COLD SPRING – “This brewery saved the Village,” Annie Salvatore, founder of the Historic Cold Spring Village, said on a hot Friday afternoon, just as a mid-June heat wave hit town. The Cold Spring Brewery is both new and very, very old – it’s a shaded oasis in the heart of Lower Township, with a beautiful lawn that sits next to a re-creation of a Colonial-era American village.
It is also the only nonprofit brewery in the state and boasts a new brewmaster, live music, historical lectures and new nonalcoholic beer. The success of the brewery helped Historic Cold Spring Village find new life.
The brewery, new as it appears, is housed in a very old, historic structure. All the structures at the Village are historic sites moved there for preservation, and the brewery is no exception. A barn built in 1804 in the Palermo section of Upper Township was disassembled and transported to the Village to be given new purpose.
Local artifacts line the wooden walls. Stop in on any summer day and you might hear historical lectures that tell tales of famous battles, acoustic live music and local talent on the open mic. Guests of all ages – even folks in their 90s, Salvatore said – spill out of the barn onto the beautiful green lawn.
Head brewer Shayne Statzell takes pride in the quality and variety of beers crafted here. This year the brewery introduced a new blueberry acai sour and created its first nonalcoholic beer, Cold Spring Non-Alcoholic Ale, a German wheat with guava added post-fermentation.
Cold Spring Brewery is the only nonprofit brewery in New Jersey. The story begins 10 years ago, when Salvatore and her husband, Joseph, desperately searched for new ways for Historic Cold Spring Village, right next door, to bring in more revenue.
The nonprofit open-air village, a “living history museum,” has been a Cape May County staple for 50 years, but because of the Cape’s seasonal economy, admission fees dry up in the winter as the Village closes for the season.
The high cost of maintaining historical structures and a large staff of full-time employees and volunteers strain its finances. While grants and admission fees provide some funding, it wasn’t enough.
Salvatore needed a successful venture to support the Village if it was to be saved. Nearly every brewery in America operates as a for-profit venture. The thought of a nonprofit brewery was novel when she pitched the idea to the folks up in Trenton.
Achieving this was no small feat. Salvatore fought tirelessly for the necessary liquor license. Her efforts included numerous trips to the state capital to convince legislators of the brewery’s potential and the importance of the nonprofit structure. Her perseverance paid off, and the brewery has become the Village’s lifeline.
It helps that the space Salvatore and her team created is distinct on the local brew scene.
“We vowed to do something special with the Village,” she said. “A lot of the other craft breweries look like cafeterias. We wanted to create a space that people wanted to visit just for the atmosphere.”
Fifty years on, Historic Cold Spring Village continues to thrive. Just next door to the brewery, visitors can explore period-accurate buildings, engage with actors in historic attire and participate in various festivals and events throughout the year.
The Cold Spring Brewery stands as a symbol of resilience, preserving the past while supporting the Village’s future.
For more information or to plan a visit, explore Historic Cold Spring Village’s calendar of events at HCSV.com. The Village is at 735 Seashore Road in Lower Township.
Contact the reporter, Collin Hall, at chall@cmcherald.com or at 609-886-8600, ext. 156.
