Icarus Brewing to open new Brick location with tasting room, outdoor beer garden and more

Editor's note: On June 11, Icarus Brewing changed the opening date for the new Brick location from June to July 20.

After years of renovation and construction, the new Icarus Brewing location on Route 88 in Brick will open July 20.

The original brewery, which opened in Lakewood in 2017, will shut down. The new location, about four times larger than the original, occupies about 16,000 square feet of a 22,000-square-foot building. Through tasting room windows, visitors will see German-made brew tanks in this massive open-air space.

"If you're here during the day and the week, you'll see the action happening," said owner Jason Goldstein.

The brewery will make the same classic beers like Yacht Juice, a Northeast Style IPA hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Columbus for notes of dank citrus (8% ABV); the oat-fluffed Pin-Yacht-A-Shake, which is a Imperial IPA conditioned with Madagascar vanilla beans, toasted coconut and pineapple (8% ABV); and the Witty Fool Belgian style white ale, with notes of sweet orange peel and coriander (5.4%).

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The tasting room, which fits about 228 people and has towering ceilings, is next to the "barrel room," a separate space for private parties. There's also a take-out beer fridge, a staircase leading to a mezzanine bar, and a casual lounge area. The location also boasts a 4,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden with a fire pit.

It's a place where you can relax with friends or enjoy live music — a similar vibe to the former location, without the "uncomfortable bar chairs and street parking," Goldstein said. (The parking lot fits about 170 cars.)

"We were in an industrial park before ...," he added. "We never felt like we were as much a part of the community."

Shane Gertner, director of sales/marketing, said the trend years ago was for breweries to be in a warehouse.

"People didn't really want them around, so they were tucked away in industrial spots," he said. "But [now] the trend has changed ... We're combining our original warehouse feel with a community-based location."

And that comes across as there are many neighborhoods and parks nearby.

The new space will seem familiar to Lakewood visitors.

"One of our customers made us this beautiful door, that looks like it belongs in a multi-million dollar house and not in an industrial park in Lakewood, that'll be the door going to our staffroom," Goldstein said. "And on the second floor mezzanine, the bar is fully designed like our bar in Lakewood, and will have the same countertop, the same backsplash.

"And the same artist that did our mural in Lakewood will be doing one here, which will overflow into the tasting room ...," he added. "That feeling of old flowing into new."

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The mural, painted by Wall-based artist Josh "Dogmatic" Matson, will depict the Greek mythological story of Icarus flying into the sun, with his feathers falling over the railing and down toward the main bar.

"We're being sure to bring all these pieces that meant something to us," Goldstein said. "We don't want to feel like a brand new brewery who doesn't know who they are. We know who we are."

Construction began after the Brick Planning Board granted unanimous approval to Goldstein in August 2021 to transform a former restaurant supply store into the brewery's future location.

While craft brewers in New Jersey are not allowed to serve food (other than light snacks), Burger 25, a chain owned by Steve and Denise Vetter with locations in Toms River and Ship Bottom, will be opening next door. Icarus customers can bring food with them to the brewery, and Burger 25 also has plans to serve those outside in the beer garden.

There will also be a build-your-own bowl restaurant, Mahana Fresh, opening in the building by the end of June.

Goldstein wants the brewery to be more than just "a place I'd like to hang out."

"We've had so many people say that their first date was in our [old] tasting room, that they proposed at Icarus, that it was the first place that they ever brought their kid," Goldstein said. "Considering we're part of everyone's lives, we wanted to continue growing on that, by being a community space ... I think we can be that."

Go: For Brick, which will open July 20: 2045 Route 88. For Lakewood, which will close in June: 1790 Swarthmore Ave. Unit 3 Lot 2; 732-276-6273, icarusbrewing.com.

Gabriela L. Laracca joined the USA Today Network New Jersey in 2021 and eagerly brings her passion for cuisine and culture to our readers. Send restaurant tips to [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Icarus Brewing in Brick set to open by July