More details surface about Eataly’s La Birreria

Already sold in Eataly’s ground-floor grocery store, beers from Dogfish Head, Birra Baladin, and Birra Del Borgo are just a few weeks away from heading to the rooftop.

At an event yesterday, brewers Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head), Teo Musso (Birra Baladin), and Leonardo Di Vincenzo (Birra Del Borgo), and Eataly house brewmaster Brooks Carretta discussed the details of the long-anticipated rooftop brewpub 15 stories above Eataly called La Birreria.

First off, it looks like our prediction last week was dead-on: it’s looking like a mid-May opening, as the brewing system should be up and running with its first brew in the next two weeks. Based on the beers shown off from the respective brewers yesterday, we can say with some confidence that the beer will be good, unique, and creative. And since this is Eataly - not Drinkaly - there will be food pairings to match the foodie-focused venue downstairs. Among some “composed plates” they’ll be serving will be pork shoulder, blood sausage, lightly-fried shittake mushrooms, and a mustard potato salad. Overall, it’s going to be a “rustic, alpine menu” with meats and cheeses.

As for the beers, they’ll have three rotating cask beers available that are brewed on the rooftop, along with a wide selection of draft and bottled beers from Dogfish Head, the partnering Italian brewers’ collections, and other sources. One of the first beers brewed on the roof will be a spring seasonal wheat beer brewed with coriander and peppercorns selected by Eataly partners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich.

The setting won’t be too formal. After all, this is beer we’re talking about! There will be tables for dining, but also a bar space and a more open beer garden area, as well. The views will be more upward than outward, with views of the taller Flatiron building and Empire State through the retractable roof. It’s small, though - the entire rooftop has a 160-person capacity, so there will be a wait.

Let’s repeat that now: there will be a wait. This is not to scare you away… it’s simply stating a fact. Not only will the place likely be mobbed with beer geeks and foodies from day one, but there’s a natural attraction to any rooftop bar during the warmer months, even by those not into beer. So with a place this small, you probably can’t expect to walk right in. On the bright side, it is open year-round, so those crowds might thin out a bit come next fall, and parties of six or more will be able to make reservations.

Finally, a new development reported by Eater National this afternoon: word from Anthony Bourdain that the Discovery Channel program Brewmasters, featuring Sam Calagione, has been cancelled, and the airing of the final episode will coincide with La Birreria’s opening.

Oh, and one fun little fact, by the way: being on the roof of the Eataly building will make La Birreria the “highest brewery in the nation.” Next stop: 15th floor! Going up!