Days are getting shorter and nights are getting colder, but you can still hold on to that elusive endless summer at Last Wave Brewing Company, Point Pleasant Beach’s favorite craft brewery. Last Wave just finished up their second successful summer season and co-owners, Nick Jiorle, Bert Roling and wife Dani Roling continue to grow the business to keep up with the demand.
“We went from 5 taps to 25 in a year.”, said brewer Nick Jiorle. “We also will be getting a new mash tun in a couple of weeks that will enable us to double batch more efficiently and produce 3 – 4 more barrels per brew.
I was able to catch up with Nick and his longtime brew partner Bert to ask our 10 Questions.
First Beer you brewed? How was it?
The first beer we made as home brewers was Red Sky, a red ale which is still on our tap list and is the original recipe. So obviously it was pretty good!
Favorite style to brew and why?
That’s hard to decide, we don’t like to put one beer over another. I would say Spot Check Golden Ale. It is more challenging because there is nowhere to hide. You can’t hide flaws so you really have to pay attention to the process.
Do you look at rating on Untapped, Beer Advocate, Rate Beer and if you do how does it influence your recipes?
We don’t really pay attention to it as far as influencing our recipes, but we do use it as a resource to see what some people think about them. We look for trends and don’t take it personal if someone says a beer is awful.
How do you stay connected with the local area in relation to sourcing ingredients?
We’ve started using Port Coffee Roasters in Point Pleasant. Nick doesn’t drink coffee but likes using it in their recipes. Port Coffee Roasters website states that craft coffee roasting is a priority, so easy to see what the connection is.
One tip you would give to home brewers to make better beer?
Temperature control! Particularly your fermentation temperature that is so important to the process. And write everything down!
One piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to open a brewery.
Don’t have any other social obligations! Work on consistency. Perfect your craft, start with 3 or 4 beers and make them well. Also, remember when you own a brewery, 25% is making beer….75% is everything else that goes along with being a business owner.
If there were a beer that you could brew, with no regard to cost, production or sales, what would it be?
Definitely an Oktoberfest. We don’t have lagering capabilities right now, so that’s something we would like to do. We also brewed a wee heavy called Winter Warmer, which was actually our highest rated beer on Untapped. It would be great to produce it more often, but it is very expensive to brew, as it includes fresh maple syrup and pecans.
From opening day forward, what surprised you the most?
Every day brings new surprises! Really, the biggest surprise has been how welcoming the other business owners and everyone else in town has been. We were welcomed with open arms from day one and that hasn’t changed!
Other than your own brew, what’s your go to drink after a long day at the brewery?
After a long day at the brewery? Nice cold water…you mean beer? Whatever beer someone wants to bring us!
Where do you see the brewery in one year…five years?
We want to still be in Point Pleasant Beach, we love this town! We would also like to continue to expand our reach and cover new markets.
Bonus Question: What music do your listen to when you are brewing?
Wow, that’s tough. Wide range we could be listening to Jamiroquai one day, Modest Mouse, or Soundgarden.
Eclectic music, eclectic beers…the Jersey Shore is beautiful in fall and winter so check out Last Wave!
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