USA, NJ: Sons of Barley Beer Company hoping to get planning approval in January

A commercial corner along busy Route 45 in Woodbury Heights may be home soon to the borough’s first brewery, a proposal that planning officials are expected to consider in January, The Courier Post reported on December 8.

Sons of Barley Beer Company is a venture by craft beer enthusiasts John Kelly, a borough resident, and Scott Rigilano, a Williamstown resident.

The partners already are doing basic renovations to a leased building in a retail center at Route 45 and Alliance Street. The 2,000-square-foot customer area is large enough to seat 75 people, according to the site plan.

The more involved work of installing the mechanical brewing infrastructure, set up in its own 1,000 square feet of space, and outfitting the tasting area would start after borough officials approve the plan.

“We’re going to be in the realm of Kelly Green, maybe Eclipse (breweries),” Rigilano said, referring to nano breweries located in Pitman and Merchantville, respectively. “Small to start off with, and then we’re going to upgrade to a larger system.”

Rigilano, a home brewer since his early 20s, said the partners had hoped to be open by now.

“We’re paying for the place now, so we’ve got to get going,” he said. “Everybody’s excited about the place. We’ve had so many people come in and knock on the door: ‘Hey. You guys open, yet?’”

Rigilano, whose day job is in sales, said opening day was to be no later than March but that is pushed back a little. The company missed the application deadline for the Planning Board hearing in December.

Once all approvals are in place, they can begin brewing their launch beers.

“As soon as we get approved to sell beer, I think we can start kegging stuff and pretty much getting labels approved and getting beer out,” Rigilano said.

The company has purchase commitments from bars, liquor stores and restaurants, he said.

“But as far as people sitting in?” he said. “I think our opening day will be a little later than the time we can actually sell beer.”

Rigilano expects the brewery to draw a good crowd. Brewery customers also are likely to be a benefit the pizzeria and a hot wings outlet in the center, he said.

“People are going to find us,” he said. “I mean, we had knocks on the front door every day. I think we’re going to be packed almost every night. We’re not going to turn down a dollar. We’re going to be open every day.”

Rigilano, 46, has thought about operating a brewery since not long after trying home-brewing in 1997.

“I tried to open a brewery in 2001, but I changed jobs,” he said. “I was 10 years before the actual boom.”

Rigilano said the company, which has a head brewer hired, plans an eclectic menu with 16 rotating taps.

“We love pretty much everything,” he said.

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