DENVILLE – Three brothers are taking their homebrewing hobby to the next level, opening the township’s first brewery later this year.

“We’ve always been very close. We grew up in Rockaway, went to high school at Morris Catholic, and all went to Rutgers for college,” said James Aslanian, who co-owns Fort Nonsense Brewing with his two brothers. “We’ve always kind of share the same interested and this seemed like another logical thing to do together.”

The Aslanian brothers – Thomas, 29, of Boonton, James, 28, of Sparta, and Andrew, 25, of Denville – have been building toward owning a brewery since they bought their father a homebrew kit about five years ago.

“We ended up kind of taking it for ourselves,” Andrew Aslanian said. “And things flourished from there.”

Soon the brothers were sharing their brews with friends and family, even entering some in local festivals. The inevitable discussions of “turning pro” soon followed.

“You always talk about it,” James Aslanian said. “Everyone who homebrews does.”

Over several years, the brothers began compiling research and talking to people in the industry, and about two years ago they developed a formal business plan. Last year they started looking at spaces and found a location on Route 10 in Denville.

“We fell in love with the character of it,” Andrew Aslanian said of the space, which is currently all pink, as it was last used to host spa parties for girls.

James Aslanian said they reached out to the Denville officials before moving forward to see if they would be open to having a brewery in town. After receiving their support, they committed.

“The community is waiting with great anticipation the opening of our first brewery,” Denville Mayor Tom Andes said. “The ownership is doing their due diligence in following all the state guidelines. I am sure the Fort Nonsense brewery will be a great asset to our community and I can hope to be invited to the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.”

Next came the name.

“We really wanted to tie in the brewery to the area and local New Jersey history,” James Aslanian said. “Knowing the history of Fort Nonsense, we liked that, and we loved the name.”

Fort Nonsense sits on a hill 600 feet above sea level and overlooking the center of Morristown, where the Manhattan skyline is visible on a clear day. It is part of the Morristown National Historical Park, free and open to the public.

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Fort Nonsense was used when George Washington’s army came to Morristown after the battles of Trenton and Princeton during the Revolutionary War. Washington called it the Upper Redoubt. While there are many stories about Fort Nonsense’s purpose, Morristown historian and park ranger Eric Olsen theorized it was used to defend the town, which was a supply depot, at its highest point. Olsen said name Nonsense might be related to another of Washington’s forts, Necessity, as forts are typically named after their purpose. And for the troops who stayed there, it had no purpose other than to keep them out of trouble.

The brewery’s logo features the iconic cannon that overlooks Morristown at Fort Nonsense.

Thomas Aslanian said they also plan to incorporate “colonial colors” into the brewery, navy, gray, and red. Beer names and décor will also follow the theme. The brothers have discussed potentially hanging a photo of Washington crossing the Delaware, adding a beer in his hand, of course.

Construction on Fort Nonsense Brewing is currently underway at 3118 Route 10 in Denville. If everything is built on schedule and inspections are done in a timely manner, the plan is to open by Thanksgiving.

“As soon as we have the final inspection we’ll start brewing,” James Aslanian said. “Then we will open and start selling beer.”

Andrew will be head brewer while Thomas and James will be co-brewers and work the taproom.

Currently, all three are balancing building the brewery with their full-time jobs. Thomas, a civil engineer, is also designing the taproom. Andrew is a chef at the Daily Joe Café in Boonton and James is a band director at High Point Regional High School in Sussex.

They hope to keep their beer as local as possible, partnering with Bitter End Hops Farm in Randolph to get their hops, and local roasters for coffee-infused beers. They also plan to distribute to area restaurants, and invite customers to bring nearby food into the taproom.

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Fort Nonsense will house a five-barrel brewing system, visible through windows on Route 10, along with a tasting room that will feature five to eight beers at a time, a mix of staples and rotating one-offs.

“The plan is to have a variety of ales and lagers with twists on traditional styles,” Andrew Aslanian said. “But we’re also planning to have some nonsensical beers for more adventurous drinkers. Flavors you wouldn’t normally see in beer.”

Early “nonsense beers” may include a pink session ale brewed with dragon fruit and teas, and a pretzel gose.

Once they’re up and running, they hope to start canning quickly and possibly expand the brew house.

“Everything will be available in the taproom, and we will work up distribution and canning,” Thomas Aslanian said. “Hopefully sooner rather than later.”

The brothers plan to let the customers choose which beers should stay on tap as Fort Nonsense’s flagship beers, but an amber ale and a porter will likely make the cut.

“And an IPA, of course. Everybody’s got to have an IPA,” Thomas Aslanian said. “Other than that we’re trying not to get too attached until the people decide, and we’ll go from there. People like to try different things so you have to keep them guessing.”

Track the brewery’s progress on social media on Facebook, @FortNonsenseBrewingCompany, Instagram, @fortnonsensebrewing, and Twitter, @FtNonsenseBrew.

“We can’t wait to open and provide a great atmosphere for people,” James Aslanian said. “And build relationships through beer.”

While they don’t expect to open until late fall, Andrew Aslanian said people are welcome to stop in and say “hi” if they see the door open.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com