OCEANPORT, New Jersey – Birdsmouth Beer, a New Jersey craft lager brewery, will be opening Saturday, October 15th at the newly renovated Fort Monmouth Commissary building in Oceanport. The 12,000 sq ft brewery will be led by Andy Gioia, who brings with him more than a decade of experience in the NJ craft beer brewing industry. The mission statement for Birdsmouth is to create refreshing and delicious lager beers that easily integrate into everyday life.
“I’m extremely excited to brew only lager beer. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a homebrewer. The recipes are simple but it is a delicate process which requires patience. A large part of it is caretaking and stewardship since the process is long. So, in many ways it’s like watching and caring for a plant as it grows. If you manage to get it right, the patience and time spent is worth it. A well made lager is ridiculously delicious. It pairs up perfectly with everything but most importantly family, friends and food – our most valued things. In fact, the brewery was built by friends who are family and family who are friends.” said Head Brewer Andy Gioia.
The journey started in 2018 with an innocent conversation between Andy and his now business partner Rocco Laginestra about what it would take to start up a brewery. The conversation quickly blossomed into a several month long brainstorm surrounding concepts like what the brewery would make, where it should be located, what the right size would be, and what it would stand for. They found themselves very much in tune believing that a locally informed and community-centric lager brewery was underrepresented in the NJ marketplace. It was during these conversations that Andy and Rocco found inspiration for the brewery’s unique name. A Birdsmouth is an industry term for a type of wood joint used in carpentry to join wood or other building materials together. The term resonated with Andy and Rocco who knew they wanted this beer and brewery to be designed for and to bring the NJ community together. This utilitarian concept is complimented with NJ’s state bird, the Goldfinch, cemented in the logo and branding.
Rocco recollects, “Friends and family are what Andy and I have found to be the most important part of our lives, which is also the foundation of our friendship and partnership. We want to create a space and a brand that embodies this spirit to create a real sense of community, a platform where people can join together. It’s only fitting that the brewery is going to be in the old commissary, a building that was originally constructed to serve as the focal point of the local military community.”
Birdsmouth will open with four types of lagers. All brewed with simple recipes, amazing ingredients and a patient process. The opening brews will be Birdsmouth Original Lager (a Helles style lager), Birdsmouth Hoppy Pilsner, Birdsmouth Oktoberfest and Birdsmouth Dark Lager. These brews will all be under 6% abv and represent the full spectrum of colors and flavors. Birdsmouth Original Lager, Birdsmouth Pilsner and Birdsmouth Oktoberfest will be available in both 6 and 12 packs of 12oz cans and draft pours at the brewery’s location. Birdsmouth Dark will be available draft only. Through the seasons, Birdsmouth Oktoberfest will be replaced by another seasonally appropriate style packaged in 12 packs of 12oz cans. New brews will be introduced to the line up from the feedback from customers. The brewery’s 2,000sq/ft tasting room will be open to the public from Thursday through Sunday (see below for specific times). Families are welcomed and encouraged.
Initially, packaged goods will be for sale out of the tasting room, which will be complemented in the future with in person pickup of online purchases through our website. Lagers will be available at select bars and restaurants as well as liquor stores over the next year. There will not be a kitchen at the brewery, so guests are encouraged to bring their own bites or to order in. The brewery will be first come-first served based on availability and not accepting reservations, but the space will be available for private and semi-private events as well as group bookings for 15 or more. The brewery will open with a small outside space in the front of the building with plans in the future to expand out to the side of the building with a large outdoor beer garden.
Beers available: Birdsmouth Original Lager: 4.5% (available in can and draft)Birdsmouth Hoppy Pilsner: 5.0% (available in can and draft)Birdsmouth Oktoberfest: 5.5% (available in can and draft)Birdsmouth Dark Lager: 5.2% (available in draft only)Additional Birdsmouth Seasonal Lagers to be announced
Hours and Address: Birdsmouth Beer675 Oceanport Way (Baseline at Fort Monmouth)Oceanport NJ, 07757
Tasting Room Hours: Thursday 4pm- 8pmFriday 4pm- 9pmSaturday 12pm- 9pmSunday 12pm- 8pm
About The Commissary at Baseline
Spanning 53,000 square feet, The Commissary is the focal point of District A in the Oceanport section of Fort Monmouth. District A was acquired by Denholtz Properties, a Red Bank-based real estate and development company, in 2020 and covers 26 acres and includes the former Commissary as well as the PX, Post Office Area and Warehouse District along with an adjacent parking lot. Since Denholtz Properties’ acquisition, the company has begun a multiphase redevelopment to reimagine District A as Baseline, a transformative retail and commercial hub at the gateway to the historic property. The recent completion of Phase One includes the adaptive reuse of the former Commissary into a multipurpose destination geared towards innovative food and beverage uses.
For More Information:
https://www.birdsmouthbeer.com