If You Can Make It Here, You'll Make It Anywhere

Location of Origin: 79 North 11th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249, USA
Date Established: 1988
Category: Independent, Regional, Partly Outsourced, Craft Brewery with Multiple Facilities (Contract), and Moderate National (25 states) and International (20 countries) Distribution

As Sinatra and Shawn Carter will tell you, New York City is a place where your dreams come true. But as Steve Hindy and Tom Potter, co founders of the Brooklyn Brewery will tell you, it's not that simple. The Brooklyn Brewing industry was once a grand and thriving sector, with roughly 50 breweries in the borough preceeding prohibition in the early 1900s. After the repeal of the amendment, the breweries began slowly dying off because of the emergence of commercially successful macrobreweries in the Midwestern States, with Brooklyn's last early brewery (Rheingold) closing its doors in 1976. Following the founding of their brewery in 1988, times weren't exactly perfect for Hindy and Potter. Heavy crime in the form of scheming mobsters, and armed robbers plagued Brooklyn and the brewery. Publicans and restaurant owners weren't buying into the idea that Brooklyn was back in the brewing scene. Until 1996, the brewery had troubles with expansion and all of their beer (including their flagship lager) was contract brewed by Matt Brewing Company upstate in Utica. A slow but steady surge into mainstream brewing was kickstarted after the brewery brought on Garrett Oliver, a New York brewmaster with a respectable reputation in the city, who was the primary architect behind a major rebranding and the opening of a plant in Brooklyn, officially inaugurated by then Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Today, the brewery is further expanding with capacity doubling nearly by the year. Brooklyn's beer is enjoyed in 20 countries all over the world. It might have been a rough start for the guys at Brooklyn, but come on... In New York, there's nothing you can't do.

Reviewed Beer from Brooklyn Brewery


1-14-13 - Black Chocoalte Stout

All rated Beer from Brooklyn Brewery

4-14-12 - East India Pale Ale - 2.64, English India Pale Ale, 6.90%
This medium bodied beer is brewed with four kinds of hops, giving it a fairly hoppy and bitter character, flavor, aroma, and finish. Somewhat strong with a near 7% ABV, this beer has a subtle warming effect, felt especially during colder nights. Great with a stronger cheddar and spicy foods.
4-14-12 - Pennant Ale '55 - 2.98, Engilsh Pale Ale, 5.00%
Brewed as a living homage to the 1955 World Champion Brooklyn Dodgers, this is a pale ale which has an atypical maltiness and lower bitter character to it. Medium light bodied with a gravity of 12.5, this beer uses a wide array of malts and four kinds of hops. Available year-round, be sure to pick this up in the summer as this is a great, lighter beer for the ball game.
4-14-12 - Brown Ale - 3.17, American Brown Ale, 5.60%
A nice, malty yet slightly hoppy brew, this beer utilizes the characteristics of six malts. A somewhat sweet beer, fruity and malty flavors are featured above the slight bitter aftertaste and easy drinkability. This is a smooth, medium bodied beer which goes great with meats and sharp cheeses.
8-12-11 - Post Road Pumpkin Ale - 2.46, Pumpkin Ale, 5.00%
Not exactly the best pumpkin ale we had this season, but certainly not all disappointment. This spiced brew pours clear rich amber with a pie-like aroma and a lower viscosity. This is a moderately bodied beer with some prominent maltiness and expected sweet notes. Good with... you guessed it, pumpkin anything.
7-27-11 - Main Engine Start Ale - 3.42, Belgian Pale Ale, 6.20%
Brewed originally as an inaugurial brew for Brooklyn's new brewing facility, this is a fairly confident, medium bodied, bitter, and somewhat warming beer that celebrates the start of new beginnings. Originally made available for a few months following the opening of their new brewery in 2011, this beer goes great with many food pairings and is best enjoyed in the cold winter months.
4-21-11 - Black Chocolate Stout - 3.24, American Imperial Stout, 10.00%
Please see review above. This is a seasonal, hefty, full bodied, imperial with a relatively high level of bitterness and a gravity of 21.7. This is not a typical Russian Imperial as this contains a higher amount of hops and a notable amount of wheat. Brewed and distributed during the winter months. Enjoy with dessert.
5-14-10 - Brooklyn Lager - 2.95, All-Malt Lager, 5.20%
The Brooklyn flagship brew. This is a lager which features a slighly hoppy character and grainy flavor and aftertaste. Completed with Two-Row malts and three kinds of hops, this is a well balanced, easy going lager which is great during the summer, and goes well with pretty much any food pairing.