Yards to the Garden State?
Yards Brewing is close to taking a giant step across the Delaware, with a new brewpub in the Camden County borough of Merchantville, N.J.
The brewery, Philly’s largest, is in talks with the borough to open the pub in the old PNC Bank building (below) at 9 S. Centre St. The borough purchased the 80-year-old building earlier this year through a $1.2 million bond issue, and holds a liquor license for the property.
“We felt that we’ve got a nice, older building with a lot of character,” Merchantville Mayor Frank North told me this morning. “A brewpub would be the right thing for that building, and the right thing for the town… We have a lot of young families and a lot of young professionals coming to Merchantville. This would be a place for them to have dinner and relax and help vitalize the downtown.”
For Yards, the brewpub would be an effective means of spreading its brand to New Jersey - a big priority as it expands production. The Northern Liberties brewery is currently working to open a pub in its production facility on Delaware Avenue.
No word on how long this project will take to come together. Talks over financing and lease negotiations are underway. The big plus is that the borough holds the necessary liquor license, which is always a huge impediment for would-be restaurant and tavern developers.
For Jersey beer lovers, the development would be one more step in the region’s slow but positive evolution as a decent beer destination. Merchantville is just 10 minutes down the road from the soon-to-open Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant in Maple Shade. And the borough itself is already home to the Blue Monkey (2 S. Centre St.), which pours 24 taps (including Founders, Stoudt’s, Sixpoint, Weihenstephan, Maudite, Flying Fish, Chimay, Corsendonk…)
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:33 am
[…] Mr. sixpack breaks the news: Yards to open brewpub in NJ (probably). […]
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
[…] “We felt that we’ve got a nice, older building with a lot of character,” Merchantville Mayor Frank North told me this morning. “A brewpub would be the right thing for that building, and the right thing for the town… We have a lot of young families and a lot of young professionals coming to Merchantville. This would be a place for them to have dinner and relax and help vitalize the downtown.” For Yards, the brewpub would be an effective means of spreading its brand to New Jersey - a big priority as it expands production. The Northern Liberties brewery is currently working to open a pub in its production facility on Delaware Avenue. Beer Radar Blog Archive Yards to the Garden State? […]
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Good Afternoon,
While it is true that we have been in negotiations with the town of Merchantville, N.J., we are still in the very early developmental stages. We are still working through the multiple layers of details and negotiations that are intrinsic to a joint project of this nature. There are still a myriad of factors that need to be considered by both parties and we are exploring these currently. Both Yards Brewing Co. and the town of Merchantville are hoping that this plan can come to fruition. Everyone sees this as a positive step for the town, the state and the beer community. Once further progress has been made, a more formal announcement will ensue.
Steve Mashington
Yards Brewing Co.
901 North Delaware Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19123
www.yardsbrewing.com
215-634-2600
smashington@yardsbrewing.com
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
[…] “We felt that we’ve got a nice, older building with a lot of character,” Merchantville Mayor Frank North told me this morning. “A brewpub would be the right thing for that building, and the right thing for the town… We have a lot of young families and a lot of young professionals coming to Merchantville. This would be a place for them to have dinner and relax and help vitalize the downtown.” For Yards, the brewpub would be an effective means of spreading its brand to New Jersey - a big priority as it expands production. The Northern Liberties brewery is currently working to open a pub in its production facility on Delaware Avenue. Beer Radar Blog Archive Yards to the Garden State? […]