Asturia Brewing opens in Hackensack with Brazilian-inspired beers

Asturia Brewing Co. has opened at 155 Lodi Street in Hackensack with a pitch that is more specific than a typical neighborhood taproom: Brazilian-inspired craft beer, family ownership, and a space designed around appointment-only visits. In a city that already has brewery competition, that kind of identity gives the new spot an immediate point of view.

Nickolas Reis, 30, of North Arlington, co-owns Asturia with his mother and father, making the opening feel less like a standard launch and more like a multigenerational project. The brewery says it began as a small family dream tied to Brazilian culture, and that heritage shows up not only in the branding but in the beer list. One of the clearest examples is BAIANA New England IPA, a 7.5% ABV beer described as juicy and aromatic with mango, passion fruit and Cara Cara orange.

Asturia’s setup also signals that it is not trying to operate like a conventional open-pour taproom. The brewery says it uses a 20-barrel brewing system, and its private-tour information says visits are appointment-based and that it is not currently operating as a public bar or open brewery. That model puts more emphasis on curated experiences, tours and tastings than on walk-in pint traffic, which may fit a brand built around story and style as much as volume.

The opening unfolded over a few steps. Asturia’s event pages listed a soft opening for Feb. 27, 2026, and a separate event listing marked a grand opening for May 9, 2026. By the time the brewery opened in Hackensack, it had already staked out a clearer identity than many new brewers get at launch: Brazilian influence, family ownership and a defined hospitality format.

That specificity matters in a crowded market. The Brewers Association tracked 268 brewery openings and 434 closures in 2025, the second straight year closures outpaced openings. It also said U.S. craft brewer volume fell 4% that year, even as craft still accounted for 24.8% of retail dollar sales and 13.4% of beer volume. In New Jersey, the association counted 128 craft breweries, a reminder that new entrants need more than fresh tanks and a lease to win attention.

Hackensack offers both opportunity and competition. As Bergen County’s most populous municipality and county seat, it is a natural draw for local drinkers, but it is not empty territory. Hackensack Brewing Company already operates in the Fairmount section of the city, which makes Asturia’s Brazilian angle even more important as a differentiator. The brewery is not just another stop in the county map. It is trying to make culture part of the pour, and that may be the sharper growth play in a market where generic taprooms are easy to overlook.