Looking for a cure for the winter blues? At Flounder Brewing Company in Somerset County, Jeremy Lees is serving up craft beer and community spirit inside a 250-year-old barn.

Lees, a New Jersey native born and raised, never doubted he'd plant his brewery in the Garden State. What began as a home brewing project in 2007 has since grown into a family-run business that's become a local staple.

His passion for beer took root in an apartment on Hill Street in Morristown, inspiring the name of Flounder's flagship brew, Hill Street Honey. "Craft beer was just starting to boom," he recalled, noting that when Flounder launched, it was New Jersey's smallest brewery and only the 17th in the state.

Now settled in Hillsborough, Flounder Brewing operates out of a historic barn, offering several beers on tap and in cans. It also offers a membership club with perks and discounts, fostering a tight-knit community where regulars feel at home.