Denville's first brewery pays homage to Morristown's Fort Nonsense

DENVILLE – Ready the cannons and the pint glasses because Fort Nonsense Brewing is opening at the end of the month.

The Aslanian brothers will open Denville’s first brewery on Saturday less than a year after they purchased the Route 10 space with a dream of turning their homebrewing hobby into a profession.

After months of construction and paperwork, Thomas, James, and Andrew Aslanian received all approvals and licenses in December. They started brewing the day after Christmas on their five-barrel system, which is visible from Route 10. The brewery has 25 barrels of fermentation space.

Since the summer, the brothers have overhauled their building, installing a tasting room from scratch, replacing the previously pink walls with a “colonial navy,” and setting up their brewing system.

They’ve also raised awareness through a Kickstarter, which contributed $15,000 to launching the brewery.

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“We gotten a lot of local help,” Andrew Aslanian said. “It was great outreach for us.”

“It got people to know us before we opened,” Thomas Aslanian said. “A lot of local businesses were happy to support craft beer.”

Thomas and James are currently pulling double duty, working full-time jobs as a civil engineer and high school band director, respectively, while building up the brewery.

“It’s been a lot of nights and weekends here,” Thomas Aslanian said. “It’s been busy but fun. After Christmas, we brewed all week.”

Andrew Aslanian, the head brewer, transitioned to full-time at Fort Nonsense as soon as the licenses were approved.

All that’s left to complete before opening are minor logistical issues, including making sure everything is hooked up correctly, preparing for tasting room responsibilities, and ensuring the carbonation process goes well for the beer.

By opening day, Fort Nonsense hopes to have at least four beers on tap, a saison, an amber ale with local hops from Randolph’s Bitter End hops farm, an India pale ale, and a porter. They also hope to have a variation of the porter infused with cocoa nibs and coffee. They are still looking to partner with a local roaster.

A witbier and a blonde ale are next up in the tanks, and Thomas Aslanian, the “hophead” of the trio, plans to start experimenting on new IPAs. They expect to feature five to eight beers at a time in the tasting room, a mix of staples and rotating “nonsense” one-offs.

Fort Nonsense will also use a randall, used to filter beer through other flavors, and Andrew Aslanian hopes to find some interesting fruits at Chelsea Market to utilize on opening weekend.

Honoring their brewery’s namesake, the Aslanian brothers have said they plan to tie the brewery to local New Jersey history. The name Fort Nonsense comes from the Morristown National Historical Park location, which sits on 600 feet above sea level and overlooking the center of Morristown, where the Manhattan skyline is visible on a clear day. The fort was used by George Washington’s Army during the Revolutionary War.

The brewery’s logo features the iconic cannon that overlooks Morristown at Fort Nonsense, which is why a Revolutionary War reenactor will fire a cannon on Jan. 27 to christen the brewery.

Fort Nonsense Brewing’s opening day will run from noon to 10 p.m. at 3118 Route 10 West. In addition to the cannon, Denville Mayor Tom Andes will host a ribbon cutting, and a food truck will be parked outside the building.

Beer will be available in flights, 10 oz., 16 oz., and growler fills. Merchandise for sale includes t-shirts, growlers, hats, and glassware.

Following the opening, Fort Nonsense will be open 4 to 10 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

“I feel relieved that we can tell people we’re finally here,” Andrew Aslanian said.

Expect to see Fort Nonsense Beer on tap in local bars and restaurants soon as well.

Go to https://www.fortnonsensebrewing.com/ for more information. The brewery is also on Facebook at @FortNonsenseBrewingCompany, Instagram at @fortnonsensebrewing, and Twitter at @FtNonsenseBrew.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com