Another popular NJ craft brewery closes
Is the bloom off the rose of craft breweries? A popular North Jersey brewer has announced its plans to close.
Alementary in Hackensack said in a Facebook post that they are suspending operations.
As reported by NJ.com:
“We had an agreement with a buyer for our contract business and that deal fell through,” the breweries’ owners wrote on Facebook.
“That, plus continued softness in the distro market and downward regional industry trends has left us in an irreconcilable situation. Our biggest error was one of timing, and trusting.”
Alementary is not alone as several high-profile New Jersey craft breweries have called it quits lately; Forgotten Boardwalk in Cherry Hill said it would shut down by the end of February after being unable to renegotiate an extension for its current lease.
That announcement followed a December 2023 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Flying Fish, one of the oldest and largest craft breweries in New Jersey.
According to NorthJersey.com, Owners Blake Crawford and Michael Roosevelt used their STEM expertise to create their own collection of stouts, lagers, porters, IPAs and ales.
Roosevelt's background as a molecular biologist and Crawford's as a chemical engineer have helped them nail their method of crafting beers down to a science.
The timing of these closings is unfortunate as Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation that loosened the restrictions of craft breweries serving food and holding large events; the craft brewing industry had been asking for these changes for years, but it comes too late for some.
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Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.
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