Scarlet Ale and Jersey Pride
Beer, music, and Rutgers have always been Bob McLynn’s passions. The Rutgers alumnus will host a Rutgers Takes the Garden State event at his Asbury Park Brewery on March 22.
It was in the middle of his post-hardcore punk rock band Headlock’s 14-city tour of Germany in the summer of 1994, following his Rutgers graduation, when Bob McLynn realized that every city they visited had its own brewery.
“It was that tour that really taught me about the origin of beer,” says McLynn, adding he came home and started trying more craft beers. “I was one of those guys who would drink a case of light beer on a weekend when I was younger.”
McLynn visited 13 countries on that tour, playing bass guitar and singing, combining his passion for music with his love of beer. “Every German city had its own brewery, and that’s what we would get backstage each night. It changed me forever.”
McLynn toured the world and released records with several bands through 2001. In 2002, he moved to the business side, cofounding a music management company in New York that handles well-known performers like Green Day, Weezer, and Lorde. He later opened a bar, Angels and Kings, in New York, with others to follow in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Barcelona. In 2009, he started brewing beer at the bar in Chicago and later started a brewing company in San Diego.
In 2016, he opened the Asbury Park Brewery, which moved to its current location in May 2024. There, he has combined his love of music and beer, as many bands make sure to drop by for a set when they are on tour.
McLynn’s focus, he says, is the business side of the brewery. “I’m not an artist when it comes to beer, so I have great brewmasters who make the beer.”
Rutgers Takes the Garden State
He had some great times and great friends at Rutgers. Even though he has lived in New York for most of his life, “I really identify as a Jersey guy, and I’m really proud of that,” he says.
The brewery owner says he is thrilled to host his first alumni event: Rutgers Takes the Garden State on March 22. (A ticket is required.) Alumni will receive a guided tasting of flagship brews, insight into brewing techniques and beer styles, and time for networking, with take-home brews available for purchase. The Asbury Park Brewery is one of the many alumni-owned businesses featured in the new Rutgers Alumni-Owned Business Marketplace.
The event will also be catered by the alumni-owned Mutiny BBQ in Asbury Park, operated by Martha Dunphy UCNB’08 and her husband, Tom Dunphy. Mutiny BBQ is also featured in the new business directory.
“I’m proud to be part of the Rutgers alumni community and to contribute to it,” says Martha Dunphy, a resident of Ocean Township. “For a small business owner, meaningful networks are essential, and I’m grateful for the support of fellow Rutgers alumni.”
Scarlet Ale
As part of his “Jersey pride,” McLynn says he created Scarlet Ale in honor of Rutgers and its athletic teams, which he plans to have available at the Rutgers Takes the Garden State event. He tries to meet friends regularly for tailgating, a basketball game, or homecoming.
“My Rutgers education gave me a great foundation,” says McLynn, who majored in communication and minored in music at Livingston College. “I got a great education, met a lot of great people, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.”
During his years at Rutgers, McLynn says that when he was not in class, he rehearsed with his band in Summit and East Rutherford, New Jersey. He also performed in concerts and recorded an album during his senior year.
Following his European tour, McLynn, who grew up in Summit and graduated from Summit High School, joined a new band, the Step Kings.
At age 29, McLynn says he switched over to the business side of music. “I’d always said that by the time I hit 30, I’d either have a gold record and be at a different level or I’d go into the business side.”
McLynn and a partner own Crush Music, a full-service music company that guides the careers of superstars like Fall Out Boy, Miley Cyrus, Gaslight Anthem, Train, and Sia. He manages musicians and a company with 35 employees.
He travels a lot for work and concerts. “I have my family, my kids are here, and I try to be with them as much as possible,” McLynn says. “Music is a hard life. It’s great when you’re young, and it can be great when you're older too. It is hard, the separation from family, so I’m incredibly happy to be where I am.”
He travels between his place in Manhattan and his home in Rumson, New Jersey, which is near the brewery.
For McLynn, his pride in graduating from Rutgers and growing up in New Jersey is just the “whole Jersey thing.”
“Meeting so many people, whether it’s in the city or in Jersey or the brewery, and people from Rutgers who are alumni, and that camaraderie you have, I feel that pride growing,” he says. “I love seeing the red R on people’s cars, and, yeah, I love to see at a national level. If I’m traveling somewhere else in the country and seeing people from Rutgers, I love that.”
Rutgers Takes the Garden State: Afternoon at Asbury Park Brewery
When: Sunday, March 22, from 12:45-4 p.m.
Where: Asbury Park Brewery, 614 Cookman Ave., Suite 1, Asbury Park, NJ
How much: $30
Registration Deadline: March 15
