NJ craft beer: Bradley Brew Project set to join crowded field

BRADLEY BEACH - Chelsey and Michal Ziolkowski have carefully compiled a list of quips from their 4-year-old twin daughters that they no doubt will look back on fondly many years from now.

But the list has a more pressing use. Their brewery, Bradley Brew Project, is set to open this spring, and the Ziolkowskis are tapping into it for names for their beers.

“Every single beer is almost a brand,” Michal Ziolkowski said. “Brand is a strong word, but it has a story behind it. The idea is that it’s more than just sitting down and drinking that beer. You’re part of that story.”

With each bottle people buy, they will see the Ziolkowskis' story. Once, they bought their daughters a pink bike, only to be met with disappointment; the girls were hoping for purple. "Maybe we could do magic," Adi said.

So, Maybe We Could Do Magic will be the name of a stout. Unicorn Girls will be an ale. Can I Put The Hops In will be an IPA. This Is Hard But Making Beer is Fun! will be a lager.

Growing fast

Bradley Brew Project is preparing to take its place in a craft brewing industry that is growing fast, and attracting entrepreneurs who are turning their passion into a business.

The Ziolkowskis plan to educate consumers about the craft and help revitalize the town. And the playing field is in their favor thanks to the new federal tax bill. But their story comes with caution, too. The competition is heating up and the couple know that to survive, they’ll need to figure out a way to set themselves apart.

“Yes, beer trends are a thing, just like sneakers, flat-brim hats and super skinny jeans,” said Mike Kivowitz, president of New Jersey Craft Beer, a trade group. “But, the key to New Jersey’s beer market is make a product that is loved.”

Chelsey, 30, and Michal Ziolkowski, 35, live in Wall with their daughters, Adi and Avery, and they are expecting another child in May. Michal works as a business consultant, a full-time job he doesn’t plan to give up any time soon.

Craft beer plays a big part of the couple’s history; the two met when Chesley worked at a Jersey City bar that specialized in craft beer, and Michal was a frequent customer who occasionally made his own.

They kicked around ideas for starting their own business before honing in two years ago on a brewery. They scoured sites and negotiated with landlords and municipalities. They lined up approvals from regulators. They were approved for a bank loan that was backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

And they settled on 1,000-square-feet of space in a former restaurant across the street from the Bradley Beach municipal building. The project is expected to open in March and could cost upward of $200,000, they said.

“After a year of going through all this and meeting, we were like, ‘My gosh, this is finally what we were really looking for,’” Chelsey Ziolkowski said. “It’s been definitely a rough road building a business, but it’s been easier than any of the other places we would have chosen.”

New Jersey joins

New Jersey has been relatively late to the party.

The craft brewing industry generated $23.5 billion in sales in 2016, up 10 percent from the previous year. And it now accounts for nearly a quarter of the beer industry, according to the Brewers Association, a trade group.

New Jersey began to make inroads in 2012, when the lawmakers agreed to allow smaller breweries to increase production and sell to consumers in a tasting room on site – as long as they first provided a tour.

The state now has 82 craft breweries, ranking 19th nationwide in the number of breweries, but only 42nd nationwide in the number of breweries per capita, according to the Brewers Association.

Operators say that means there is room to grow. Carton Brewing in Atlantic Highlands, which was one of the state’s first craft beer makers, is preparing to expand from a quaint red brick building quietly tucked away on a side street to a 10,000-square-foot building on First Avenue with a façade shaped like waves.

Co-owner Augie Carton said there is plenty of demand.

“There’s enough people in Monmouth County to support 10 more Cartons,” he said. “The truth is, I don’t think New Jersey has to worry about the nation. If you work on making New Jersey happy you can do just fine.”

At the Shore, at least seven other breweries are in the works, according to the Brewers Association. Among them: Heavy Reel Brewing Co. in Seaside Heights; Source Brewing in Colts Neck; Raritan Bay Brewing in Keansburg; and Red Tank Brewing in Red Bank.

One advantage: The new tax reform law lowers the federal excise tax from $7 a barrel to $3.50 for the first 60,000 barrels. It should give small operators some breathing room, said Marshall Kizner, a lawyer who represents craft beer makers for Stark & Stark.

“I don’t think it’s at the point of saturation yet,” Kizner said. “The breweries with the best product will survive.”

It is a common refrain throughout the industry. Gretchen Schmidhausler has owned Little Dog Brewing Co. in Neptune City for three years. She sells her beer at the tasting room and about 35 liquor stores, restaurants and bars.

And she would like to sell more, but the competition is tough. She counted six breweries within a two- or three-mile radius. How do you make inroads?

"You just continue to make good beer," she said. "You listen to what people are saying to you about your beer. You constantly monitor the reviews of your beer online and be relentless visiting your accounts and making sure they are happy."

The Ziolkowskis have modest goals. They plan to produce just 200 or so barrels a year, turning their tasting room into a friendly hangout for singles and families alike.

"I think it’s less about can the market sustain additional breweries," Michal Ziolkowski said. "It’s, can breweries become innovative enough to attract consumers and connect with them in a way where they stay, they experience, and they love that beer."

Michael L. Diamond; @mdiamondapp; 732-643-4038; mdiamond@gannettnj.com