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A rendering of what Kings Road Brewing Co. could look like after renovations in the storefront at 127 Kings Highway in Haddonfield.
(Submitted photo)
HADDONFIELD -- Gibb's Tavern offered refreshment to residents more than 200 years ago, before Haddonfield became a dry borough. In fact, it wasn't even a borough yet.
This year, five residents plan to return the former Gibb's Tavern space -- long used as a storefront -- to a use close to its original.
Kings Road Brewing Co. should be open by the fall, serving beer made on site at 127 Kings Highway East, said Bob Hochgertel, head of the Markeim Arts Center and one of the nanobrewery's founders.
Hochgertel said the Zoning Board of Appeals ruled Tuesday that it was an allowable retail use because the business would sell products made on site, much like a coffee shop.
Microbreweries have been popping up in New Jersey's dry towns under new licenses the state began offering in 2012. The license allows local breweries, wineries and distilleries to sell alcoholic beverages that are made on-site, even in dry communities.
Hochgertel said that anyone who has spent any time in Haddonfield knows that while it doesn't issue liquor licenses, there are frequent opportunities to imbibe there.
"We have to realign our thoughts on that," he said of the dry town designation. "Right now there's a 45-foot banner across the street inviting people to Uncorked."
Saturday's Uncorked wine tasting is taking place around the downtown, and people can already buy local wine in some restaurants, a provision allowed under that same 2012 law.
Still, anyone in Haddonfield wanting to have a beer outside of a special event has to either bring their own, purchased out of town, or head instead to a bar or restaurant elsewhere. That's business that Haddonfield would like to keep, he said.
"We did a lot of research. We talked to nanobrewery owners, mayors, economic leaders," he said. "What they told us is that their nanobreweries have absolutely been a boon in these communities. They help keep traffic in town and they tend to bring traffic in from outside the community."
A rendering of what Kings Road Brewing Co. could look like after renovations at 127 Kings Highway East in Haddonfield. (Submitted)
Talking about the planned brewery, Hochgertel sounds at times more like a community leader than a partner in the brewery. He said the group of friends' reasons for starting the nanobrewery was "equal parts our interest in the product" and a belief that having a craft beer destination downtown will benefit the whole community.
Mayor Jeffrey Kasko agrees that the brewery will be good for business.
"It will attract a certain clientele to Haddonfield," he said of craft beer enthusiasts. You have a beer, he said, "then you end up at the pizza place, or Starbucks, or at a shop nearby."
Kasko said the establishment will close by 10 p.m. and won't be like a traditional bar or liquor store. "We still don't have those, and I don't think we will anytime soon," he said.
Hochgertel said "98 percent" of the feedback he has heard about the project has been positive.
What if?
The partners in Kings Road Brewing Co. are Hochgertel, Victoria Jensh Cummins, Jeff Farrell, Pete Gagliardi and Chris Thomas. Together, they have over 150 years in Haddonfield and 11 kids here, he said.
Hochgertel said the nanobrewery was born, whether they knew it at the time, during a discussion they were having last year about restaurants closing in Haddonfield. They were also talking about Devil's Creek Brewery opening in nearby Collingswood and Kelly Green Brewing Co. opening in Pitman, both dry communities.
"It was just, 'what if?'" he said. "We said, 'if we could have that here, it could really make a difference in our downtown.'"
Hochgertel then learned from his attorney that Haddonfield's zoning would allow such a microbrewery downtown, as long as the zoning board interpreted the use as retail, and the casual discussion got more serious.
They found the perfect location in the historical Gibb's Tavern building, in a space that was last occupied by the shop Serendipity.
The partners are financing the founding of the brewery, estimated at between $200,000 and $250,000, including brewing equipment, the build-out, and brewing the first batches of beer.
It's a long, narrow space with high ceilings and beautiful skylights, Hochgertel said. It will be renovated to include an accessible bathroom, a bar, a brewhouse and cold room. The brewing area will be separated from patrons by a glass wall, allowing them to look in on the process.
They plan to start renovating after the lease begins March 1, while they wait for the state to rule on their microbrewery license. If all goes well, they could open by September or October, Hochgertel said.
The small space limits the amount they can brew there, so they will only be making around six beers at a time to sell in flights, pints or growlers. If they "hit a homerun" with a certain beer down the road and want to manufacture it for distribution, they would probably contract to brew it at an existing brewery, he said.
Hochgertel said that several of the partners are homebrewers. While they have a few beer recipes in mind, they plan to hire an experienced brewmaster to head that part of the operation.
Like the brewery's name -- a reference to the highway that runs through Haddonfield that King Charles II ordered built in the 1600s -- the beer names will also be nods to the borough's history, he said.
"We want to embrace the rich history of the town," he said.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.