When you order a beer at Glenbrook Brewery in Morristown, chances are you’ll be enjoying an award-winning recipe. And, if it hasn’t won one yet, it probably will soon. Heath Traver is a master brewer who has won a total of 15 awards over the last few years.
It all started innocently enough back in 2011 when his brother-in-law Skip bought him a beer kit for Christmas. “When I started brewing I really enjoyed it,” says Heath. “I shared it with friends and family, and then started getting larger equipment and brewing five gallons at a time instead of one.” All this brewing took place at his home on Glenbrook Road in Morris Plains.
After winning his first award in 2014 for his Colonial Ale, he knew that he wanted to take it further. Partnering with his other brother-in-law, Darren Cregan, who has a background in art and advertising, they opened Glenbrook Brewery in 2021.
The brewery’s tagline is Revolutionary Beer ®. “We decided we were going to build the brewery around all the revolutionary history in Morristown, so we started naming our beers after local landmarks and events,” says Darren. For example, its seasonal fall beer is called Jockey Hollow Pumpkin and another beer is named Tempe Wick™ Farmhouse Sour. If you’re not sure which beer to try, order a flight (or two) with small tastes of different options.
The beautiful tables and other wood fixtures found throughout the brewery were made by a friend who owns a woodworking mill in NJ and uses ash trees that have been devastated in the region.
Private parties can be held at Glenbrook, and the two partners will sometimes close the entire brewery to hold fundraising events. They can also take the beer on the road to special events with their traveling tap system. They’ll be the sole beer provider for the Morris County Pride event in June and for other upcoming events. Darren can also design personalized labels for special events such as graduations, birthdays and fundraisers.
In addition to serving great tasting beer and hard seltzer, their other main goal is to make the large 3,000 square foot open-concept brewery family friendly. There are board games to play, and Heath also makes a birch beer in house for kids. They want families like theirs to be able to come in and have a good time together.
The two men, who married sisters (Heath’s wife is Amy, and Darren’s wife is Cari), each have two daughters, (Heath and Amy have 14-year-old Emma and 12-year-old Charlotte, and Darren and Cari have 9-year-old Chloe and 8-year-old Courtney). Their summer beer, Four Blondes Summer Shandy, which recently won a gold medal, is named after their daughters.
Pets are also welcome on their patio, and on Mondays and Tuesdays, they can even hang out inside the brewery.
While under state law breweries cannot provide food, there are plenty of menus available from which to order and request delivery from the many restaurants around town.
GlenbrookBrewery.com