When National Beer Day comes around on Sunday, April 7, you better be celebrating with much more than just your run-of-the-barrel beer.

However, that's not hard to do in the hophead's paradise that is Central Jersey. Here in Hunterdon, Middlesex Somerset and Union counties, we have lots of craft breweries creating beers that are more than just tasty — they're unique, utilizing ingredients that will both have you scratching your head and licking your lips.

From a beer made from up to 100 freshly-juiced watermelons to a "chocolate milk for grown-ups," these beers are sure to satisfy on National Beer Day — and anytime you find yourself reaching for a cold one.

Tastes Like Summer Watermelon Wheat at Wet Ticket Brewing, Rahway

Each year, Wet Ticket Brewing owner and head brewer Tim Pewitt turns some heads at Costco when he and his team roll out with four carts of watermelons to create the brewery's Tastes Like Summer Watermelon Wheat, which already has customers calling to find out when it will be released.

The beer, which requires up to 100 watermelons for a 20-barrel batch and is set to be released right before Memorial Day, actually was a Wet Ticket staple before Wet Ticket was even born in 2016. During Tim's homebrewing days, he and his wife, Selina, enjoyed having a simple American Wheat on tap to enjoy after a day of yard work.

"When it came time to keg it up, sitting downstairs was also a watermelon that we had bought a couple weeks earlier for a barbecue. I simply removed the flesh, mashed it with a potato masher and dumped it all in," he said. "After the watermelon had fermented out, it had an enticingly fresh aroma, and a really cool reddish tint. We saved as much as we could and brought the rest to a Rutgers football game where, much to my surprise, it was loved by everyone from the craft beer newbie to hardcore IPA drinkers."

When the first spring in business came around for Wet Ticket Brewing, Selina recalled when Tim planned to make that watermelon wheat.

"I was caught somewhat off guard since I had not even thought about it and asked her, 'Do you realize how many watermelons it would take?'"

READ:Wet Ticket Brewing in Rahway celebrates end of Prohibition

Luckily, Tim listened to his wife, and the 5.8 percent ABV beer is now the brewery's top selling seasonal brew. Many bars have also told Tim that once it goes on tap, it's their top seller.

For a taste: $6 for a pint in the taproom; 1435 Main St., Rahway; 848-666-7141, wetticketbrewing.com.

Extra Special Chocolate Vanilla Porter at Two Ton Brewing, Kenilworth

The Extra Special Chocolate Vanilla Porter (also known as the ESCVP), made with Dutch cocoa and Madagascar vanilla beans, holds a special place in Two Ton Brewing CEO Matt Barbiere's heart. Without it, there might not even be a Two Ton Brewing.

"The Extra Special Chocolate Vanilla Porter is one of the driving forces that made me want to start this business," said Matthew, who runs Two Ton Brewing with his family, including head brewer and president Jim Barbiere. "I wanted more than just friends and family to try this particular beer because of how delicious it is."

READ:Two Ton Brewing opens brewery with outdoor biergarten, speakeasy in Kenilworth

According to Matthew, Jim wanted to create a "chocolate milk for grown-ups," which he accomplished with the 8 percent ABV beer. One of the brewery's core beers, it's available year-round.

As one of the top sellers in the taproom, the beer was also the People’s Choice Award first-place winner at the 2017 Big Brew Festival in Morristown and the second-place winner at the 2016 event.

For a taste: $8 for a pint in the taproom; 730 Federal Ave., Kenilworth; 908-241-1614, twotonbrewing.com.

Key Lime IPA at Flounder Brewing Co., Hillsborough

"One of the fun parts of being a small brewer is that we get to experiment with so many recipes," said Jeremy "Flounder" Lees, founder of Flounder Brewing, which was recently named one of the fastest growing small and independent craft breweries of 2018 by the Brewers Association.

The Key Lime IPA is one such experiment, brewed exclusively with Cashmere hops with lime marmalade and lime zest added during conditioning, which brings out the citrus and lime from the hops.

With an ABV of 8.6 percent, the Key Lime IPA was released during the weekend of March 29 is only available at the brewery in limited supply.

"This was our first beer with Cashmere hops, so we chose a sweet milkshake style while keeping the beer a double IPA," said Lees. "We added in the lime marmalade and lime zest to really bring out those flavors of the Cashmere."

For a taste: $7 for 12 ounce pour; 1 Ilene Court, Suite 16, Building 8, Hillsborough; 908-396-6166, flounderbrewing.com.

Jenna Intersimone writes the weekly Central Jersey Go column, which appears Fridays in the Courier News and Home News Tribune and spotlights five weekly local destinations.

She also writes a weekly travel column and is a regular contributor to the weekly Table section. Tweet her at @JIntersimone or email her at JIntersimone@GannettNJ.com.