Thanks to a new law, you can now hoist a pint at Queens’ Rockaway Brewing (Photo via RockawayBrewCo on Instagram)
Last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Craft New York Act, another piece of legislation in a long line of improvements to boost the craft beer industry over the past few years. This latest round of legislation was inspired by the state’s second Wine, Beer, Spirits & Cider Summit back in April, which brought state officials and craft beverage makers together to discuss ways to ease regulatory burdens, promote the industry, and create jobs. The act went into effect this weekend, and New York’s craft breweries sprang into action to take advantage of the new laws.
We’re big fans of the site The Infatuation, and particularly big fans of their feature “Welp…” where they comb through one of the most insufferable realms of self-entitlement and terrible opinions on the Internet – Yelp reviews. Our friend Cory Bonfiglio of Beer Street in Williamsburg came across this gem of a Yelp review of their newly-relaunched bar:
I know. Can you believe there’s such a thing as “gourmet beer” and they charge more money for it than “normal beer?” Give me break.
Here are some more of our favorite oblivious reviews of craft beer bars…
There’s less than two weeks until Christmas, and less than a week until Hanukkah, and when it comes to gift shopping, you’re probably running out of ideas. But there’s good news! If you’ve got a beer lover in your life (or you just like beer yourself), Monday’s Holiday Book Market at Brooklyn Brewery(79 N. 11th St., at Wythe Ave., Williamsburg) is the perfect place to stock up.
Monday night, December 15th at 7:30, the brewery will transform in to a celebration of beer books – with plenty of beer to drink. Authors of some great books about beer will be there to sell and sign books and mingle with beer lovers. Brooklyn Brewery’s Steve Hindy (The Craft Beer Revolution) and Garrett Oliver (The Oxford Companion to Beer) will be there, along with Shmaltz’s Jeremy Cowan (Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah) and writers John Holl (The American Craft Beer Cookbook), Ben Keene (The Great Northeast Brewery Tour), and Beer Union’s Sarah and Giancarlo Annese (Beer Lover’s New York), just to name a few. Come in, peruse their books, sip on some beer, chat with the authors, and repeat.
Oh yeah… about that beer. The $20 ticket to the event also includes unlimited beer from Brooklyn Brewery, including their new Brewmaster’s Reserve, Quadraceratops, the seasonal Winter Ale, the crisp Sorachi Ace, and more. This is probably one of the most painless ways to do your holiday shopping. Happy browsing!
Finback Brewery is the next New York City brewery to get in on the bottling game, and it’s just in time to make a holiday gift. This weekend, they will debut two beers in these 750mL bottles, and they’re both doozies that are best shared with others.
First up is the beloved Barrel-Aged BQE, their highly-regarded Imperial Stout that’s their highest-rated beer on Untappd. It’s rich, it’s boozy, and it was aging for months in Four Roses Bourbon Barrels before it was hand-bottled.
Also available is their Smoke Detection, a collaboration brew with Long Island’s Blind Bat Brewery. It’s an English Mild brewed with cherrywood smoked malt. At 4.6% ABV, it’s a easy drinker, but still a nice roasty sipper for those cold winter nights.
Both will be available starting Sunday at 2pm at the brewery (78-01 77th Ave., at 78th St., Glendale). There’s a limit of two per customer, and they’re priced at $15 each. Finback will also be distributing a handful of the bottles to select bottle shops at the end of next week.
The shiny bar and tanks are in place in Gowanus (Photo on left via Facebook; Photo on right: Chris O'Leary)
The wait is over for Brooklyn’s newest brewpub. Threes Brewing(333 Douglass St., at 4th Ave., Gowanus) will officially open for business on Thursday at 4pm. Threes is the third brewpub to open in Brooklyn this year (after Dirck the Norseman and Keg & Lantern) and the 11th brewery to open in the five boroughs this year.
Delta now offers New York-brewed beer on flights from JFK and LGA
This month, Delta Air Lines became one of the many airlines offering craft beer on board their flights, after years of offering Blue Moon as their singular “crafty” option. Brooklyn Lager and Blue Point Toasted Lager will be served on select flights out of JFK Airport and LaGuardia, respectively, as the airline develops a craft beer program that’s focused on regional offerings near their hubs.
It’s not the first time New York craft beer has been served in the skies. Brooklyn Lager is served along side Sam Adams Boston Lager on Jetblue. On Delta flights other than those depicted above, Sam Adams will be the lone craft beer option.
