Keeping it local
Changes made to state law in 2012 distinguish bars
from craft breweries and have encouraged New Jersey
to develop more of the latter. As a designated brewery
tap house, says Adam, they will be able to serve beer,
though not food. But this will be a great opportunity
to partner with local food purveyors, he says. “You can
have food trucks come to your facility, or if you’re a local
pizza place, people can order food to be delivered to the
brewery. We plan to partner with local establishments
so there’s music and events. Families can come and relax
with their dogs and kids.”
In the meantime, local bars and restaurants, including
St. James Gate Publick House, The Cassidy Bar + Kitchen
and O’Reilly’s Irish Pub, have been happy to carry SOMA
Beer. “We’ve also sold beer to Par 440 in Short Hills, and
we’ll hopefully have it on tap at Boxcar Bar, too,” he says.
The two couples also want to use their company to give
back to the area. “We’re really about our community, and
we want to build something to be proud of,” says Farnaz.
SOMA Beer was a big draw at the first annual Oktoberfest
held at The Woodland, a venue in Maplewood, in early
October. The event raised almost $10,000, $7,500 of
which went to the nonprofit Achieve Foundation for
instruments to be used in the public schools. “We’re field-
ing calls to partner with different foundations,” she says.
When the Heydts describe their hometown, they give
the impression that they’re perfectly suited to open their
doors to the community. “We love the homes, we love the
character, nothing’s cookie cutter,” says Farnaz. “You see
people from all over the world. It’s so beautiful.” ■
NEW JERSEY IS PLAYING
CATCH-UP, BEER-WISE
Breweries are multiplying at a rapid rate across the state, with
The Brewers Association, a trade group, showing 24 in 2011, the
year Kane Brewing Co. [in Ocean Township] started pouring beer,
and 90 in 2017. That’s a 375 percent growth in six years, less than
the 438 percent in nearby New York (75 to 329) but higher than the
320 percent (88 to 282) in Pennsylvania. New Jersey crossed the
100-brewery threshold earlier this year, and much of the growth
can likely be attributed to Gov. Chris Christie’s 2012 signing of a
law allowing smaller breweries to increase production from 3,000
barrels a year to 10,000, and giving consumers the chance to drink
on site, as long as they toured the brewery.
From a national perspective, though, New Jersey has a long way
to go. According to statistics from The Brewers Association, the
state currently ranks 45th in the country in breweries per capita,
with only 1.3 breweries in the state for every 100,000 adults 21 or
older. The Brewers Association reports that we rank 31st in barrels
of craft beer produced per year and 46th in gallons per adults 21
and older.
—ALEX BIESE
BROUGHT TOGETHER BY BEER (Top to bottom) Chris and Bianca Froelich
and Farnaz and Adam Heydt discovered that they had not only friends in
common, but a shared love of craft beers.
MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE HOLIDAY 2018
37