902 Brewing To Be Featured at Beer Festival in Basking Ridge

HOBOKEN, NJ — 902 Brewing is among the many craft breweries to be featured at the St. James Men of Charity, 8th Annual Harvest Fest & NJ Microbrew Night in Basking Ridge on Saturday.

This year’s event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 6 to 10 p.m. at St. James School Gym, 200 So. Finley Ave, Basking Ridge.

Advance tickets are $45 per person, tickets at the door are $50. Proceeds support the local families in need.

Get to know a little bit about 902 Brewing:

902 started at 902 Washington street here in Hoboken. A few of us had been competing in local homebrew competitions for some time, and decided to make the jump to commercial brewing. Everything we had was once on a few shelves in the apartment... it's been a wild ride ever since!

• Last year was your first year at our Microbrew Night. What was the experience like?

It was great. We met a ton of really nice people, and tasted some pretty solid home brews. We had such a good time that my wife volunteered to come work it with me again! We try to help out for whatever good causes we can, and this definitely fits the bill.

• What beer styles does 902 make (i.e., What sets 902 apart from other breweries)?

We try to have a diverse lineup, from beers that are more oriented at the "craft scene" consumer to easy drinkers that go great with a slice of pizza. One thing that we really try to emphasize are distinct flavors of hops. A lot of people think a hoppy beer has to be bitter- were brewing very hoppy beers that aren't very bitter at all. Our double IPA is chock full of tropical fruits.

• Any influences on your brewing?

I've always been a fan of lagunitas and dogfish- obviously for the great beers, but also for their openness to go after a bold style. You can't hit a home run every time, but you can't be afraid to try something new. Sometimes a great idea is sitting in your fridge or on your dinner table. We've made pineapple habanero casks to mimic a delicious dipping sauce. We're currently working on a milk stout that tastes like a Hungarian volcano cake that I had in Budapest.

• Who's the team behind 902?

Colby Janisch- recipe development, equipment, and operations

Andrew Brown- sales/marketing

Don Vogt- accounting/sales/finance

Tucker Littleton- recipe development, inventory, operations

John Russo- sales/delivery/utility/perpetual employee of the month

• Why did you pick Hoboken?

We all lived here before we knew each other. It just kind of worked out.

• Where can we find 902 craft beers?

All over the place! We've got a map on our website... mainly north jersey, including bottle kings, buy rites, shop rites, the thirsty Quaker, and a slew of Hoboken/Jersey City bars. If we're not on tap, the best thing you can do for us is ask!

• How did you get started?

Homebrewing and a knack for processes/equipment (I'm a mechanical engineer at my day job) had me hooked pretty instantly. We all enjoyed drinking beer long before, then decided to start focusing on making it. From there, Andrew, Tucker and I started doing a lot of competitions. Once we decided to go pro, Don came on as the finance department. That's the incredibly truncated version. The process of getting our license, well... dealing with all of the licensing agencies was... an interesting learning experience.

• What's the NJ brewery scene like?

It's pretty awesome. Everyone gets along very well, the events are fun, and the state is really growing into a solid craft destination. Checkout our friends over at NJCraftbeer for tons of info on the state of the brewnion

• What's next for 902?

A tap room! We're currently working on a zoning variation in Hoboken. Once we get that out of the way, we can finalize the state application. We hope to be open in early winter.

• Anything else we should know about 902?

If you haven't already, sign up for our newsletter! We've got a ton of great beers coming out soon. You'll start seeing us in cans pretty soon as well. If you're looking for a growler fill, we're always flowing at NJ Beer Co. We brew a majority of our beer there. They're a great group of people with some awesome beers, too!

For tickets and information on the Harvest Festival visit https://www.facebook.com/events/997415530374107/

For more information on 902 Brewing visit http://902brewing.com/

— By Glenn Booth

(Images provided)

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.