NJ beer: 3 new craft breweries coming to downtown Red Bank

Red Bank, we hope you're thirsty.

That's because the ever-hip Monmouth County destination is about to join the statewide craft beer boom in a big way, with a trio of breweries set to open in town this year.

We're bringing you the inside information on these three operations coming to Red Bank below.

For more on the state's craft beer scene, watch the latest episode of our "Jersey Brewed" video series in the player at the top of this story.

Red Tank Brewing

John and Lovina Arcara like the finer things in life, and that sensibility can be found in the beer made by the couple's Red Tank Brewing.

The Arcaras, whose wedding photography business has been on Broad Street in Red Bank for about 18 years, hope to open Red Tank Brewing at 77 Monmouth St., adjacent to Jamian's Food and Drink, in August.

“I like food a lot, and I like to pair things with food, so for me I like to make beers that not only can stand up on their own but really go well with different foods at different times, different seasons," John Arcara said. "We have specific beers that go great with different cheeses and different fruits, just things like that. So I approach it not as much as a scientist but more of like a chef would.”

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The foodie mindset is evident in Red Tank's Chateau Saison, made in collaboration with the West Orange wedding venue Pleasantdale Chateau. A farmhouse-style saison with just 4 percent ABV, the beer is aged with peels of bitter oranges grown at Pleasantdale that have been dried out then bathed in Grand Marnier.

"Everybody’s heard of farmhouse saisons, which are like the go-to all-day drinker," Arcara said. "We’re calling ours a Chateau Saison because ours are made with a more luxurious ingredient for the specific client that would be at the Pleasantdale Chateau.”

Red Tank Brewing, 77 Monmouth St., Red Bank, 732-299-9537, facebook.com/redtankbrewing.

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Ross Brewing Company

John Ross Cocozza wants to broaden drinkers' beer horizons.

Cocozza's Ross Brewing Company hopes to open at 40 White St., in the former firehouse next door to the Bow Tie Cinemas, by the end of the year.

“No knock against Bud, Miller, Coors, how we all started drinking," Cocozza said, "but for the people who are still drinking that you’ve got to do something that maybe nudges them out of that.”

When the beer begins flowing, there will be five signature brews — Navesink double India pale ale, Shrewsbury amber lager, Manasquan Belgian wit, Passaic honey vanilla chocolate porter and Raritan rye — each designed to serve as points of entry.

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“We’re not pigeon-holing ourselves for one style, whether (or not) that’s a very popular style at the moment now," Cocozza said. "For example, let’s just say New England IPAs are extremely popular right now and for good reason, because they’re very good beers and we enjoy them and we make a few as well.

"But what we’re really trying to do is introduce those craft beer drinkers in this area to things that they haven’t been used to getting before. ... We want to be able to represent different styles so that for those people here that aren’t necessarily craft drinkers yet, we’re trying to give them a few different gateway opportunities."

Ross Brewing Company, 40 White St., Red Bank, 732-835-7677, rossbrewing.com.

Triumph Brewing Company

After years of waiting, Triumph Brewing Company finally soon will be opening its doors in Red Bank.

The acclaimed brew pub business, which currently has locations in downtown Princeton and in New Hope, Pennsylvania, hopes to be open on Bridge Avenue in Red Bank by late summer, Triumph officials told the Asbury Park Press this week. Watch this space for updates as they become available.

Triumph famously combines elevated classic American dining and chic riffs on tavern fare with accessible and interesting in-house brews, with its flagship offering being the Bengal Gold India Pale Ale.

Triumph Brewing Company, 1 Bridge Ave., Red Bank, triumphbrewing.com.