Tall Oaks Farm + Brewery features farm fresh beer, fire pits
Tucked behind a horse farm in Farmingdale, at the end of a stone parking lot, is Tall Oaks Farm + Brewery.
Mike and Chelsey Ziolkowski, who also own the Bradley Brew Project in Bradley Beach, wanted to make their new spot feel like a farm getaway from home.
And they succeeded. Route 33 is right around the corner, but you wouldn’t know it during Tall Oaks grand opening Dec. 29 to 31 because all you could hear were beer lovers talking, horses neighing and birds chirping.
“When people step in here, we want them to feel like they’re somewhere else,” Mike Ziolkowski said of the massive outdoor and indoor space.
Next to Sunrise Ranch (not owned by the Ziolkowskis), the 5-acre spot boasts a partially fenced-in open field for children (and dogs) to run and play while parents relax by the fire pits. There are plans to grow hops in the field, as well as pick-your-own flowers.
“We have kids, we have dogs, and we’ve been looking for places like this,” Ziolkowski said. “We went out apple and pumpkin picking on a beautiful October Sunday, but when we finished we wanted to go outside and have a beer without being forced to be waited on.
“But when we looked, and it didn’t exist, we realized we were onto something.”
Along with fire pits and Adirondack lawn chairs, there are picnic tables with and without umbrellas, a covered deck with an outdoor service window, an outdoor event pavilion with heaters, and a 3,000-square-foot indoor brewery and tasting room.
“The farm concept actually has two meanings for us,” Ziolkowski said. “The literal definition of a farm, where we’re going to grow stuff. But the other definition is the symbolism of what you experience when you come on a farm — this outdoor space where you see the trees, feel the air. That’s what we’re trying to create.”
The brewery has much more of a winery-vibe, where you’d sit outside among the vines.
“Chelsey has always had a passion for the farm life,” Ziolkowski said. “She used to ride horses and teach horseback riding ...”
But make no mistake, beer is paramount, he said.
The brewery has a side-pull tap system imported from the Czech Republic, called a Lukr faucet. The side-pull allows the bartender to create the perfect pour with a ball valve that can adjust the flow, and a small screen that aerates the beer.
It also allows you to control the amount of foam to create different pours, like the Mliko (a bit of beer with a lot of foam); the Snyt (two parts beer, three parts foam with a little room at the top of the glass); and a standard Hladinka pour (three fingers of foam at the top of a full glass of beer).
Mike’s favorite pour is the Mliko, which he said creates an aromatic experience unlike a classic American pour. Chelsey’s favorite is the Petal, a refreshing rustic ale brewed with Pilsen malt featuring undertones of citrus. She also enjoys the Fruitstand wheat ale, which cycles through seasonal fruits as it’s base (it’s now pomegranate-based for a “Winter Solstice-vibe, Chelsey said).
Most of the beers have a farm reference in the name: the Open Field American IPA — brewed with Pilsen, Vienna and Biscuit malt, and Simcoe, Amarillo, Cascade and Citra hops — is a nod to their “open” hops field. The Berm, named after a level shelf or space of soil on a farm, is a house Pilsner brewed with Pilsen and Munich Malt, and Saaz, Tradition and Magnum hops, with bread and floral notes.
“The approach is simplicity,” Chelsey said.
All beers are available on tap, as well as in cans. There are currently eight on the menu.
After nearly 31⁄2 years of preparation, the young couple is eager to have families like their own enjoy the outdoor space (as well as indoor tasting room) year-round.
“I’ve always been around farms, and I always wanted [a brewery] surrounded by one,” Chelsey said. “This project is definitely close to my heart and soul.”
Go: 450 Colts Neck Road, Farmingdale, open from 4 to 10 p.m. Fridays, 1 to 10 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 to 7 p.m. Sundays; talloaksbrew.com, instagram.com/talloaksbrew.
Gabriela L. Laracca joined the USA Today Network New Jersey in 2021 and eagerly brings her passion for cuisine and culture to our readers. Send restaurant tips to glaracca@gannett.com.