A truck depot that was part of a bustling pinball machine distribution center in Oaklyn. A fitness gym located off a busy exit ramp in Pennsauken. A plant that manufactured caskets in Ocean Township. When these New Jersey businesses closed, microbreweries swooped in. Never mind the unusual locations.
Sparked by relaxed laws and the boom in the craft beer industry, microbreweries in New Jersey are exploding. In just the last two years, they have doubled in number, with nearly 80 open, and are fast approaching the 100 mark, with 20 more planned.
The state was “definitely late to the game, but breweries have finally arrived in a significant way in New Jersey,” said Ryan Krill, president of the Garden State Craft Brewers Guild and owner of the Cape May Brewing Co. He said they are behind Pennsylvania and other neighboring states, where scores of breweries have been taking root for years. But New Jersey is picking up the pace.
About 30 breweries and brew pubs have sprung up in South Jersey, mostly in the last year or two, and operate under limited or restricted brewery licenses issued by the state. Many popped up off the beaten track and some are even venturing into dry towns where liquor has been verboten.