USA, NJ: Skinny Flowers Brewery Co. coming to Fort Monmouth

Construction is underway to turn a 6,000-square-foot portion of Fort Monmouth’s RiverWalk Center into a new brewery and tap room, expected to open by the end of this year, The Two River Times reported on August 29.

It’s the first brick-and-mortar venture by Jim and Liz King, who recently moved to Monmouth Beach from Little Silver. They formed Skinny Flowers Brewery Co. about a year ago and have since been visiting other breweries and “learning as much as we could about the business before we opened,” said Jim King, who started the company after retiring from CIBC Capital Markets.

“My wife Liz and I have always been fans of craft beer and the community that forms around it,” he said of the couple’s motivation to start a brewery business. He declined to elaborate on the origins of the name Skinny Flowers, indicating that it will be revealed at a later date. The Kings have signed a long-term lease for the space with options for renewal, he said.

“It’s a magnificent space with 25-foot-high ceilings,” said RiverWalk Center developer Michael Abboud, adding no local variances or additional approvals are required from the municipality for the brewery use. “The entire perimeter is nearly all glass, with several windows that open completely. The interior décor is very exciting.”

Abboud is one of the fort’s early investors. In 2017, he purchased and renovated historic Russel Hall inside the Oceanport Avenue gates, which now houses his private cloud services firm, TetherView. With business partner Chris Ilvento, owner of Ilvento Builders and Developers, LLC, Abboud purchased the RiverWalk Center parcel from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) in 2018.

The property includes the site’s historic Allison Hall, a circa 1928 former military hospital expected to be preserved and renovated into a boutique hotel, and a brick structure on Parkers Creek slated to become a waterfront restaurant. RiverWalk’s 26,000 square feet of retail, mixed-use and flex space is under construction in a similar red brick style. In addition to Skinny Flowers Brewery, tenants announced to date include Broadway Chicken, CKO Kickboxing, Olive and Oak Charcuterie, Playa Bowls and Nicol Squash.

Those businesses will be near the proposed Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth, a major production studio with 12 soundstages planned for about 300 of the fort’s original 1,126 acres. That plan, endorsed by FMERA and Gov. Phil Murphy, is working its way through a 36-month local, county and state approval process on the way to an expected 2027 closing. Estimates are it will take Netflix at least seven years to complete the studio complex. (The 100-year-old fort spanned portions of Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls. Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth will cover parts of Eatontown and Oceanport.)

Renderings for the new brewery depict an open design with outdoor access designed by the Mancini Duffy architectural firm of Red Bank. As construction continues, the Kings are navigating the application process for a state brewery license. In New Jersey, breweries cannot currently prepare food on-site but can bring in food trucks and partner with restaurants for deliveries to guests. King said he plans to work with local eateries and feature “all kinds” of live music.

“We like to go out and listen to live music, so that will be an important component,” said King, a three-year board member of Red Bank’s T. Thomas Fortune Foundation who also serves as the organization’s treasurer. “Community is important to us.”

Liz King used her experience as a recruiter to find head brewer Isaac Boucher, who has relocated to the Garden State from New Hampshire. Boucher previously crafted brews at Nashua’s acclaimed Spyglass Brewery and others in New England. King is uncertain how many employees will be needed at the brewery and was interviewing for various positions at press time.

Skinny Flowers will be the second brewery on fort property within Oceanport. Birdsmouth Brewery opened in the fort’s former Commissary in October 2022. That building, owned by Denholtz Properties of Red Bank, also houses the sports bar Baseline Social and MGT Foods, a wholesale food production facility. Birdsmouth Brewery is owned by head brewer Andy Gioia, formerly of Kane Brewing Company, and business partner Rocco Laginestra.

“We are excited to be a second brewery within Fort Monmouth,” King said. “Birdsmouth is a well-known and accomplished brewery. Andy is a great guy and has been kind to us. We look forward to finding ways to work with Andy and Birdsmouth in the Fort Monmouth community.”

“As more businesses open, more people will be attracted to the fort,” Abboud said. “We have ample parking, amazing views, and the entire site is walkable. I believe this will increase visibility for both Birdsmouth and Baseline.”

Birdsmouth Brewery’s owners did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

“FMERA is excited for the mix of uses coming into the RiverWalk, which will add to a long list of amenities planned at the fort,” said Sarah Giberson, FMERA’s director of real estate development. “Another brewery is a great complement to the other restaurant and entertainment businesses, and we wish Skinny Flowers lots of success.”

“Our foundational goals and guiding principles in owning Skinny Flowers Brewing Company are to produce high-quality craft beer, operate a high-quality taproom and overall business, put our customers in the center of everything we do and continuously serve our community,” King said.

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