EAST GREENWICH TWP. -- "Embrace the chase." That's the motto of the newest brewery set to open in New Jersey.

According to Chuck Garrity, brewer and mastermind behind Death of the Fox Brewing Company, the motto is two fold -- drawing meaning from back in early brew days when a "chase" was an alternate term for beer and the history of fox chases that gave the new business its name.

Death of the Fox

Death of the Fox is the newest brewery on its way to Gloucester County and will open up at the Villages of Whiskey Mill on Berkley Road. The location will offer house brewed beer and coffee, a combination that goes hand-in-hand, according to Garrity.

"We're Death of the Fox brewing company but the name doesn't specify what we brew, he said. "I think the two drinks, coffee and beer, go great together in the same business. It's not always the case but I find that people who are interested in craft beers also have a thing for good quality coffees. Having them together is a way to engage everyone."

Having left his corporate job of more than 20 years, traveling and working a full work week as a healthcare management consultant at various medical care facilities, Garrity, a Runnemede native, knew he was ready to be closer to home. He picked up home brewing as a hobby for close to a decade and was ready to make it his new career. But he knew he couldn't be a standard brewery, open three days a week with limited hours. He needed a way to have a self-sustaining business while pursuing his passion of brewing.

"We put a lot into our tasting room and coffeehouse," he said. "This isn't a new concept overall. I've seen them in different places during my travels, but it's new to Jersey and it's more progressive than what the current scene is."

On tap at the brewery will be 16 fresh brews. Garrity says eight of them will be constant flagship brews, made regularly in a "big boy," a tank that can make five barrels per batch. The other eight brews will be more experimental, made in two smaller tanks that can brew about four and a half barrels, combined.

"I want people to keep coming back to try the new brews," Garrity said. "By changing them up so often, but keeping eight popular ones on tap, there's a reason to come back."

In the first year, Garrity plans to brew between 900 and 1,000 barrels of styles ranging from stouts to Scottish ales and IPAs.

Similar to the flagship brews the business will offer, Garrity is working on a house roast for the coffee drinkers. He's working with local roasters to get the best taste for patrons.

"There's already a lot of excitement surrounding our opening and I'm really looking forward to the reactions of this type of business coming to the area," he added.

What's with the name?

"The name," Garrity said shaking his head, no stranger to this question. "You know, this area has a lot of really great history and that's what inspired our whole theme and our name."

Death of the Fox Inn, 1800's

According to his research, Death of the Fox Inn of Clarksboro was built in 1727. Its name came from its business of providing drinks to members of the Gloucester County Fox Hunting Club, an organization founded in 1766 and was the first organized hunting club in America.

"I completely fell in love with that concept," Garrity said. "I'm a huge history buff and when I saw the Death of the Fox Inn sign I thought it was just the coolest thing and the history was so interesting."

Garrity hopes to celebrate the history throughout the business by hanging historic documents and photos throughout the taproom. The history doesn't stop with the nod to the old tavern though. Garrity is hoping to incorporate other local history by celebrating Jonas Cattell, the local man responsible for running 10 miles of back trails from Haddonfield to Fort Mercer so he could warn the patriots of a Hessian attack.

"He was the master of hounds and participated with the Gloucester County Fox Hunting Club for years," he said. "The fun little fact is that everyone else was on horseback, but Jonas Cattell ran with the dogs."

One of the beers that will be on tap will incorporate local history as well.

Hanging Tory, an English bitter that will regularly be on tap, is a nod to hanging of a Tory, an American colonist who supported the British side during the Revolution, from a walnut tree that once stood in the front yard of the Death of the Fox Inn.

"There's so much history under our noses here. I'm amazed at the lack of awareness of it and I hope to bring some of it to people's attention," he said.

Keeping it local

As the owner of a new and different business coming to the area, Garrity knew there was something he truly wanted to build -- camaraderie among other local businesses.

"Small businesses and the local community helping each other out, helping each other to grow, that's what we want to do," he said.

Garrity brought in local plumbers, concrete companies, local sign makers, and local roasters to help create connections.

"We'd love to roast our own coffee but that's a phase-two type plan. Right now we've created strong ties with Crescent Moon, a cafe in Mullica Hill, who have such a great reputation and great coffee, and will be bringing them in to roast."

He added there are plans to partner with local restaurants and local craft soda makers to add variety and build more community connections.

With the brewery opening slated for late May or early June, Garrity's vision for his business is coming together, though its been quite an adventure.

"We've got some work to do still," he said of the space. The "empty hole" is on its way to becoming the hunting lounge space he envisioned. With fresh wood, cut from Cobb's Mill in Salem County lining the walls and bar, the space is coming together.

"We're taking this open, warehouse-like space and turning it into an intimate, historical place," he said. "Everyday has new developments and new things popping up, but what was once a concept is now a reality and to see it all coming together is incredibly exciting."

For more information and to stay up to date on opening news, visit the Death of the Fox website.

Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.