Take A Tour Of Aberdeen's New Craft Brewery At The Old Bow Tie

ABERDEEN, NJ — To say the Matawan-Aberdeen area is excited about the new brewery opening at the old Bow Tie movie theater is an understatement.

At restaurants, gas stations and in casual conversation around town, it seems all anyone can talk about this summer is: "You know about the new brewery, right? Yea, right down the road! When's it going to open?"

They're referring, of course, to Alternate Ending, the new brew pub that's taken over the space of the former Bow Tie movie theater on Rt. 34. The brewery is planning for a soft opening this October.

"That's the million-dollar question! We are really pushing for the first week of October," said owner Scott Novick, 39. "If all goes well, we are going to start brewing in about two weeks."

Novick is a Monmouth County native who grew up in Morganville; his parents actually took him and his sister to see movies at the Bow Tie as kids.

The coronavirus pandemic slowed them down, but Novick and his team are undeterred: They want the brewery to be known all over Monmouth County as a place to come for yummy food, a kid-friendly atmosphere, art and culture — and of course, great beer. Alternate Ending will still be showing movies on a big screen inside, too.

"We're going to show vintage classics once a week, movies from the 1970s and '80s, 'Caddyshack,' 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,' scary stuff at Halloween, and kids' movies on Sunday," promised Novick. "This is a family place."

"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," said Novick. "A brewery kind of puts a town on the map. It's kind of a cool, hip place to be. It's a happy environment."

When they open next month, Alternate Ending will have six to seven beers on tap, and hopes to have 10-15 beers on tap eventually, all brewed in house. They will have outdoor and indoor dining and a full kitchen. Anyone can come in and pick up growlers and cases of freshly-brewed beer to go at the garage door. Alternate Ending has the equipment to brew up to 9,000 barrels a week.

Novick brought in Brendan Arnold, an experienced craft brewer from Kansas, as head brewer. Arnold has the goal of setting Alternate Ending apart in New Jersey's craft brewery world.

"We're going be brewing East Coast IPAs; that's the demand and focus in the industry right now," Arnold explained. "Those types of IPAs don't have the bitterness people usually associate with IPAs. They are more fruity and juicy; they have more of a full body. I'm a bigger fan of cleaner, West Coast-style IPAs — really clean IPAs — which I want to introduce the Aberdeen market to."

In fact, Alternate Ending's flagship beer will be 'What If?,' an East Coast IPA.

"A brewpub should offer a variety and try new things behind the bar," Arnold continued. "We'll have a variety of barrel-aged stouts, German lagers, big winter warmers for the winter, light pilsners and really dive into some sour beers, kettle sours and even work with live, mixed-barrel-aged cultures. The sky's the limit."

They envision Alternate Ending as a place where locals can come in, relax, have a beer — and talk about beer!

"At the end of the day, I'm one of those brewers who wants to sit down at the bar with my customers and talk about the beer," said Arnold. "What do they like? We have a community mentality."

Alternate Ending has a beer club, a group of devoted beer lovers who will get special access to new brews, early releases and discount pricing.

Right now, Alternate Ending will not be open for brewery tours, unless it is for special events.

"We have fresh yeast back there," said Arnold. "I pride myself on having a very clean brewery, much cleaner than others you've been to. We are meticulous with cleanliness."

But the brew equipment will all be behind huge glass windows and the public is welcome to look in. Novick also has a full liquor license for Alternate Ending. The brewpub will serve spirits, offer three cocktails every night and also serve wine.

"We want to have something for everyone," said Novick, but cautioned that he is not opening a bar.

"At a bar, people are there until 2 in the morning. At breweries it's more about the craft and love of the beer, rather than a place to go and get drunk," said Novick. "Aberdeen is very pro business. It's a thriving community. I feel like we are going to bring that cultural-art element along with the nostalgia of the old movie theater."

Novick also made sure to keep little details from the Bow Tie days: A red carpet entrance into the brewery, marquee lighting and a diorama of local Aberdeen scenes.

Novick said he named the brewery Alternate Ending as a play on the space's longtime cinema roots, and also how his own life has changed: He went to college, worked in the corporate world and then completely switched careers to his passion of beer making.

He had been brewing his own beer from his backyard in Colts Neck, and apprenticed 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.

But his long commute from Brooklyn to Colts Neck was draining, and his wife was worried about his safety driving back from the overnight shift.

"I used smelling salts coming home on the Driscoll Bridge just to keep myself awake, that's how tired I was," said Novick. "I was practically falling asleep at the wheel."

When he heard the Bow Tie was closing, he seized the chance to open his own brewery.

"I had driven past the Bow Tie and even said to my wife, that would be a cool place for a brewery," he said. "When I heard they were not renewing their lease, I jumped. I met with (building owner Harry Rosenblum) and they wanted to only rent me 50 percent of the place. I said, 'No, that's not big enough. I need the whole thing.'"

"I never thought I would be doing this, but this is just a dream come true," said Novick. "This is my alternate ending."

Original Patch report: Craft Brewery Taking Over The Bow Tie In Aberdeen (July 2019)

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