New microbrewery in a historic building: Can it help revitalize Keansburg?

KEANSBURG - In this 19th century brick building, which has been a church, a jail and a bank over the course of 125 colorful years, beer is brewing.

Lots of beer.

The fermenting tanks are visible from the intersection of Church Street and Carr Avenue. Some hefeweizen is on the way, and amber ale is going in next.

Upstairs, a well-appointed tasting room with a half-moon bay window is almost ready. A century-old bank safe, the size of a mini-fridge and the weight of a baby elephant, sits next to the bar. The combination lock still works (as seen in the video atop this story).

“The safe is so heavy, they couldn’t get it out,” Keansburg historian Edward Balyk said. “They would have to take the window out and remove it with a crane.”

Welcome to Raritan Bay Brewing, a new microbrewery tentatively set to open March 16, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. This is the endeavor of Hazlet’s Benfer family – brothers Jeff, Dan, and Kevin and their parents.

“We love beer,” said Dan Benfer, 28. “We just want to share that with everybody.”

There are eight taps, four of which will be in use when the place opens. In addition to the hefeweizen (a German-style wheat beer) and amber ale, there will be abbey ale (a Belgian-style cloudy, brown beer) and an IPA (India Pale Ale). But this venture is about more than suds. It’s the intersection of New Jersey’s exploding craft beer scene, Bayshore history and borough redevelopment as Keansburg forges ahead with a $65 million revitalization plan.

“It’s going to bring a different customer into town,” said Cliff Moore, Keansburg’s economic community development coordinator. “My son is 24 years old. He likes going to microbreweries instead of bars. That’s the type of person you’re bringing in – a younger crowd, millennials.”

This is the borough’s first microbrewery, “unless you want to talk about prohibition,” said Balyk, who is president of the Keansburg Historical Society. “Back then there were a lot of breweries here, hiding stuff in the back of stores and in cellars. There used to be boats going from the bay area up the river to New York, picking up liquor and beer. This was a hot spot during prohibition.”

Although there is no evidence that 32 Church St. was a speakeasy, the Benfers have remained mindful of the place’s character as they spruced it up over the past year.

“We don’t want to destroy the historical value of the building,” Jeff Benfer said. “It’s kind of cool to see all the old brickwork.”

Balyk agrees. Like many curious townsfolk, he’s poked his head in to check it out as the work has unfolded.

“To me, it’s a great use of the building,” he said. “It should have something of a historical function, and a brewery fits into that perfectly. It will be an attraction for people to come from outside the town if they make good beer, which I think they will.”

Jeff Benfer, a 30-year-old Army veteran, is the master brewer. He’s been making beer for a decade now, and last year decided to turn his hobby into a business. Raritan Bay Brewing won’t serve food, but customers are invited to bring their own. It will be open three days per week: Friday evenings (tentatively 5-9 p.m.), Saturdays (12-9) and Sunday afternoons.

If business booms, the brothers may add Thursday evenings – and a few more brews.

“Everybody loves a good beer, and people will travel for it,” Dan Benfer said. “We don’t see any reason why it can’t work here.”

For more information, visit www.raritanbaybrewing.com.

Staff writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com.