You might recall that plans came together last year for Brooklyn Brewery to open a new facility in the Navy Yard by 2018, which would supplement and ultimately likely replace their facility in Williamsburg. Well, that plan is now off, but with good news – the landlords of their Williamsburg brewery are likely to extend their lease beyond its current expiration of 2025, something that came as a surprise to founder Steve Hindy. The Times had the scoop, which also notes that the brewery will begin brewing in Japan in March.
There’s a new kitchen tenant at Singlecut Beersmiths (19-33 37th St, Astoria). Salt and Bone, from the folks behind Bareburger, are setting up shop in the taproom starting this week. The new menu includes items like ribs, nachos, and tacos, plus more traditional beer-pairing fare like sausage and pretzels. The kitchen will be open whenever the taproom is open, from 30 minutes after opening until 1 hour before close.
Sneak a Peek at Two Forthcoming Breweries
Two breweries are setting up shop in Brooklyn’s Industry City soon. Wartega Brewing and Lineup Brewing (33 35th St #6A, Sunset Park), both with brewers with homebrewing roots, will likely open by springtime. But while they wait for the all-clear to open, they’re hosting a preview event next Friday night at 8:30pm, with ticket sales going to raise funds for nonprofits. Tickets are $35, and include four beers and a pour of liquor from Arcane Distilling. There will also a cash bar at the neighboring Industry City Distillery for your cocktail-drinking needs.
Happy Wilkyversary
It’s been a year since The Wilky(108 Patchen Ave, Bed-Stuy) opened, and if you haven’t checked out this off-the-beaten path gem, this might be the weekend to do it, as they celebrate their first anniversary all weekend. They’ll have some good kegs to tap from the likes of Hill Farmstead, Grimm, Suarez, Cascade, Jack’s Abby, and many more. Plus, they’ll be debuting their collaboration beer with Kings County Brewers Collective, Wilkyversary #1, a pomegranate sour. Free bottle pours and hourly giveaways are on tap, too. Things get underway Saturday at opening and run through Sunday close.
New Hours at LIC Beer Project
Because Wednesday is the Thursday of the midweek, LIC Beer Project(39-28 23rd St, Long Island City) now has Wednesday evening hours in their taproom for your drinking pleasure.
Death Ave is Brewing
Manhattan’s newest brewpub is finally gearing up to launch their first beers. Death Ave Brewing Company(315 10th Ave, Chelsea) has had a brewpub license for over a year now, but their basement brewery has finally been fired up to brew their first batches. Keep an eye and ear for the debut of their house beers soon.
Nods to New York
There’s an arbitrary list of breweries put out seemingly every day in a national publication, but it’s still worth noting Beer Advocate’s “Class of 2016″ article, listing the nation’s top new breweries, included three from New York State, all of which will be familiar to NYC beer drinkers: Brooklyn’s own Interboro, Peekskill vet Jeff O’Neill’s new Industrial Arts in Rockland County, and the deservedly-hyped Suarez Family Brewery in Hudson.
Bottles and Cans and Just Clap Your Hands
Singlecut’s got fresh cans of Softly Spoken Magic Spells and their Imperial IPA Harry Doesn’t Mind at their taproom Friday at 4pm for $20 per 4-pack. Other Half drops cans of All Green Everything, All Citra Everything, Small Green Everything, and
Double Dry Hopped Space Diamonds at their taproom on Saturday at 10am ($15-20/4-pk). Finback debuts their new MK Ultra, a double IPA dry hopped with Lemondrop and Simcoe ($17/4-pk), plus fresh cans of IPA and bottles of The Sun Is Too Bright, a black gose brewed with lemon peel and aged in red wine barrels ($11/bottle), on Saturday at 1pm.
In the summer of 2014, on a trip to Asheville, my friends and I stumbled upon a small – call it cozy – taproom on the south side of town with beers being brewed off a one-barrel brewhouse. Normally, we’re skeptical of this kind of setup, but we were impressed by the beers being made on a glorified homebrew system. Burial Beer Co. has since expanded to a ten-barrel brewhouse and their reputation among craft beer geeks has expanded nationwide for their creative brews like the Skillet Donut Stout, Bolo Coconut Brown, and Gang of Blades Double IPA. They’ve also collaborated with NYC brewers like Other Half and Transmitter, calling the city “a second home.” Next week, they’ll begin distribution in New York City with some events to celebrate their launch here.
Folksbier’s tasting room is ready for prime time. (Photo via Instagram)
For more than two years, Folksbier has been quietly brewing a host of German-inspired lagers and ales out of its brewery in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, distributing them to some select accounts throughout the city. While the beers have appeared on tap at many popular beer bars, the brewery, founded by Travis Kauffman in 2014, has often flown under the radar. But with an expansion complete, Folksbier is ready to welcome in beer drinkers to their facility with a tasting room that officially opens this weekend.
The tasting room includes some special touches, like custom hard-carved bar stools and tap handles, wood paneling, and salvaged antique doors. From it, you’ll be able to sip beers like their Helles Simple, Glow Up Berliner Weisse, and Santiam Pils, made with hops harvested from Kauffman’s family hop farm in Northern Michigan.
The brewery is located at 101 Luquer Street, a 9-minute walk from the Smith-9th Street stop on the F and G Trains. It’s also a short walk from Other Half’s taproom, for those looking for a fun weekend afternoon beer excursion. This weekend, Folksbier’s tasting room will be open Friday from 4pm-midnight, Saturday from noon-midnight, and Sunday from noon-10pm. They’re also soft open tonight, for those looking to break in the city’s newest place to drink beer at the source.
Things have been extremely busy here at Brew York the last few weeks (I have other responsibilities, believe it or not, beyond beer), but don’t worry! We’ve got the freshest news from New York’s beer scene, including the latest new arrivals and releases. As always, follow us on Twitter for easily-digestible updates.
Experience Zero Gravity
The latest out-of-state brewery to launch in New York City: Burlington, Vermont’s Zero Gravity Craft Brewery. The brewery launched in 2004 at the town’s American Flatbread outpost, but has since expanded into a production facility in Burlington’s South End, making a mark on the state’s beer scene with their Green State Lager and Conehead IPA to name a few. In our opinion, they rank among Vermont’s best breweries, but it’s easy to get overshadowed in a state with cult favorites like Hill Farmstead and The Alchemist. Their beers are also canned for easily-carried consumption. Look for them around the city now – kegs started dropping last week.
Beer geeks around the city, strap on your drinking shoes. This week brings the arrival of two sought-after breweries to tap lines across the five boroughs. Everett, Massachusetts-based Night Shift Brewing and Naperville, Illinois’ own Solemn Oath Brewery both roll out kegs in New York this week.
