By Meghan Connolly and Lynette Barbieri

Recently, our BELLA team had the opportunity to visit the Asbury Park Brewery, located in the heart of downtown Asbury Park, New Jersey. From the extremely welcoming staff, to the space’s cozy setup and array of unique yet delicious craft beers, the Asbury Park Brewery is a must visit! Debuting this past May, the craft brewery features a new tasting room that is open 7 days a week, accommodating the whole family with their dog and kid friendly environment. 

The Asbury Park Brewery offers an award-winning beer selection that includes a combination of year-round, seasonal, and new releases, 12 beers on tap, growler and crowler fills, and takeout can sales. Although the brewery does not serve food, customers are welcome to bring in food of their own - choosing from the wide selection of delicious restaurants in Asbury Park. You can even conveniently order a pizza right to the brewery, ensuring a relaxing experience. No need to make arrangements for your little ones or furry friends either, just bring them along! The brewery’s dog and kid friendly environment is complete with purchasable dog treats and water bowls, as well as a wide variety of kids games. 

Brian, the brewery’s manager, kindly gave our BELLA team a tour in which we were also able to experience a beer tasting. Thanks to the glass wall separating the tasting room from the brewery, we were able to witness the brewing process first-hand. Among the interesting choices was a Watermelon Summer beer, which turned out to be our favorite! Luckily the Watermelon Summer beer is canned and available for purchase, so we got to bring some home to enjoy during the upcoming hot summer days. The Asbury Park Brewery is also a retailer for The Hangover Pretzel Company, which are a staple snack available for customers to purchase on-site. 

The Asbury Park Brewery has truly got it all, great beer, an accommodating staff, and an environment that makes you feel at home, but the experience isn’t complete without great music. Inspired by his youth as a touring artist in Europe, founder Bob McLynn aimed to combine his two passions - beer and music - to create a paradise for other local musicians and beer enthusiasts. While touring Germany in the 90s, McLynn was delighted to find that every city had its own brewery, allowing his band to try a unique beer after every show. McLynn aims to cultivate that same vibe in Asbury Park, bringing craft beer and music together by hosting live performances from local musicians every Tuesday, and opening the brewery for private event bookings. 

The space’s decor further enhances its musical ties, featuring an art installation containing collages of posters, photographs, and concert tickets from famous musicians who have performed in the area. Inspired by the design elements of Japanese listening bars, the bar area also features a large record wall showcasing over 8,000 vinyl albums. 

This New Jersey hidden gem is an absolute must-visit and a great indoor activity as we move into the chillier fall and winter months. Located at 614 Cookman Ave, Asbury Park, NJ, the brewery is open from 4-10pm Monday through Friday, and 11am-10pm on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information visit AsburyParkBrewery.com, or follow them on Instagram and Facebook at @asburyparkbrewery.