While living in Brooklyn, one of the things that surprised me the most was how proud they’re about their hometown. Everywhere you went there were signs stating: “Proudly made in Brooklyn”, “Brewed in Brooklyn”, etc.
Less than a week after moving to New York, we found out about the Brooklyn Brewery. It’s located at the 11th street in Williamsburg, a few blocks from the East River and it goes by the name of “Brewers Road” because before Prohibition, it used to be a place where you could find lots of breweries.
We visited the place on a Friday evening and we didn’t get on time for the brewery tour. At the entrance you could find some of the fermenters and a beautiful industrial construction, New York style. The bar had a German vibe: big open spaces and big tables to share with random people. At the end was the counter, where wooden tokens (you could get them at the entrance) were exchanged for half pints of a long list of beers: year round, seasonals and even test batches.
It usually is very crowded so its recommended that you get there early. It’s also a good idea to check their web beforehand to get information regarding the free brewery tours and other special events. The shared tables allow you to speak with complete strangers and after a few beers the conversation becomes more fun. There’s no dinner menu, you can just get some snacks like pretzels or chips, but in the entrance door you can find food trucks that sell pizza or other options that are allowed to get into the tasting room.
From the wide variety of beers, these are some that stood out:
- Brooklyn Lager: It’s their flagship beer and the most sold one. It’s a Vienna Lager, described as a pre-prohibition style. A lager like it used to be and as it should be brewed now.
- Brooklyn East IPA: One the of the few English IPA style made in the U.S. Very refreshing and with a kind pine aroma.
- Brooklyn Sorachi Ace: An unfiltered Saison brewed with lots of Sorachi Ace hops, added both in the boil and in dry-hopping.
Since we really loved their beer, we decided to return some time later for the brewery tour. There you get to see all the equipment, the brewing process as well as the brewery’s story and its owners, full of funny anecdotes and jokes.
I especially enjoyed the story of how Steve Hindy, co-founder of Brooklyn Brewery, started brewing himself. He was an AP correspondant in the Middle East and since it was illegal to buy alcohol there, he had no choice but to create his own. It is also interesting to hear how they convinced Milton Glaser (renowned “I Love NY” graphic designer) to create the brewery’s logo. More than three decades after that time, Glaser still takes home beer every month.
One of Brooklyn’s must see places if you love beer: either drinking it or brewing it. Is there any other brewery you would recommend in the New York City area?
Maxi
On Tap Diaries 