By Kenny Walter
Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS- The latest Jersey Shore brewery had a good opening weekend, according to one of the owners.
Mike Skudera, the former borough mayor and co-owner of Jughandle Brewery, said he couldn’t be happier with the June 16 opener.
“It went very well, better than I expected,” he said. “There was a good, steady flow of traffic all day Saturday and Sunday.
“We got a lot of positive feedback on the beer and everyone had a good time and enjoyed themselves. I saw a lot of people taking growlers and the Crowler cans so I knew that was a good sign.”
Skudera, along with Tinton Falls resident Pete Artherholt and Red Bank resident Chris Hanigan, opened the 3,000-square-foot brewery in the Tinton Falls Centre Plaza at 4057 Asbury Ave.
The brewery is currently open Thursday and Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m to 6 p.m.
The currently selection of beer brewed include a hefeweizen, saison, English bitter, IPA, rye pale ale, and a stout.
Skudera said while the entire weekend was a successful, Father’s Day on June 19 was particularly crowded.
“It was way better than expected,” he said. “We opened our doors at noon and there was probably at least 30 or 40 people standing in line before it opened, so there was an initial rush.
“Father’s Day was great, saw a lot of families there, a lot of fathers. There were a lot of people there but there wasn’t that long of a line to get your beer.”
Skudera said he expects bigger news regarding the brewery before the end of the year.
“Probably towards fall and probably towards the end of the year we will be looking to sell it to bars and sell it to restaurants,” he said. “We’ve been approached by a number of people so we’d like to do that.”
The Tinton Falls brewery joins a growing list of breweries that have opened in recent years along the Jersey Shore. These include Beach Haus Brewery in Belmar, Belford Brewing in Middletown, Carton Brewing in Atlantic Highlands, Kane Brewing Company in Ocean Township and Little Dog Brewing in Neptune City.
