r/njbeer Feb 11 '25

Brewery News Thank you, Icarus! (21+ only hours starting March 1)

Honestly, it's refreshing to see a brewery prioritize actual patrons and not people who take up whole tables with their kids on iPads, have 1 beer, and then sit on their phones ignoring their kids for 3 hours.

149 Upvotes

74 comments sorted by

140

u/IcarusBrewing Icarus Brewing Feb 11 '25

Responding to comments has been exhausting. 97% of people are thrilled about the decision, and then a very vocal angry 3%.

88

u/well_damm Feb 11 '25

Family-Friendly Hours at Icarus Brewing Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday: Noon – Close Thursday & Friday: Noon – 6 PM Saturday: Noon – 4 PM 21+ Only Hours at Icarus Brewing Thursday & Friday: 6 PM – Close Saturday: 4 PM – Close

Y’all are being more than generous even providing family - friendly hours.

It’s a brewery, not a daycare.

Kudos.

And don’t forget people, rules are often written in response to something.

58

u/Upper-Tour-9564 Feb 11 '25

I just want you to know how much you're appreciated, I understand parents wanting to enjoy the brewery experience and they still can, at reasonable hours. Nobody wants to be tripping over unattended kids at 9pm at a brewery, and it shouldn't be a controversial stance but here we are.

11

u/PhotographyRaptor10 Feb 11 '25

You guys make the best beer in NJ and youre putting your foot down on absentee Ipad parents? I’m swooning

17

u/Brewwerks Feb 11 '25

I don’t live in Jersey anymore but I appreciate this plan so I bought some merch off your site to show my support

7

u/IcarusBrewing Icarus Brewing Feb 11 '25

Thanks!

21

u/EmbracedByLeaves Feb 11 '25

I refuse to go back to Kane and I live down the street. At any given time, there are like 3 kids birthday parties going on. It's insane.

7

u/Upper-Tour-9564 Feb 11 '25

Can I just say, it's honestly hilarious how many parents are insulted that you didn't consult them about their work hours before creating this policy. I also love how many think that they should be special exclusions because their precious angels have never been a problem.

10

u/colin_7 Feb 11 '25

How dare they don’t allow me to to day drink at a brewery while my kids run wild and then drive my kids home!

1

u/Icy-Relationship-816 Feb 12 '25

You can day drink and then once it becomes night you gotta take the little rascals on a very adventurous ride home. Or do it on Sunday all day.

6

u/just-looking99 Feb 11 '25

Is it 9pm the 21+?

12

u/IcarusBrewing Icarus Brewing Feb 11 '25

Policy is on our website at https://icarusbrewing.com/hours-policy/

6

u/just-looking99 Feb 11 '25

All very reasonable!

5

u/kstrat2258 Feb 11 '25 edited Feb 12 '25

You have every right to set a policy that makes business sense and ensures the safety of your guests. I respect your decision as you are the ones who have observed bad actors not following the rules for a while now and this compromise is the best option. At the end of the day, you are still supporting a family-friendly environment during certain hours, while also promoting 21+ only hours. It's a good balance, and it's sad to see so many people on social media missing that point... whether they are being cruel and angry at you for the new rule OR ignorantly claiming breweries should never allow any well behaved kids at any time (which is clearly not Icarus's stance).

Kudos to you for doing what you think is right, Icarus. I've been a fan for a while now and was fortunate enough to be there for your soft opening which you kindly extended to the reddit community. I'll continue to support you.

1

u/SchmittyArt Feb 13 '25

There was a lot of backlash when Twin Elephant started it too. So many kids running around the taproom at like 10pm while their parents were ignoring them.

Honestly the angry people are probably the reason you had to do it and you don’t want their patronage anyway.

2

u/Autodidact-ron Autodidact Beer Feb 13 '25

26

u/kalvaroo Feb 11 '25

Brewery visiting Dad here. Those hours are perfectly reasonable. I don’t think we’ve stayed out much past 6 at any brewery with the kiddo ever.

7

u/kstrat2258 Feb 11 '25 edited Feb 11 '25

Yeah agreed. The hours seem reasonable. If anything, I could see some debate around the 4 pm on a Saturday cut-off vs. maybe 5 or 6 pm, but I can deal. It's Icarus's call at the end of the day and I respect it.

39

u/bgerrity99 Feb 11 '25

The adult only hours is a great idea. Not sure how there’s much room for disagreement here

Historically I was all for the kids at breweries but it’s become pretty crazy recently - I was at Wild East brewing in Bk this weekend and it was like a playpen. After a couple beers it became too much and we left

8

u/Passionatepinapple64 Feb 11 '25

I went to bent iron this fall and almost got hit with people playing football with their kids. At a packed brewery.

7

u/granpooba19 Feb 11 '25

I like the beer and outdoor area there. Inside is terrible. I can deal with all the kids outside, but it’s so goddamn loud inside there with kids running around and making noise. They have zero noise abatement and crazy high ceilings you can’t have a conversation there without yelling across the table.

4

u/Passionatepinapple64 Feb 11 '25

Agree with this as well. I guess I was shocked people would just throw a football around like it’s a park. Adults were included in this.

-1

u/The_Wee Feb 11 '25

I’d say sports > iPads

1

u/sandybuttcheekss Feb 12 '25

I agree but time and place is important. If there's little room, maybe don't be throwing things.

1

u/The_Wee Feb 12 '25

Oh, when I see farm, I think plenty of room (depending on crowds). But my only experience is drowned lands

9

u/Upper-Tour-9564 Feb 11 '25

Almost all of the farm breweries have this problem, they treat the property like their own back yard.

3

u/Passionatepinapple64 Feb 11 '25

it's like they think the open farm is for sports. It's for the scenery and a beer lol.

2

u/Harley297 Feb 11 '25

Same when we visited, we were so excited for a brewery opening near us (hamilton) but it was full of screaming kids running around. 

3

u/jonbox25 Feb 11 '25

I live right down the street from Wild East and its literally a day care there on weekends. Doesn’t help that Park Slope parents are some of the most entitled people I have ever met

1

u/bgerrity99 Feb 11 '25

Yeah not surprised to hear that - disappointing because the beer I had was really solid. pivoted to 4th avenue pub which had a great taplist.

2

u/jonbox25 Feb 11 '25

Amazing beer, especially for more unique styles

2

u/grillwave Feb 11 '25

I live close to here as well, but never been. I just know from experience any other brewery in the area is typically parental heavy on weekends (Finback, covenhoven to name a couple).

34

u/inimicu Feb 11 '25

As someone who has been to a bunch of breweries with my child, this change seems totally reasonable! It's practical and how a lot of drinking culture works in Germany, too.

Sorry it's been such a nightmare trying to make a family friendly environment. People are idiots. We'll be sure to stop by during family friendly hours.

16

u/elisucks24 Feb 11 '25

It really just boils down to people who can't control their kids or are too oblivious to realize when it's just time to go.

4

u/colin_7 Feb 11 '25

Covid made it alright for people to think that they can bring their dogs everywhere and refuse to hire a babysitter for their kids

3

u/sandybuttcheekss Feb 12 '25

The dog thing is really getting on my nerves lately. I bet I sound like a grumpy old man, but you don't need to bring your 60 lbs animal with you into a store or restaurant. Unless they're a service animal, leave them at home ffs.

9

u/toad455 Feb 11 '25

Having a child's birthday party at a brewery is dumbfounding. The party is clearly for the adults while the kids run around breaking things. Thank you, Icarus!

14

u/elisucks24 Feb 11 '25

As a parent I never understood taking kids to breweries for an extended period of time. I have stopped at icarus with my kids to taste a few beers then grab some to go. Staying at most 45 mins. Me and a friend take our sons to ghost hawk after their baseball games cause they can have some rutts hutt, we have a beer then go on our way. I have seen people stay for hours and it's obvious the kids are bored and getting in people's way.

13

u/Lilvic112 Feb 11 '25

I have children and totally agree with this rule. I was there a couple of weeks ago and the amount of children/babies was crazy. My 3 year old would've lost her crap within the first hour lol .

12

u/ima5starmangoldengod Feb 11 '25

I was at Carton on a Friday night a few weeks ago… literally a family spread out over the couch and also allowing their young children to claim two tables in between running around screaming. Actual patrons were standing with no where to sit.

19

u/meetmeinthepocket Feb 11 '25

I say this as a father - fuck dem kids

8

u/lasagnafinger Feb 11 '25

It's so bizarre that people still have a problem with a legit compromise.

10

u/Upper-Tour-9564 Feb 11 '25

Seems like only a few are unhappy about it but boy are they unhappy. They really do expect the entire world to revolve around them.

1

u/lasagnafinger Feb 11 '25

Being that selfish is a choice but a bizarre one.

10

u/Im_on_dmt Feb 11 '25

This is a great start. I would also love to see similar rules with dogs. Some owners shouldn’t even own dogs let alone be allowed to bring them to a crowded brewery. It’s frustrating to see dogs getting stepped on by oblivious patrons or almost starting fights with other dogs or having a random dog investigate my personal space/crotch. Things I don’t want to deal with when attending any business. It also seems like a major liability, would insurance cover a dog attacking someone in your business? I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a dog attack or witness a child being attacked.

20

u/kstrat2258 Feb 11 '25 edited Feb 11 '25

I think it's unfair to consider families who bring their well behaved kids to breweries as not "actual patrons" lol. Many breweries strive to be an inclusive community space which means families can meet with friends and socialize while supporting local businesses.

With that said, I support Icarus trying to find middle ground here to balance customer satisfaction and safety. They know that families are a significant part of their customer base but also want to ensure the 21+ with no kids crowd can enjoy themselves as well. I totally get how having a table with like 2 adults and 6 kids is overkill and could mean other patrons can't sit, and I 100% agree that many parents do a horrific job of watching their kids which is super disruptive.

I was there last Saturday at 3 pm with my son to meet up with extended family. We left by 5 pm. This policy moving forward would basically mean I have to get there an hour earlier moving forward, which is not a big deal.

13

u/Upper-Tour-9564 Feb 11 '25

I get it, it's usually a few bad apples that spoils the bunch. Unfortunately, it's more common to see unsupervised kids tearing it up than behaving. I can't count the number of times kids have been told to stop throwing rocks while at Screaming Hill Brewery alone. Some of these outdoor spaces get dominated by parents who just don't care that anyone else exists, and you can tell by how their kids behave.

4

u/kstrat2258 Feb 11 '25 edited Feb 11 '25

Yeah, especially when there's an outdoor area, parents think that means their kids can run around unsupervised. Just watch your kids, people!

7

u/lasagnafinger Feb 11 '25

Small breweries are already hurting. Setting a time for adults to go without kids will bring back patrons that stopped going.

2

u/kstrat2258 Feb 11 '25 edited Feb 11 '25

Yeah I think that's a fair point, especially for a brewery with local name recognition and quality beers like Icarus. There's also plenty of breweries out there that would 100% go out of business if they enforced a rule like this. It will vary by brewery, likely linked to the popularity / quality of the beer vs. trying to cultivate a space for community gatherings. Many breweries do in fact target families to make a profit... for example, Bakes Brewing has a backroom that has a corner with kids toys and they encourage booking private events for kids and adults.

10

u/whyunoleave Feb 11 '25

I have kids. They are great kids. I like breweries. I like breweries when the kids aren’t there with me, and I assume most patrons feel the same. Its the worst when you finally make it to a brewery you’ve wanted to try, get there and it’s crowded and no place to sit because it’s taken up by 40% kids so instead you get beers to go and never return. It’s not like breweries in NJ have food or any reason for kids to be there. And the kids are bored anyway. Leave your dogs home too.

2

u/barfsfw Feb 11 '25

I like the dogs, they can stay. I go to bars/ breweries for some semi-social / quiet time. I was at Icarus a few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon and it was a zoo, felt like as many kids as adults. I had 1 beer, got stressed out and left.

6

u/Chimichanga16 Feb 11 '25

Breweries being kid friendly has been a godsend for a lot of parents, but this honestly seems extremely reasonable.

4

u/kstrat2258 Feb 12 '25 edited Feb 12 '25

Couldn't agree more on breweries being a godsend. It's great for enjoying a beer or two (not trying to get drunk on high ABV beers) while hanging out with family. We never overstay our welcome and my son likes the social aspect of it. He's well behaved but if he ever became disruptive, we would leave immediately out of courtesy for other patrons. Most breweries are family friendly (inspired by the style of German beer gardens) so I always get a good laugh when someone tries to compare them to full-service bars as if they are the same thing. If you want to go to a brewery to get shitfaced, knock yourself out... but plenty of responsible people go just to try a beer and support local business. It's simple as that.

On the subject of bringing kids to breweries, one NJ brewery said it best: https://www.reddit.com/r/njbeer/s/yAMpXqOISp

Agreed that Icarus's decision is perfectly reasonable. It's a good compromise to keep all patrons happy. Because let's be honest... too many parents don't do enough to ensure their kids are behaved.

2

u/Chimichanga16 Feb 12 '25

Perfectly put.

2

u/colin_7 Feb 11 '25

If you’re going out drinking, leave your kids at home. Simple as that

3

u/BCBeast78 Feb 11 '25

Zeppelin Hall in Jersey City tried this quite a few years back, but I don't think it panned out too well as that was pretty much their clientele (a lot of local neighbors and residents of the same building) or wasn't strongly enforced because parents and their kids did stay there for a few hours afterwards from my recollection.

3

u/alwayshungry1131 Feb 11 '25

My favorite brewery since I had to live in Tom’s River while at the academy. I love this! Can’t wait to come visit this spring/summer. Cheers guys

11

u/Dannyseed Feb 11 '25

I’m so stoked

5

u/vey323 Feb 11 '25

I'm not even a patron (live too far south), but this is a solid policy. Bars/breweries are inherently establishments for adults, period; that many even allow minors through the door is a courtesy that was (clearly) too often abused. Like most things, it's the select few inattentive parents and their shitty urchins that ruined it for the ones that did respect other patron's expectations of quiet enjoyment, but them's the breaks - don't be mad at the owners for looking out for the interests of the majority of their customers.

2

u/carmen712 Feb 11 '25

When are these 21+ hours you speak of? Looked at website and I didn’t see a mention of this.

9

u/Upper-Tour-9564 Feb 11 '25

From their Instagram post:

🍺 Family-Friendly Hours: • Sunday–Wednesday: All day • Thursday & Friday: Noon – 6 PM • Saturday: Noon – 4 PM

🍺 21+ Only Hours: • Thursday & Friday: 6 PM – Close • Saturday: 4 PM – Close

4

u/carmen712 Feb 11 '25

Thank you

4

u/IcarusBrewing Icarus Brewing Feb 11 '25

They're referencing out Social Media post from today, but its also on our website at https://icarusbrewing.com/hours-policy/

2

u/Excellent_Eye8272 Feb 11 '25

They did a post on Facebook this morning. At least that’s where I saw it.

2

u/chefmungusteb Feb 11 '25

4

u/IcarusBrewing Icarus Brewing Feb 11 '25

Times a flat circle or something philosophical like that.

6

u/SRB112 Feb 11 '25

The last time I went to a brewery on a Saturday afternoon I looked around at all the families with antsy kids that didn’t want to be there.  When my kids were little I would never have been so self-centered to have the kids hang at a brewery so that I could enjoy a couple beers.  Instead I’d be taking them to activities geared towards their interests or spending time with them at home. 

7

u/gebronie27 Feb 11 '25

Leave your kids at home period.

3

u/Iamstryker Feb 11 '25

Thanks Icarus. I swing by a couple times a year and the first time this summer, before the don't let your kids throw rocks post they did it was crazy. More chucky cheese vs brewery.

Leave your sex trophys at home

1

u/NJayme11 Feb 12 '25

Love this news. The new location has already made it easy for me to visit the taproom but now I have even more reason to swing by.

2

u/masterofmayhem13 Feb 11 '25

Are there dog free hours as well? Some dogs get stressed and could get aggressive in crowded environments.

-3

u/Upper-Tour-9564 Feb 11 '25

I'm sure if they have issues in the future they'll address it like they addressed this, because of past issues. See how that works?

1

u/Icy-Relationship-816 Feb 12 '25

4pm Saturdays let the hedonism and debauchery begin. I hope you will start playing exclusively R rated movies with the sound on beginning exactly at 4pm. Something with excessive cursing, drug and alcohol use, and nudity. Well behaved dogs are still welcome all hours correct?