Creative by design
Grain, process, yeast, and hops create nearly endless room to shape flavor—and beer belongs at the celebrations where people come together.
Hunterdon County, New Jersey • Building in public
A little mountain.
A big brewery in the making.
Jugtown Brewing Co. is a start-up craft brewery looking to give cheers to the world—and document every honest step it takes to get there.
Food science◆Mountain ingenuity◆Built in public◆Cheers to the world
01
The name behind the brewery
Small mountain. Mighty spirit.
Jugtown Brewing Co. takes its name from Jugtown Mountain in Hunterdon County—a place tied to local stories of Prohibition-era ingenuity and applejack moving down Old Route 22.
The area’s apple orchards gave mountain makers what they needed: fermentable sugar, water, and a way to keep local taverns supplied when alcohol was federally outlawed.
That resourceful, independent energy is the heart of Jugtown: create joy with what you have, keep moving when the odds say otherwise, and bring something worth celebrating back to the community.
“We are here to bring joy in spite of what is happening around us.”
Founder · Food scientist · Homebrewer
Meet Matt Jiorle.
A food science professional turning the intersection of flavor, operations, and ambition into a brewery built to last.
- 10+
- Years in the food industry
- 2×
- Rutgers graduate
- 1
- Big brewery vision
How the idea took shape
Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in Food Science from Rutgers in 2015, then returned for a master’s in business and science with a food science focus. His career has taken him through flavor R&D at Mars Wrigley and into quality control at Flavor Materials International.
The brewery began as a pipe dream during graduate school. By the end of his capstone, the idea had found its center: combine the creativity of recipe development, the “chaotic ballet” of business operations, and a family connection to Jugtown Mountain’s bootlegging past.
Now he is developing the beer, mapping the operation, building his own brewery software, and sharing the unvarnished process from scratch.
The long view
This is not a glorified bar that makes its own beer.
The goal is a serious production brewery: lean operations, rigorous quality control, room for flavor creativity, and a brand that can grow far beyond its first taproom.
Local by choice
Hunterdon County is home. Jugtown begins in its countryside, its history, and the place that formed its founder.
Built to endure
From custom operating software to disciplined quality systems, the foundation is being designed for scale from day one.
Ten-year vision“I want to be buying my own beer from a vendor at Yankee Stadium.”
04
What’s brewing
The first pour is still ahead.
The lineup is taking shape through recipe development, homebrewing, and testing. No pretend launch list—just the real work, shared as it happens.
In development
NowRecipe development
Building flavor, repeatability, and a point of view.
NextLicensing & equipment
Turning the homebrew operation into a legal brewery.
ThenFirst commercial pour
Bringing Jugtown back to Hunterdon County—and beyond.
A few honest answers
Good things take time.
Is Jugtown Brewing Co. open yet?
Not yet. Jugtown is in the start-up and development stage. This site follows the work from recipes and planning through licensing, equipment, construction, and eventually opening day.
Why share the process publicly?
Because the story matters. Matt wants people to see the work behind the outcome—not assume the business simply walked backward into success.
Why build a brewery in Hunterdon County?
It is where Matt was born, raised, and still lives. The countryside, the Jugtown name, and the area’s independent spirit are foundational to the brand.
What kind of brewery will Jugtown be?
A production-minded craft brewery with lean operations, strong quality control, and the ambition to grow without losing the creativity that started it.
Homebrewers. Future customers. People who root for little guys.