When Ann and David Hall decided to brew their own ales in 1994, they didn't compromise on authenticity. Through a connection with Alan Pugsley of Shipyard Brewing in Portland, Maine, they acquired a UK-based Peter Austin brewing system — the same equipment used by traditional British breweries for generations.

David Hall trained on the system at Federal Jack's in Kennebunkport, Maine before returning to Milford to commission the brewery. The kitchen was relocated to make room. With the help of bartender and contractor Kevin Stives, the brewery was built in time to be first — opening on January 3, 1995.

One of the most distinctive features of the Ship Inn brewery is its use of open fermentation vessels — a traditional British method largely abandoned by modern commercial breweries in favour of closed cylindroconical tanks. Open fermentation produces a softer, rounder character in the finished beer, allowing the yeast to work in a way that closed vessels cannot replicate.

A mirror is mounted above the fermentation vessels so that both visitors and the brewmaster can observe fermentation in progress — a nod to transparency and craft that defines everything about this brewery.

The Ship Inn typically keeps 4 to 6 ales on tap at any one time, rotating seasonals throughout the year alongside the core house beers. All ales are session-strength — built for the long evening, not the quick impression.

• Best Bitter

  Cask Conditioned · Hand Pump · House Classic

  On tap since opening day, January 3, 1995 — the very first craft beer poured in New Jersey. Buttery, lemon-touched, with a clean dry finish. A textbook English bitter.

• Extra Special Bitter (ESB)

  English ESB · Cascade Hopped

  Fuller-bodied than the Best Bitter. Cascade hops bring grapefruit rind character alongside rye-pumpernickel toasting and a creamy, lingering finish.

• Randy's Panhead Porter

  English Porter · Dark & Rich

  Black chocolate, coffee roast and hop char in careful balance. Dark, sessionable, and one of the inn's most celebrated beers — often served on cask.

• Session Ale / Golden Wheat

  Golden Ale · Easy Drinking

  Floral hops, soft grapefruit fizz and a light, clean body. The approachable entry point and the ideal companion to fish and chips.

• Seasonal & Special Ales

  Rotating · Ask Your Server

  Winter Ale, Brown Ale, Toasted Ale and others rotate through the year. The original recipe box — every batch ever brewed at the Ship Inn — is still in use.

The brewing equipment is located toward the back of the pub and is visible to guests. Staff are happy to talk through the brewing process, and the open fermentation vessels — with their viewing mirror — are a genuine point of interest for anyone curious about how real ale is made. Ask your server or the brewer directly — the Ship Inn has always been that kind of place.