This Is My New Jersey

Growing up on the flight path of Newark Airport was always interesting. Some days the planes were so low it almost felt like you could reach out and touch them. As I started working full time and needed to travel, drivers were astonished I knew all the shortcuts to save time getting to the airport. No matter if I was coming home from a trip for work or from vacation, I never truly felt “home” until I saw the Anheuser-Busch Eagle in all its neon glory.

But in 2026, it will be the Eagle’s last call.

After a 75-year history, the Anheuser-Busch beer plant will close, along with two other plants in the US. The Newark property has been purchased by the Goodman Group and will become a manufacturing and logistics facility. Currently there are 475 employees that work at the plant. They will be given the option of moving to another location or receive a severance.

Newark and Beer… Perfect Together

At one point, Newark was home to dozens of breweries thanks to the large German population in the city at the time. One of those brands included the fabled Ballantine brand. The company was founded in 1845 by Scottish immigrant, Peter Ballantine. The company’s original name was Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company. At its height, Ballantine was the third largest brewery in the nation, behind Schlitz and Anheuser-Busch.

“We will be shifting production from these three facilities to our other U.S. facilities and these changes will enable us to invest even more in our remaining operations and in our portfolio of growing, industry-leading brands,” ~Anheuser-Busch statement.

The closure of the plant marks the end of a fabled and long-standing tradition of brewing in Newark. And for many of us, a comforting sign that we were, in fact, home. I can only hope there are plans to preserve the famous neon sign.