TCNJ

39 WINTER 2020 he could be describing his own evolving passion for craft brewing. Although Barbiere reigns as Two Ton's head brewer, he sees himself more as a creative director. "There's so much science and chemistry behind it, and that's all fascinating," he says. "But it's also the artistry of it. I pair ingredients in beer the same way that a musi- cian will pair notes or a chef will pair food." Two Ton's tasting room features 20 taps, and Barbiere strives to fill them with nontraditional flavors. TWIN ELEPHANT BREWING Chatham, New Jersey Cynthia DeRama '05 and Timothy Besecker used their 2014 wedding as a practice run for the craft brewery they hoped to open. Home brewers for years, they conspired to make 100 gallons of beer for the 200 most important people in their world. "We pulled it off really well," recalls DeRama, an electrical engineering major who later earned an MBA from Rutgers. "It was also a market test, to see if people liked the beer we were making." They did. Twin Elephant Brewing, "I was to able to geek out on the science of brewing," Bonstein says. Bonstein's Newtown brewpub opened in 2019. His effort to make a beer-wine hybrid relied on white grape juice, lemon zest, and ginger. His love for the classic ice cream swirl led him to concoct a chocolate-vanilla porter with Dutch cocoa powder, Madagascar vanilla beans, and cacao nibs. "We didn't get into it to make more Budweiser," he says. Nothing about the Two Ton venture fills Barbiere with more pride than his collaboration with four family members. "We're all so equally passionate about the craft," he says. "For us it was that leap of faith that, hey, maybe dreams really can come true. And what would be more satisfying than to take that journey with your family?" DEVILS BACKBONE BREWING COMPANY Lexington, Virginia Martha Ferguson '69 and her husband, Rod, helped finance Devils Backbone, a brewery founded in 2008 at the foot of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Martha, a math major at Trenton State College, lent her accounting expertise to the enterprise, while Rod, a native Bermudian, guided the venture as an accomplished businessman. Following the Fergusons' vision all along the way, Devils Backbone has become a destination, with a restaurant, greenhouse, RV park, distillery — and medal- winning beers. In 2016, Devils Backbone produced 75,000 barrels of beer. The group sold the company in 2017 to Anheuser-Busch, though the Fergusons retain a 5% share. "It was a lot of fun and we made a lot of people wealthy," Martha Ferguson says. "Our brewer is a millionaire." opened in 2016, features a rotating menu of whimsically named brews — among them Bayonne Bleeder (red ale), Alien Drawl (IPA), and Emo's Breakfast (pilsner) — and a 15-foot-long communal table in the taproom. "We want this to be a community-based business," DeRama says. "We've seen so many people gather around that table, which is exactly what we wanted." NEWTOWN BREWING COMPANY Newtown, Pennsylvania Gregg Bonstein '00 earned his degree in mechanical engineering and worked for 15 years as a chemical engineer before making a sharp career turn last fall when he and his wife, Sara '02, opened Newtown Brewing Company. Or maybe it wasn't so sharp a turn. "Being the chemical engineer that I was," Bonstein says, "I was able to geek out on the science of brewing." As many as 40 beers rotate through 10 taps — wheats, stouts, IPAs, Belgian ales, white and dark lagers — and the taproom design leans toward what Bonstein calls "quintessential Bucks County farmhouse." In October the brewery celebrated its grand opening with a TCNJ- sponsored alumni gathering that drew more than 50 former students and President Kathryn Foster. Bonstein gave tours throughout the night, explaining the step-by-step brewing process and the sophisticated machinery it demands. Geek heaven. ■ Christopher Hann is a freelance writer and former senior editor at New Jersey Monthly.

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