E-Malt.com News article: USA, NJ: Tuckahoe Brewing Company to start brewing

Hard on the heels of the opening of Cape May Brewery in the southern end of the Cape May county, Tuckahoe Brewing Company up north received state approvals after a state inspection of the Dennis Township brewery, Shore News Today reported on December, 15.

Inspections took place last week, and the approvals came on December, 14, according to the owners.

The business, launched by four friends with local ties, began with home brewing for fun and a love of beer. Three of the four partners are teachers and coaches at Mainland Regional High School, Tim Hanna, Christopher Konicki and Matthew McDevitt, while the fourth, James McAfree, is an architect. They are all from Atlantic and Cape May counties.

They plan to offer four beers, named for local landmarks, including DC pale ale, which the brewers describe as their flagship beer named for Dennis Creek, the Belgian-style Marshallville Wit, Steelmantown Porter, and Head of the River Amber Ale.

According to McDevitt, the company will start with the pale ale and the porter, with plans to produce the wit in the spring, with a coffee stout in the works that will be a limited release as a fundraiser.

While Tuckahoe Brewery is cleared to start making beer commercially, it is not yet open for tastings or tours, which McDevitt said is a different permit. They expect to get that permit in about another month.

In January, local beer lovers will be able to get Tuckahoe beers on tap in several local bars, McDevitt said. So far, the brewers have what he called ‘handshake agreements’ to sell in taprooms in Upper Township and southern Atlantic County.

Most of the beer will be on tap, although there are plans for a limited amount of bottles. The brewery does not now have a bottling machine, so that would have to be done by hand. When the remaining licenses are in place, those who take the tour will be able to buy no more than two six-packs on site, under the state licensing rules.

This brings the current number of South Jersey breweries to four, including the much larger Flying Fish brewery in Cherry Hill and Atlantic City’s Tun Tavern, which can only serve its beer at the brewpub.

Cape May Brewery is a little ahead of its northern neighbors, recently opening its doors to tours at the Cape May Airport and selling beer at several restaurants in the southern end of the county.

Hanna said this week that there are plenty of beer drinkers to go around, so don’t expect a fierce rivalry. He said the Cape May team brews good beer, and a local beer culture can be good for everyone.

“We’re happy to see that local people in this part of the state are getting choices,” Hanna said. At one time, he said, there were about a thousand local breweries in the United States, and in most areas people drank the local beer. By the mid-20th century, there were only a couple of dozen breweries. Now, he said, people are starting to appreciate a local connection.

“Now, people are looking at it that you don’t need to be a national operation. You might not ever need to get big,” he said.

Instead, they hope to win a strong local following, one beer at a time.


21 December, 2011