Miked “Up” at Village Brewing

When I learned that my longtime brewer-buddy Mike Sella (above, calling me a bastard for taking his picture) had landed a gig at a new brewpub in Somerville, I had to get out to see him. Luckily, I was in Jersey for other reasons, so it was just a quick run up I-287, which I still detest and do not miss in the least.

Mike, who helped put Metuchen’s Pizzeria Uno on the map as a beer destination after a 14-year stint there, also plied his craft at Red Bank’s Birravino and JJ Bittings in Woodbridge. Now he’s doing his brewing at Village Brewing in Somerville. After chatting with GM and part-owner Scott Eadie, it’s clear that his skills and stamina will be tested.

Village Brewing, situated right on Somerville’s bustling Main Street, has only been operational since April 17, and even then, due to the snail’s pace of the bureaucratic process, Sella is only now cranking out beers from his vats. In the interim, Eadie and company have been pouring a host of Jersey craft beers from the likes of Kane, Cypress, Carton, Climax and others, and pouring quite a bit of them due to the crowds that are filling up the “industrial chic” styled restaurant, courtesy of Ideation Studio of Chicago.

“We want to be the center of a “happening” Somerville, “ said Eadie. (Photo, R.) “We noticed before we decided to build that at 10 PM, the streets were pretty empty. And we’re committed to changing that.” The business has 211 seats and employs sixty-five people.

Apparently, it’s working, because on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, Eadie says, “They’re two-three and four deep at the bar.”

And that bar (below) used to be the lunch counter at a Woolworth’s that stood on the spot back in the day. The space also once housed an antique store. But the owners have clearly spared no expense in creating what is indeed a most welcoming environment for both diners and drinkers. With the brewing operation clearly visible and where a very sensible, streamlined menu—where the Village Burgers reign supreme as crowd favorites—offers something for everyone.

I met and chatted with Max Nowicki (below), part of the tandem chef team that includes Justin White. If Justin is as knowledgeable and dedicated to his craft as Max is, this place may well be a double-barreled attraction for locals and visitors to “The Ville.”

I visited to see Mike and sample the beer he’s making, but affable Scott Eadie (Madison Dodger, class of ’78) convinced me to try something from the menu. I confess that when I saw “Shrimp and Grits” as an offering, I wasn’t expecting to be wowed, especially here in the north. Having become somewhat of an expert on the dish from my time in the “Low Country” of the Carolinas, I wasn’t expecting much.

Wrong. After sampling Nowicki’s work, made with real, authentic stone-ground grits from Castle Valley Mill in Doylestown, PA, I can honestly say Max’s dish was actually better than many I’ve enjoyed down South, and certainly not one down there was better. I don’t know if you Yankees will similarly embrace my love of the dish up here, but all I can do is suggest you try it. (Sorry about those shadows...)_

And try it with one of Sella’s beers ($10/flight), like his outstanding 8.0% Imperial Court DIPA or his 6.9% Jersey Haze NEIPA, which Eadie says outsells any other Jersey NEIPA on the menu. Mike is working with a friend of Village Brewing who’s based in Massachusetts to develop the unique recipes.

I also tried VB’s “transitional” Chill Ville, a 4.9% session Extra Pale Ale with a lot more moxie than most transitionals. The VB Somerset Stout (6.1% ABV) has a nice little hop bite at the back end that you don’t see in many stouts.

At base, Village Brewing is a neat place to quaff and eat, and it has a nice vibe that should appeal to many. It even has its own Pastry Chef, Gina Velloci turning out creative, quality desserts. (That's NOT Gina, r., but server Danny),

Eadie, who’s been putting in eleven-hour days since April, said he was working on having an Octoberfest Street celebration on Division St., just opposite the brewpub. The event is tentatively slated for late September, and along with other local beer events, Somerville might just earn the title “Munich of Somerset County.”

But Eadie’s ambitious plans also include a ramped-up beer production which will see eight of Mike Sella’s beers on tap at any given time. Here’s hoping one of them is an iteration of Mike’s Old Gust n’ Gale Porter, a favorite at Uno’s during his successful tenure there, along with the ever popular Ike’s IPA. With an aggressive beer approach like that, and with the crowds already flocking to the “new brewpub on the block,” Mike Sella may actually need an assistant.

But one thing is certain: Beer lovers in Somerville and its environs will surely be the beneficiaries.

So will lovers of Shrimp and Grits.

Cheers!

The PubScout--since 1996

As always, feel free to share and steal the pics.