New Jersey Monthly’s panel of 14 beer experts chose Bonesaw Brewing of Glassboro, which opened in 2018, as the Best New Brewery. One thing that impressed them was the scale of the operation, which sits on 7 1/2 woodsy acres and includes a 23,000-square-foot brewery and a 33-tap tasting room with high ceilings, a rustic lodge ambience and indoor-outdoor seating for 200. There are foamy iced coffee and tea on nitro taps and craft sodas for kids. As Bonesaw co-founder Rich DiVerniero puts it, “We’ve got a go-big-or-go-home mentality.”
The name Bonesaw refers to DiVerniero’s profession, orthopedic surgeon. But he began brewing at home in the late ’80s, well before he entered medical school. He married his high school sweetheart and, as time went on, partnered with two of her brothers—David Doe, a corporate executive whom he describes as “a financial wizard,” and Alan Doe, a Floridian who has opened numerous restaurants for Disney—to bring the brewhouse dream to life. Last puzzle piece: brewmaster A.J. Stoll, winner of 10 Great American Beer Festival medals.
Bonesaw runs a HEBS (High Efficiency Brewing System) DiVerniero says is “one of only maybe 20 in the world…. Not only does this let us brew more efficiently, utilizing fewer natural resources, it also lets us brew with ingredients traditional systems don’t allow. We are not limited in any way on ingredients we can put through the mash press.” Bonesaw now has 19 beers on tap. “To date,” he says, “we have only scratched the surface. We plan on brewing a multitude of beers only possible [with this system]. We are in the final stages of procuring our own canning line, all to get Bonesaw beers in the hands of more people throughout New Jersey.”