Departed Soles Brewing Company is Jersey City's first microbrewery and tasting room, crafting and award winning Gluten Free Craft Beer right in the Powerhouse Arts District of Downtown! Departed Soles Brewery is a craft beer concept born from a love of beer and the camaraderie that encompasses enjoying it amongst like minded humans (and doggos). Chris Ward, a local teacher and restaurant employee, was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease, altering the course of tailgates, barbecues, nights out, and days in as the friend group knew it. He, combined with Brian Kulbacki, joked about combining his restaurant experience with the latter's brewing knowledge and bartending know how, opening up a venue that provided world class gluten free offering to the masses. Unfortunately, in October of 2010, Chris passed away. A few years later, feeling he was not doing enough to honor Chris' memory, and seeing that the needs of the Gluten Free community were still not being met in the craft beer spectrum, Brian decided to chase their shared dream. He enrolled in the American Brewers Guild Brewing School, and set out to create his own brand of craft beer, focused not on hype or trends, but the fellowship of craft beer. In late 2012 he first looked at our now location at 150 Bay Street in Downtown Jersey City, only to have that lease, and others around the state, fall through... until 2014, when his persistence paid off, and the Powerhouse Arts District officially became Departed Soles home! Departed Soles - a name which pays homage to Chris' memory, as well as Brian and his shared love of collecting ridiculous sneakers - now offers a wide, rotating variety of Gluten Free and craft beer options, each brewed in dedicated GF or Non-GF fermenters. Currently distributed in NJ, NY, PA, ME, DE, MD, Washington DC, and OH, Departed Soles has won medals as the Best of Craft Beer Awards, Can Can Awards, World Beer Cup, and Great American Beer Festival. One of the most decorated breweries in NJ, it has been named the Best Gluten Free Beer in America in '23, '24, and '25. We look froward to hosting you in our tasting room, open 7 days a week!
