Good Going, Departed Soles
The guys at Departed Soles Brewing and Tasting Room are to Jersey City what Dolly Parton is to the world. Like Dolly, it is impossible to find anything remotely negative to say about them. The story of how Departed Soles came to be is a happy/sad tale of true friendship, loss, resilience, creativity, and community.
Here is the short version. It was 2015 when Departed Soles opened their doors on Bay St. in Downtown’s Powerhouse Art District. The original idea was born 5 years earlier when friends Brian and Chris were hanging out in a family basement in Central Jersey. Chris, a local teacher who moonlighted in the restaurant industry, had recently been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Not easy news for anyone, including beer-loving Chris. He joked with Brian, who had some brewing knowledge and bartending experience under his belt, about opening a venue to bring first-class gluten-free beer to the world. Then tragedy stuck. Chris was killed in a car crash. A few years later, Brian decided to go for their shared dream, in honor of his friend and the Gluten Free Community he was part of. He enrolled in the American Brewers Guild Brewing School and the rest is history. Departed Soles now offers a wide and rotating variety of both Gluten-Free and “regular” craft beers in five different states across the Northeast. The Brewery and Tasting Room is open 7 days a week and in addition to serving beer for adults, your kids and doggies are welcome to come along! And trust us, there is a lot going on besides the many fun beers. They host trivia nights, comedy shows, live music, etc. They partner with many other small businesses across New Jersey to create new craft beers with fabulous artwork to match. They are very vocal on their charmingly self-deprecating and fun social media pages about promoting and supporting other businesses and Jersey City residents. They have a strictly enforced policy banning anything racist, sexist, or homophobic within their walls. There is nothing not to love about these guys. That said, if beer is one thing you do not love, they have wine on hand as well.
150 Bay Street. Suite 2A departedsoles.com