FRANKLIN (Somerset) - Eight years ago, Jan Chwiedosiuk and Brian Teel, two good friends, were home brewing their own beer by the gallon on a stove.

Beginning Saturday, however, that scene changed dramatically when Chwiedosiuk and Teel opened Jersey Cyclone Brewing Company in the Somerset section of Franklin with a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon, followed by a celebration until 10 p.m.

At the grand opening, visitors sampled eight Jersey Cyclone beers on tap in the 2,500-square-foot tasting room and toured the facility, which can accommodate 86 patrons at a time.

Going forward, visitors can stop by for tastings and tours on Thursdays and Fridays from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m., where they can try beers such as the Eye of the Storm, A Quarter Of Kolsch, Snowtober Vanilla Coffee Porter and Franklin Double IPA.

“We want to have a diverse catalog of recipes and work with local restaurants to create beers that complement their menus,” said Chwiedosiuk, a Stirling resident, who serves as the company’s co-owner and president. “We feel that we present a fresh look at beer in the area.”

Currently, Jersey Cyclone Brewing beers will only be available in the tasting room before Chwiedosiuk and Teel look into distribution, which they expect to begin either immediately (depending on the remainder of beer available after the grand opening weekend) or within two to four weeks.

Inside the modern industrial-style tasting room, visitors can find tables made from locally sourced white oak, which were made by Chwiedosiuk and Teel, a Belle Mead resident, who serves as the company’s co-president and owner and who is also the COO of Investment Title. Many other items in the brewery were also made by the team.

“The majority of the things that our customers see in the tasting room, we have made,” said Chwiedosiuk, which includes the benches, walls and bricking of the bar. Another standout item in the tasting room is the 1952 fire hydrant from Middlesex Water Company which has been repurposed into a water fountain, homage to Chwiedosiuk's career as the director of distribution for the Middlesex Water Company.

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Jersey Cyclone Brewing had originally planned to open in December 2017, but battled construction and licensing delays, as well as other unforeseen conditions in their facility.

This was actually also the source of its namesake — when Chwiedosiuk and Teel began homebrewing in 2011, it was also around the time Hurricane Irene came through New Jersey and brought devastation to Chwiedosiuk's family business, the European Deli in Manville, and was also when Teel was preparing to take the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination.

"We thought it was fitting because there were so many crazy things that happened while we were trying to open," Chwiedosiuk said. "It all hit us by surprise, like a storm."

Jersey Cyclone Brewing is one of the few breweries in the area, being about 20 minutes from both Cypress Brewing in Edison and Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough.

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“Both him and I had the passion for it and four years ago, we took the leap and chose to take the next step,” said Chwiedosiuk. “We wanted to get into a business that was really in touch with the customer, where we could see the satisfaction on someone’s face when they enjoy what we created.”

If you go

Jersey Cyclone Brewing Company

Where: 14 Worlds Fair Drive Unit J, Somerset

Contact: 908-982-4116, jerseycyclone.com

Jenna Intersimone's "Destination Jersey" column appears Tuesdays. Tweet her at @JIntersimone or email her at JIntersimone@GannettNJ.com.