BRADLEY BEACH — Vic’s Italian-American Restaurant and the Bradley Brew Project in Bradley Beach are celebrating the 90th anniversary of Vic’s Taproom with a local collaboration for the ages.
The Bradley Brew Project has brewed a beer expressly for the 90th anniversary of Vic’s Taproom with their new — and popular — Vic’s Taproom Pilsner.
The Italian-style pilsner was brewed specially for Vic’s as part of a collaboration between the two local businesses. According to Bradley Brew Project’s menu, Vic’s Taproom Pilsner is a “crisp,” “floral,” and “dry” tasting beer which, perhaps unsurprisingly, pairs well with pizza.
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Vic’s Taproom, which is now Vic’s Italian-American Restaurant, began serving alcohol shortly after the end of Prohibition 90 years ago, with the dining room portion of the property coming 15 years after that.
In December 1933, Prohibition was repealed, allowing for legal alcohol sales to take place for the first time in over a decade. Almost immediately following the end of Prohibition, Vittorio “Vic” Giunco went out and got a liquor license for $50 — one of the first people in the area to do so.
The Taproom, which was originally located further south on Main Street, moved up to its current and most famous location on the corner of Main Street and Evergreen Street five years after opening, in 1938. According to Travis Semblewski, co-owner of Vic’s, a few years later, in 1947, Vic’s son John Giunco began conceptualizing a restaurant that would accompany the Taproom.
When the Bradley Brew Project was approached by Vic’s for the 90th anniversary brew, they didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“We’ve had anniversaries pass by, but we never celebrated the original bar,” said Mr. Semblewski. “We might as well commemorate 90 years. I had suggested partnering with Bradley Brew, and immediately they were like, ‘Absolutely, we have to do this.’”
“We were ecstatic,” said Mike Ziolkowski, co-owner of the similarly family-owned Bradley Brew Project. He also explained that they don’t generally ask other businesses to collaborate — other businesses come to them. “We typically don’t approach other businesses for collaborations … we were blown away. I asked [co-owner and Mike’s wife] Chelsey and I think a day or two later we accepted.”
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