ABERDEEN, NJ — New Jersey's craft brewery movement has come to Aberdeen: A man who grew up going to the movies at the Bow Tie Strathmore Cinemas now plans to take over the space and convert the Bow Tie into a craft brew pub and restaurant.

But for those who love the longtime local movie theater, don't completely despair: They will still be showing free movies at the new brewery, once it opens. The brewery will be called Alternate Ending and they plan to open in the spring of 2020, said business owner Scott Novick, who grew up in Morganville.

Like many area residents, he remembers going to "the Bow Tie" as a kid. Currently, Novick lives in Colts Neck, where he's been brewing beer in his backyard for the past six years. "I never thought I would be doing this, but this is just a dream come true. The space at the Bow Tie just fell into my lap," said Novick, 38. "I always had dreams of opening up my own brewery, so when I heard through friends there was possibly an opening at Bow Tie, I knew I had to do it. I always thought that would be a cool space for a brewery."

The popular Bow Tie, located on Rt. 34 in Aberdeen, is expected to close at the end of this summer. "We have gotten some negative feedback from the community on losing the theater," he admitted. "It's sad for me, because I went there, too as a kid. And everyone loves their 'Rocky Horror' midnight movies and stuff like that."

"But we really want to keep the community happy. We're keeping the marquis up on Rt. 34 and we're going to still show movies at the brewery," he continued. "More like quirky, old-school movies like 'Dr. Strangelove' and kids' movies like 'Mulan.' We're completely gutting the interior. It will still have that theater aspect, but we're going to make it more modern."

"I envision the brewery as a place where families can come and get some delicious food, kick back with a few beers, have their kids watch a movie and just relax," he said.



Now let's talk about the beer! Novick is a self-described "beer nerd." After college, he got a job in his field working in commercial operations for Nickelodeon and VH1. But he loves beer and always had dreams of working in that industry. When a round of layoffs came, Novick said he volunteered.