USA, NJ: Alternate Ending brewery planning spring 2020 opening

New Jersey's craft brewery movement has come to Aberdeen: A Colts Neck 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, Patch.com reported on July 12.

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.

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.

"I got a big severance package and I knew this was my chance," he said.

Immediately after losing his job, Novick signed up for an online course at a beer brewing school in Vermont. He also got a five-week apprenticeship working at Jughandle Brewing in Tinton Falls. From there, he was hired to work at Other Half Brewing Company in Brooklyn, one of the biggest IPA breweries in the country. He was so eager to get his foot in the door, he volunteered for an overnight shift cleaning the kegs.

"I loved it. I could have stayed there forever and kept learning about the beer-making process," said Novick.

But the long commute into the city and his frequent overnight shifts started to drain on his family. His wife wanted him to find a job closer to home. Novick had always dreamed of opening his own brewery. When he heard the owners of Bow Tie wanted to end their lease, he seized the chance.

"We were able to acquire a liquor license as a restricted brewery, which is pretty rare," said Novick. "There are only about 20 of those in the state that have that. It means we're allowed to serve food, show sporting events and have private parties."

All the beer they serve will be brewed in house.

"We're definitely going to be IPA focused. We've been working on a stout recipe for almost six years now and we think we've perfected it. We'll have five or six IPAs on tap, two different stouts and hopefully some sours," he said. "We haven't hired a chef yet, but the food will be high-end gourmet casual."

New Jersey's craft breweries are definitely having a "moment," with the state giving out more licenses and encouraging their growth. There's Jughandle in Tinton Falls, Raritan Bay Brewing Company in Keansburg, Belford Brewing and a farmhouse brewery is supposed to open soon in Colts Neck, called Source Brewing.

Novick couldn't be happier.

"Breweries are conducive to families. It's fun: You can go and have a beer or two and not get drunk. I envision local families coming in here for a Sunday brunch, having a beer brewed in Aberdeen or a mimosa while a movie plays in the background. I'm just so excited. I get goosebumps thinking about our soft opening."

14 July, 2019