Gaslight Brewery Restaurant in South Orange

As I made my way through the ice and sleet on a recent winter afternoon, I saw the familiar sight of three enormous brewing barrels in the window of Gaslight Brewery Restaurant and grew excited at the prospect of getting out of the rain and into a house stout.

The pub was sparsely populated at 3:30 in the afternoon but the crowd was lively.  Dan, the owner greeted me with a warm “Hello” and asked what I was drinking.  “The house stout would be great, thanks.” I looked around at the few faces sitting at the bar and was glad to be here — and it wasn’t because I was drinking a beer at 3:30 p.m., although that was a start.

I was there to speak with Dan Soboti, the owner of Gaslight, for one reason: beer.  Since opening thirteen years ago, Dan has brewed his way into the hearts of Maplewood and South Orange residents. I asked him what his motivation was in opening a pub. 

“Thirteen years ago my family and I were looking for something we could all do together, a project we could work on.” They decided that project was opening a pub in South Orange. Dan's son Tony even went to brewing school at UC Davis in order to learn the science of brewing. 

Dan believes because of the surge of micro-breweries opening throughout the country, people are viewing the way they consume beer differently. “People’s palates are changing. People want good beer.” 

And good beer he brews.

Along with the Perfect Stout, there was Flemish Brown, Triple 7’s, Satan’s Claws, Slalom Ale, and Hopfest all rich with ingredients from all over the world; Canada, France and Belgium just to name a few countries. Key ingredients, mixed just right, give each of these beers their own unique and bold taste.

He also spoke about Tony trying a process known as “wet-hopping” wherein the hops are picked and sent to the brewery without being dried out as usual. This process lends itself to creating a distinct taste because the oils and resins on the hops are still at their peak when freshly picked. Oregon Harvest is the name of the beer derived from this technique and it makes sense — many Pacific Northwest breweries are known for using this technique in a lot of their beers.

Although I was there for the beer, Gaslight’s food is noteworthy in its own right. The menu veers from traditional pub foods of burgers and fries or fish and chips toward a more daring menu. Gaslight offers bison, ostrich and lamb burgers along with an entire wing of the menu devoted to traditional German bar fare. And, as someone who is a bison meat enthusiast, I can tell you the bison burger is one of the best I’ve had.

Dan Soboti and his family take great pride in their product and it shows. Great beer, good conversation and delicious food. Who could ask for anything more?