming soon: security cameras.

Several of the crowd on Tuesday were so kind as to demonstrate their circumnavigatory tactics in front of Tim, despite his requests not to. The fence was tweaked accordingly.

The other significant behavioral challenge remains to get people to put their cigarette butts in the abundant receptacles provided, bring glassware back to the bar, and stop congregating around the back door. I’m sure there will be many updates on these points.

Building Improvements: Always on the Mend

The Brewer — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:34:03 +0000

The sound of the Dewalt power drill is lively this month (and a bit of hammering too). Last week, we put a new roof and gutter system over the deck. Now you can watch the ducks go by without being hit by raindrops as you dine.

Has anyone noticed the refinished brewhouse diningroom floor?

We’ve purchased a portable wheelchair ramp to give full access to the bar and main dining room.

Coming soon:

1) an improved sound system. Our late night and Open Mic crowds (Tuesday Nights) have finally justified a better sound system. We’ll be putting in some better speakers around the bar and into the brewhouse dining room.

2) More high chairs: yes, more of you are falling into the family demographic and are coming out in multi-family groups. We’re adding a few more highchairs to our fleet.

The Brewing Process

Chris — Thu, 31 Jul 2003 16:03:53 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.