USA, NJ: Birdsmouth Beer planning to open in Oceanport this fall

The brewery will be called Birdsmouth Beer and they announced they are leasing a 12,080-square-foot space at 675 Oceanport Way in Oceanport.

They are planning a fall opening. Right now, the building is completely under construction.

Several years ago, there was talk of a brewery opening at Fort Monmouth, but those plans fell through. Birdsmouth Beer is an entirely new brewery that has never launched before.

It bills itself as "Jersey's all-lager craft brewery" and is headed by co-founder Andrew Gioia, the former head brewer at Kane Brewing in Ocean Township, and real estate executive Rocco Laginestra. The brewery plans a full beer-brewing production facility on site, as well as a tasting room "to create a one-of-a-kind experience for craft beer enthusiasts and casual visitors alike."

Fort Monmouth is a sprawling 1,127-acre former U.S. Army base that straddles the towns of Tinton Falls, Oceanport and Eatontown. The U.S. Army closed the base in 2011, and acres and acres of land have sat empty ever since, with literally tumbleweeds blowing through the deserted property.

But these days, Fort Monmouth is enjoying a resurgence building boom.

The brewery will open in what is known as "The Commissary," or what used to be the on-base grocery store. More food and drink businesses will be coming next to the brewery, all as-of-yet unrevealed.

The Commissary is part of District A, a 26-acre parcel of the base. In 2020, the entirety of District A was purchased by Denholtz Properties, a commercial real estate developer based in Red Bank.

The developer said it wants to turn the Commissary into "the retail and commercial hub of Fort Monmouth."

"Our goal at Fort Monmouth is to create a hub where businesses of all types can thrive and power the resurgence of this important piece of New Jersey's history," said Kristine Hurlbut, senior vice president of leasing at Denholtz.