Morris brewery unites brews and tunes

DOVER – Morris County’s newest brewing operation is looking to add some music to your beer drinking experience.

Three IT professionals recently launched 2nd Act Beer, which brews in Butler, distributes to bars and restaurants throughout Morris County, and has a storage facility on North Salem Street in Dover.

2nd Act was created by Brandon Galluppi and brothers Bob and Stu Blake. The music-inspired name is twofold.

“I always tend to like the second act of a concert most, for whatever reason. They’re better than the opener, but not the main event,” Stu Blake said. “That’s how we see us. We’re professional, but we’re craft. We’re not Budweiser.”

“But also we all come from IT jobs,” Galluppi said. “So brewing is also like the second act of our career.”

Stu Blake, 27, and Galluppi, 25, live together in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, while Bob Blake, 25, lives in Texas.

Their first beer, Steel Sax pale ale, debuted on tap throughout the county two weeks ago.

“I came from San Jose where the pale ales are more crisp and piney,” Stu Blake said. “So I wanted to make a New England pale ale, a tasty juice bomb that focuses on the fruitiness of the hops as opposed to pine, hazy not clear like on the West Coast.”

The name came from the SteelStacks, a popular landmark in Bethlehem. It was formerly a steel producer but is now an arts and entertainment center. The “Sax” came because Stu Blake plays the saxophone.

“The beer is full-bodied like a saxophone is a full-bodied instrument,” Stu Blake said. “We try to connect our beers with music.”

While Stu Blake plays the saxophone, his brother plays several instruments, including piano, tuba and even the didgeridoo. Galluppi plays bass guitar.

The three enjoy pairing their beers with music and have a Spotify playlist of songs to pair with their beers.

“There are memories attached with certain songs. They just have this emotional attachment that brings you back to a specific time,” Galluppi said. “When you smell a certain beer, it can do the same thing. We try to make beers with music in mind.”

The music theme extends through every facet of 2nd Act. Their tap handles are in the shape of a guitar head, and they hope to start distributing 2nd  Act guitar picks at local concerts.

“There are a lot of similarities between beer and music,” Galluppi said. “Both take certain amounts of artistry and engineering. Beer uses four main ingredients that you can play around with, similar to the chords of a guitar.”

They also hope to start distributing at local concert venues and lounges, and would like to team up with musicians to release beers alongside their albums or shows. They also want to host performances once they open a taproom, which they hope to do in about a year.

“We wanted to have a taproom right away, but that would have been way too much for the two of us right now while balancing our day jobs,” Galluppi said. “We want to see how this goes first, prove it to ourselves and to outsiders.”

They currently brew out of High Point Brewing Co.  in Butler, leasing tank space once per month. They brewed their second batch of Steel Sax last Friday.

High Point’s Ramstein brewers handle the brewing, following the 2nd Act recipes, while Stu Blake and Galluppi watch, taking notes for then when they have their own brew house.

Next up to brew is a klosch, which they said is a good summertime beer.

The trio plans to brew on their own eventually as well, but at the moment are focused on building accounts and making good beer.

“This is the most grassroots way you can go about starting something in the beer industry,” Galluppi said. “Our footprint is very small, but we’re building it our own way.”

When they are ready to build their own tap room in brew house, they said they will look to do so in Dover, Morristown or a location close to both. They also plan to move to the area from Bethlehem within the month.

Steel Sax is on tap at several area bars and restaurants, including Revolution, The Office and Hops in Morristown, Morris Tap and Grill in Randolph, and Hot Rods in Wharton.

Go to https://www.2ndact.beer for more information about 2nd  Act, including beer playlists and where to find their beers.

To serve 2nd Act on tap or to ask a question, contact the brewers at hey@2ndact.beer.

Follow @2ndactbeer on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more updates. 2nd Act also has a YouTube channel, where they discuss growing their brewing business, offer tasting reviews, and post episodes of Brews n’ Tunes, a beer and music show the Blake brothers host together.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com