“Great Beer for Great People” is the philosophy at 7 Mile Brewery, the brand new craft brewery located in Rio Grande off of Route 9 South.
This dream come true all began with Pete Beyda, Co-Founder and Business Director of 7 Mile Brewery, and Chris Collett, Co-Founder and Operations Director of 7 Mile Brewery. Originally a North Jersey resident, Pete has 35 years of management experience in Fortune 100 companies under his belt. After spending 20 years in different industries, he became the Chief Information Officer at AIG Insurance Company in New York. After 15 years he retired to Stone Harbor, where he now resides with his wife, Claudia, who serves as the Office Manager of 7 Mile.
Chris is a lifelong resident of Middle Township, born and raised in Cape May Court House. Upon completing his associate’s degree in multimedia at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, he returned to Cape May County. He became a realtor in 2000 and has been working in real estate ever since, currently working in Stone Harbor. The Stone Harbor Volunteer Fire Company has also been a large part of his life since 2004, and he now serves as a lieutenant. Additionally, in 2007, he started and still runs a successful landscape company.
Years ago, Pete and Chris met through a real estate transaction while Pete was purchasing his then summer home in Stone Harbor. They bonded over their love for beer, and eventually co-invested in a small home brewing system. Every other weekend, the two would make beer in Pete’s garage in Stone Harbor. A few years later, Pete had a Memorial Day party with some homemade beers on tap, and guests loved those beers so much that they planted the seed in Pete and Chris’s minds to open up a brewery. After some extensive research and a couple beers, Pete and Chris decided in August 2015 to register 7 Mile Brewery as a corporation, a name that reflects the location of the birth of their dream. About a month later, while driving home from the Ferry’s Brews by the Bay event, fate hit Pete and Chris in the face as they passed the building they’re currently located in and saw a “For Lease” sign. On January 1, 2016, 7 Mile Brewery moved into the building, and the project began. Countless hours were invested, Pete now being a full-time Stone Harbor resident and Chris investing his time after hours.
There would be no skimping when it came to the brews at 7 Mile, and no cutting corners in the brewing process to create them. After talking to 25 different vendors, Pete and Chris settled on a company based in Pleasantville, N.Y. for their brewing equipment, trying to stay as local as possible while getting state-of-the-art products.
Once they received their equipment, the brewing process began. They perfected recipes they’ve been refining for years, they tried new things, and most importantly, they had fun while doing it. But it wasn’t all fun and games. It was important for Pete and Chris to carefully document both the brewing and sanitation process so both would always be done in the same way, resulting in the best possible products that always taste the same.
After figuring out how to create great beer and constructing the perfect tasting room to go with it, 7 Mile Brewery finally opened its doors on September 3, 2016 at noon, and had 250 people waiting outside the doors by 11:30 a.m. This is no surprise, as the goal of 7 Mile is to provide an array of beers that fit the palates of multiple people, and they’ve done just that by producing recipes with all kinds of malts, grains, hops, sugars and other flavorings. Pete and Chris strive to make customers happy when they find their favorites, and expose those customers to new tastes when they decide to step outside of the box.
The tasting room is spacious and inviting with upscale décor and modern touches. One of the largest tasting rooms in New Jersey, there are plenty of chairs and stools to accommodate everyone. A long bar and eight large tables provide seating for about 100 guests.
At 7 Mile, there are always 12 beers on tap – five featured house beers that will stay, and seven others that will rotate seasonally, or when Pete and Chris have executed their next crazy yet delicious concoction. Tasters allow patrons to try four ounces of four different beers for just $6. Choose your favorite and get a pint! But before taking a seat at the bar, visitors must take a guided or self-guided tour of the brewing facility, learning all about the process and experiencing it firsthand.
“We got into this to be a part of community as well, not just to make great beer,” said Pete. He shared that they really work to connect to the community in multiple ways, one being their beach tag initiative. 7 Mile sells novelty “7 Mile” beach tags, and 100 percent of the proceeds, as well as the up to $500 7 Mile will match, go directly to a charity of the month. Another way they connect to the community is by donating spent grains to a local farm, providing food for cows and pigs, as well as locally sourcing whatever products they can to create a “grains to glass” experience.
Come visit 7 Mile Brewery at 3156 Route 9 South, Rio Grande, open 365 days a year. Current hours are 12 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 12 to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Bring Fido, because 7 Mile’s tasting room is dog friendly!
For more information about 7 Mile Brewery, visit www.7milebrew.com or call (609) 365-7777.
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