Brewery Will Open This Fall At Fort Monmouth

OCEANPORT, NJ — The big news just keeps coming out of Fort Monmouth:

On the heels of June's reveal that Netflix plans to open a massive film production studio at Fort Monmouth, we now learn a brewery plans to open "on base" as well.

The brewery will be called Birdsmouth Beer and they announced this week 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; you can check their website here: https://birdsmouthbeer.com/

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.

Here is the latest on all the development underway at Fort Monmouth:

Ralph Zucker and his company, Somerset Development — the same owner of Bell Works in Holmdel — is currently building luxury town homes and a waterfront walkway on site. In late 2021, Zucker purchased 15 acres of Fort Monmouth in Oceanport, on which he is building 144 town homes. Read that story: Bell Works Developer Expands With Fort Monmouth Luxury Townhomes

The Fort Monmouth bowling alley is not happening: Rumson developer Parker Creek Partners, which planned to build the bowling alley, instead sold that parcel of land back to the Fort Monmouth Revitalization Authority. The developer never said why they backed out of the bowling alley, but there may have been a lack of interest or customers. Read that story: Fort Monmouth Bowling Alley Now Scrapped

Get ready for Netflix: In June, Netflix placed a bid to purchase 298 acres on Fort Monmouth. Netflix will turn it into a massive East Coast film/movie production studio, where they will film shows and movies for their streaming service. Gov. Phil Murphy greatly wooed Netflix to open there. The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority has not yet announced whether they approved Netflix's bid; stay tuned. Read that story: Netflix Places Bid To Open Monmouth County Film Studio

Did you know? There are $700K luxury townhomes for sale at Fort Monmouth: RPM Development Group is the developer of rental homes Liberty Walk and 68 private homes for sale, called East Gate. These properties are located on what is known as Officers' Row, where high-ranking officers stationed at Fort Monmouth used to live. RPM said they want to "transform Fort Monmouth into the premier live/work/play neighborhood on the Jersey Shore."Here's what the homes look like: https://patch.com/new-jersey/m...

Denholtz plans to open 72,400 square feet of modern spec industrial/flex space across three buildings on the site of the former Warehouse District at Fort Monmouth. This would be small bay warehousing. The construction of the three buildings is scheduled for completion in 2023.

There is also a luxury gym open on the site, the high-end Fort Athletic Club. Gym membership is thriving, says owner Scott Marchakitus.

To learn more about leasing at The Commissary at Baseline, contact Suzanne Macnow, Senior Vice President, CBRE at suzanne.macnow@cbre.com or 732-509-8927.