new business
HERE’S TO
GREAT
NEIGHBORS
Inclusive, community-driven brewing company
has opened in Orange
WRITTEN BY REBECCA KING
20
HOLIDAY 2019 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE
can come back again and again,”
says Apollon.
The 4,600-square-foot space fea-
tures a sophisticated urban aesthetic
and displays of local art for sale. “We
tried to go for the typical reclaimed
wood bar that most breweries
have, but then we thought, we’re in
Orange,” he says. “It doesn’t match
our surroundings.”
Apollon began dipping his toes
into the world of craft beer 15 years
ago. What started by asking his local
bartender for new and unique beers
led to his attendance at a beer tasting
where he met some home brewers.
That led to an unofficial beer club
they later dubbed the Brew Council.
The Brew Council roamed the area
searching for delicious beers. This
hobby eventually led the three found-
ers to come together to open their
own brewery.
Four City plans to reach out to its
local community to make its space
inclusive. Craft beer is often thought
of as something for white men,
Apollon says, and he wants to contra-
dict that perception by making Four
City approachable to all.
“CRAFT BEER CAN BE SEEN
AS AN ELITIST THING, BUT
BEER IS SO COMMON. IT
SHOULDN’T HAVE A CLASS.”
ROGER APOLLON JR.
CO-FOUNDER, FOUR CITY BREWING CO.
“I want to reach out to people
instead of having people find us,”
says Apollon. “We want to be inclu-
sive — racially, gender-wise. This
needs to be a place where all people
feel comfortable. Craft beer can be
seen as an elitist thing, but beer is so
common. It shouldn’t have a class.” ■
Four City Brewing is located
at 55 S. Essex Ave., Orange;
fourcitybrewing.com.
F
our City Brewing, the
first brewery in Orange
since Rheingold Beer
shut its doors nearly four
decades ago, opened
recently.
Co-founder Roger Apollon Jr.
says the tap list has something for
everyone: IPAs, stouts, pilsners, sours
and more. The brewers have made a
commitment to incorporating flavors
familiar to the surrounding commu-
nity in their beers.
“There’s a large South American
and Caribbean population in
Orange,” says Apollon. “We want
them to know that our beer isn’t just
for people from the suburbs.”
Apollon, a teacher, is a West
Orange resident, as are his partners:
Anthony Minervino, a firefighter,
and Jeff Gattens, a mobile technol-
ogy engineer. They worked with
L+M Development, which owns the
building Four City is located in, to
open the brewery, named after the
four Oranges — West Orange, East
Orange, South Orange and Orange.
“We want to educate people on
beer, to spark that interest so people