By Emily Copeman, Merchantville Resident
What inspired you to open a brewery?
I was a homebrewer for 38 years after a friend talked me into making an IPA beer. I wasn’t an IPA fan at the time, you couldn’t buy IPAs anywhere! But over time, I developed a taste for it and if I wanted to drink it, I had to make it myself. After New Jersey changed the rules for craft breweries, I decided to enter the craft brewing industry and try my hand at it. We looked at other locations and for various reasons they didn’t work out. Then, we heard that Merchantville was looking for a brewery to open in the old bank and we met Mayor Ted Brennan there with some home brews. He was impressed with the beer we made, but the space was too big for our vision. He then showed us the EMS building and that was more our style. Our goal was to create an experience that makes you feel like you are drinking a homebrew in our living room, and the cozy EMS building gives that vibe.
How did you choose Merchantville for your first location and what is the benefit of owning a business here?
We love the small town feel of Merchantville and the people we have met in the tasting room. We have regular customers that walk through our door and like to try new beers on tap. Some customers have a favorite style and we don’t have to ask what they want, we know already. We are proud that most people are willing and able to converse with others in the tasting room even though they don’t know each other. It is a welcoming atmosphere and we strive to provide good customer service. We have ten bartenders and they know how important it is to us to greet all visitors with a smile and make them feel comfortable so they’ll want to return. In the future, we hope to be known through the state as the small brewery with big flavor beers. We already have beer geeks that travel from far away to try our beer!
We often stop in for a flight and see you and your wife working side-by-side. Was it always your intention to have Eclipse be a family endeavor? What did you each do professionally before you embarked on this journey?
Beth and I were in a long-term relationship when I decided to open a brewery and was the person who told me I should go for it. She has been my partner every step of the way and we enjoy working together. We got married nine months after the brewery opened and it remains a team effort. Previously, I owned my own landscaping business, then worked for the state’s biggest weed control business as tree, shrub and turf manager. I like being my own boss now and not having to wake up to an alarm each morning. Beth was an elementary health and physical education teacher for thirty years before retiring from teaching and now works with me.
Tell us about your brewing process. How long does it take?
From start to finish, it takes about 2 weeks for a beer to be ready for serving.
How do you decide what types of beer and flavor profiles you want to pursue? Do you source locally?
We try to have different styles of beer on tap and with seventeen taps we can do that. We like using local ingredients, especially fruit, when possible. In the summer we use local peaches, watermelon, peppers, honey and blueberries in our beers. We feel our beer has more flavor than most breweries. Because we don’t distribute, it gives us more flexibility to create beers with shorter shelf life.
If a customer were to try only one beer on top right now, what would you recommend?
It is difficult to choose one beer for a new person to try, but I typically like to ask the person a few questions. If they are IPA fans, we’d recommend the Haaze, our New England style IPA. If they don’t like IPAs, then the most popular beer we pour, Coconut Cream Ale would be a safe bet.
What is your favorite part about owning a brewery?
We spend a lot of time in the brewery, not always working hard in the production area, but talking with folks in the tasting room. It is time consuming but a pleasurable endeavor!
Cheers!
BREWERY HOURS: WED & THURS – 4pm to 9pm // FRIDAY – 4pm to 10pm // SATURDAY – NOON to 10pm // SUNDAY – NOON to 8pm.
For more information about the tasting room, please contact Eclipse Brewing at (856) 662-7453.