Aberdeen Brewery Opens Wednesday; Talula's Will Run Kitchen

ABERDEEN, NJ — Talula’s of Asbury Park has been brought in to run the kitchen in the new Aberdeen microbrewery, Alternate Ending Brewery, located inside the old Bow Tie movie theater on Rt. 34.

In fact, Alternate Ending will have its grand opening to the public this Wednesday, Oct. 28 (they had a soft opening for family and friends this past weekend). Come inside to try menu items such as house-made craft beer, sourdough grandma pizza pies, handmade tater tots drenched with raclette cheese, and fresh apple cider doughnuts — all made in house by the same chefs who work at the already very popular Talula's.

Talula’s is known for their hand-crafted sourdough pizza and fresh baked goods. At Alt. End., Talula’s will stay true to their style but focus on quality pub grub like sourdough pretzels, wings, tacos, sourdough SQUARE pies and fun theater snacks.

Alternate Ending is owned by self-professed "beer nerd" Scott Novick, 39, a Monmouth County native who grew up in Morganville and actually got his start brewing beer in his backyard. Novick left the corporate world to pursue his dream: Running his own microbrewery.

"I envision the brewery as a place where families can come and get some delicious food, kick back with a few beers, have their kids watch a movie and just relax," Novick told Patch in this Sept. 1 preview of Alt. End. "A brewery kind of puts a town on the map. It's kind of a cool, hip place to be. It's a happy environment."

Novick said he was looking for a kitchen partner who was like-minded about fermentation and aligned with the culture and values of the Alternate Ending vision. That search brought him to husband and wife team Steve and Shanti Mignona, who founded Talula’s.

Bringing in Talula's to run the kitchen allowed Novick to primarily focus on what he does best: brewing beer.

When they open Wednesday, Alternate Ending will have six to seven beers on tap, and hopes to have 10-15 beers on tap eventually, all brewed in house. They will have outdoor and indoor dining and a full kitchen. Anyone can come in and pick up growlers of freshly-brewed beer to go at the bar. Sales of can beer will be pre-released on BeerBroadcast.com and they will be sold by the four-pack (not case). They will sell four-packs at the bar if they have any left after the release.

Alternate Ending has the equipment to brew up to 9,000 barrels of beer a week.

Novick's parents actually took him and his sister to see movies at the Bow Tie as kids. He never thought he'd one day turn the place into a craft brewery.

Alternate Ending will have a full bar (they'll serve wine, craft cocktails and mixed drinks, it's not just beer) and will also screen movies.

"We're going to show vintage classics once a week, movies from the 1970s and '80s, 'Caddyshack,' 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,' scary stuff at Halloween, and kids' movies on Sunday," promised Novick. "This is a family place."

Novick brought in Brendan Arnold, an experienced craft brewer from Kansas, as head brewer.

Arnold has the goal of setting Alternate Ending apart in New Jersey's craft brewery world.

"We're going be brewing East Coast IPAs; that's the demand and focus in the industry right now," Arnold explained. "Those types of IPAs don't have the bitterness people usually associate with IPAs. They are more fruity and juicy; they have more of a full body. I'm a bigger fan of cleaner, West Coast-style IPAs — really clean IPAs — which I want to introduce the Aberdeen market to."

Alternate Ending's flagship beer will be 'What If?,' an East Coast IPA. Their first-release beer sold out in two hours this week!

"A brewpub should offer a variety and try new things behind the bar," Arnold continued. "We'll have a variety of barrel-aged stouts, German lagers, big winter warmers for the winter, light pilsners and really dive into some sour beers, kettle sours and even work with live, mixed-barrel-aged cultures. The sky's the limit."

Related: Take A Tour Of Aberdeen's New Craft Brewery At The Old Bow Tie (Sept. 1)