One more in development

There's yet another hopeful looking to join the Garden State's craft brewing scene.

Ocean County resident Michael Kane is in talks with the town of Manasquan to locate his venture, Kane Brewing, in a building on Main Street in the Jersey Shore town.

The 33-year-old who lives in Ortley Beach (in Toms River) with his wife, Erika, is following the arc of a lot of passionate amateur brewers who went pro. Kane has homebrewed for a decade and wants to commercially brew a draft-only lineup of Belgian and America ales.

Earlier this month, Kane took his idea to use 8,000 of the building's 13,500 square feet for a brewery before the southern Monmouth County town's planning board. He heads back for another round of review on May 4. (The building was once used as a foundry and to store boats. It's been vacant for 15 years.)

Starting a craft brewery is a path Kane began heading down a couple years ago, shifting from a career in investment banking in Manhattan. (Erika still works in NYC doing marketing.) This year saw him taking up the brewery project full-time.

If he can win the blessing of the folks who run Manasquan, Kane estimates there's still a minimum of eight months' of work ahead to get things launched.

Still, his efforts represent some more green shoots in the Garden State's brewing industry.