Descendants Brewing Company

by frank Quattrone

In its own quiet way, Descendants Brewing Company at the Old Ship Inn is making history. Located in the charming borough of Milford, New Jersey, Descendants is the first new brewery in the state—since Prohibition!—to brew beer for consumption on-site. If that weren’t reason enough to cheer, the European-style pub, which opened on May 1, 2021, simultaneously celebrates both local and familial history.

Here’s some perspective. Co-majority owner and head brewer Joe David (whose surname should be pronounced in the French way — Da-veed), a student of history and genealogy, loves to tell stories about his ancestors, his wife (co-majority owner) Ana’s, as well as the restaurant’s. The most obvious sign of Joe’s passion is the menu itself, where the heading, “E Pluribus Foodum,” signals, as he explains (in addition to a sense of fun), his “exploration of the food of my ancestors.”

The menu is divided into four parts: “Home Sweet Home,” featuring American favorites, like Wings and the Prime Rib Sandwich; “From the Fatherland,” with Belgian and Alsatian specialties inspired by his paternal ancestors; “From the Motherland,” highlighting dishes from his Bavarian-born wife’s homeland; and “From the Ol’ Ship,” presenting British and maritime dishes recalling those of the previous restaurant at this site, the Old Ship Inn. At the top of the menu, you’ll find salads and starters; at the bottom are sandwiches and entrées.

To provide some context, the building itself is one hundred forty-two years old, and its previous occupant, the popular Old Ship Inn, was there for thirty. Ann’s Cottage Pie, for example, named for the previous owner, is filled with ground beef, onion, carrots, tomato, and mashed potato. “August Toth’s Speakeasy,” the name of the cocktail list, is named after an owner from the Prohibition era. In addition to the original Victorian tin ceiling, exposed bricks and beams, and nautical fixtures, the restaurant has recycled wood from a bowling alley that once existed here to create today’s bar.

And Joe David himself, inspired by the lively beer scene he enjoyed during a sojourn in California and subsequent experience he gained working for a brewery in North Jersey, has crafted some pretty fine brews for Descendants. The two I tried, among a lively flight of five, were the light-bodied Alexander Hamilton, a dark and roasty porter, and the signature Ship’s Best Bitter, a traditional, British-style cask-conditioned pale ale (not normally one of my favorites), generated on the hand pump, and both fine enhancements to the meal Eve and I had during our recent visit.

For starters, in recollection of our dearest friends in Europe, Alsatians I’ve known since the 1970s, we both chose dishes “From the Fatherland.” Eve’s Grilled Brie, complemented by drunken figs, walnuts, apple slices, and crostini, was delightful, while my Flammekueche, an Alsatian tarte flambée (or flatbread) topped with gruyere, pancetta, house crème fraîche, and slivers of red onion, was my favorite dish of the evening.

Our entrées were equally enjoyable. Switching over to “Home Sweet Home,” Eve had the 14-ounce Ribeye, served with good ol’ American french fries (a substitute for buttermilk mashed potatoes), roasted broccoli rabe, with demiglace. For two more meals following our visit, I reveled in the Alsatian Choucroute Garnie, a generous array of bratwurst, kielbasa, and Black Forest ham, served with diced German roasted potatoes and topped with savory sauerkraut. The Young’s Double Chocolate Stout I ordered with my flight proved to be a wonderful complement to my meal.

While Ana David bustled about, serving tables (she does a little bit of everything, according to her husband), Joe regaled us with stories about his ancestors, juggling the warm affections of their three precocious young children — Everett, Willow, and Lorelai—much of the time. His great-great grandfather, born in Alsace, wed his wife, a woman from Basel, Switzerland, who happened to speak the same dialect, thus planting the family tree. His father was Belgian. So, you get the idea behind what Joe calls the restaurant’s “organic menu.” He says that his favorite compliment from patrons is “A lot of thought was put into this.” I couldn’t agree more. The other partners in the Descendants’ ambitious enterprise are Brett and Dena Dew and Aaron and Jamie Forste.

For their executive chef, Joe and Ana chose Kathy Lambert, an established pastry chef and graduate of the culinary school in Asbury Park, whose passion for pastry is matched by her love for diverse cuisines. Her desserts include Griddled Banana Bread with hazelnut-caramel and home-made Jameson Cold Brew ice cream. But she takes special pride in preparing every dish from scratch from locally sourced ingredients.

On an exceptionally busy evening, a personable and hard-working server named Michael really stood out, assisting other servers and making sure that the Davids’ distinctive blending of brews and inspired menu kept guests happy.

Descendants Brewing Company at the Old Ship Inn is located at 61 Bridge Street, Milford, New Jersey 08848; 908-995-0188; www.descendantsbrewing.com. Kitchen open Monday to Thursday, 5 – 8:30 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, noon – 9 p.m.; and Sunday, noon – 8:30 p.m. Bar is open Monday to Thursday, 5 – 10 p.m.; Friday 7 Saturday, noon – midnight; and Sunday, noon – 10 p.m. Available for private parties. Family-friendly. Trips to European breweries planned for the future.