Bradley Brew Project Founders Will Open New Brewery In Howell

HOWELL, NJ — The same husband and wife duo that in 2018 opened Bradley Brew Project in Bradley Beach will be launching a new brewery in Howell.

Tall Oaks Farm and Brewery will be located on a five-acre plot of land on Colts Neck Road, where they'll be able to also plant a hops field and grow other ingredients.

"The hop field that we're building there will generate enough hops for a select few limited beers," said Mike Ziolkowski, 39, one half of the duo. "The idea is to create sort of that farm-like experience."

They expect to have the place open between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023.

The new location will have more of a farm-like feel, as opposed to the Bradley Beach one, which has more of a beach vibe.

The actual brewery will be 3,000 feet and will have a tasting room. Visitors will also be able to see the surrounding space.

Back in 2018, Ziolkowski and his wife opened Bradley Brew Project when they noticed there was nothing like it in the area. After going apple and pumpkin picking one day, they wanted to sit outside and have a beer somewhere.

"We had our kids in town and we didn't want to go to like a traditional restaurant. We wanted to just go outside and just have one beer," Ziolkowski said.

They also started wondering whether other parents of similar ages might feel the same way.

Both Mike and his wife had had experience related to beer. She had run a craft beer bar and therefore had a lot of customer interaction experience. He had been a homebrewer for about nine years.

"I think ultimately what we're trying to create is an environment and an experience for people to solve for something that doesn't currently exist," he said. "We just happen to be doing it using a brewery, others might be doing a different way."

Ziolkowski said that when they decided to expand they went back to some of the ideas they had had years ago.

"We've been open at the current facility for three and a half years and we finally got to a point where we needed to grow. Our business has been going well," he said.

The project recently got the green light from the Howell Planning Board and will now go through building permits. Constructions should start sometime in the springtime of 2021.

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