April 3, 2007
A Beer Garden For Brooklyn?
Last week, Clinton Hill Blog founder Robin Lester posted her findings of a trip taken to the Greenpoint Beer Works, a large brick industrial tucked away on Brooklyn’s Waverly Avenue between Fulton and Atlantic. She and another blog reader met up with operations director and brewer Kelly Taylor, who revealed that in addition to filling Greenpoint’s regular daily work order for Heartland Brewery, he has also been developing his own small batch beer, Kelso of Brooklyn. Currently, Kelso is only available by the keg, in three lager varieties: Nut Brown, Chocolate, and Kelso Hop. Taylor’s web site features a list of local restaurants and pubs that serve Kelso; his ale was also served at last week’s unveiling of the world’s eighth wonder, the new Whole Foods on the Bowery.
Apparently during some part of Clinton Hill Blog’s tour of brewery, Taylor mentioned one idea for Kelso’s future would be to open up part of the Greenpoint Beer Works space as a beer garden, but mentioned that he was “unsure if people would come.” To that end, Lester formed a very ad hoc online exploratory committee in the comments section of her blog, in order to gauge response to the possibility of a beer garden in Brooklyn. Judging by the exclamation point laden comments section of the Clinton Hill Blog, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. “I think it would be a tremendous success,” Lester told Gothamist. “Brooklynites are tremendously loyal to the borough and the products made here. Plus, who doesn't love drinking beer outside on a summer evening? It would bring customers in from all of the surrounding neighborhoods - Fort Greene, Bed-Stuy, Park Slope, Williamsburg and beyond." And of course, as Victor Hugo wrote, there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
For New York in general, a beer garden opening in Brooklyn would actually be the return of an idea that once was. Astoria has the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, which will turn 100 years old in 2010. As their website reminds us, there were once more than 800 beer gardens throughout the five boroughs.
photo: Clinton Hill Blog
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We went to the tour at Brooklyn Brewery at W.Burg, spend a whole hour there and didn't even get a free taste of beer, they say you have to buy your own beer after finishing the tour, what a cheap ass, thats what happen when a i-banker open a brewery, don't bother about the journalist stories about brewing beer in middle east in the hotel bathtub, those are all gimmicks. Not to mention that they only brew so little amount of their products there!
It is universal rules, you go to a brewery tour you got free beer. No matter if you go to the Trappist Monk Monastery in Belgium or XXXX in Brisbane in Ozland, you always get free beer, at least a pint. When you go to Anchor Brewery in San Francisco they let you taste all their beer plus their own whisky for at least 45 mins of time.
Thats why we never buy those Cheap Asses Brooklyn Brewery products anymore.
brooklyn brewery and greenpoint beer works are not the same company, just an fyi.
i'm all for a beer garden - it'll be awesome.
There was also recent discussion of rezoning in Red Hook that would allow for a waterfront Beer Garden. Not sure if that would be for local Six Point or for slightly further north Brooklyn Brewery - but all of this seems to make perfect sense for BKLYN!
If it's the same folk brewing for Heartland, I imagine the emphasis will be on the garden over the beer. It's nice to wile away a few hours in a beer garden, but it's even nicer if the beer is good.
MBW
Just in case the people who are thinking about doing this are reading this, this is an excellent idea, I've had at least a couple conversations with fellow brooklynites about our jealousy of the excellent beer garden in Queens, and how Brooklyn really needs one. So yeah, if you build it, they will come.
As long as it is run well and "beer garden" doesn't turn into "drunken lout garden".
only if it's in williamsburg
Brennen,
It is the same folk that brew for Heartland but they produce that beer under contract, meaning that the brewery has little or no say in the quality or recipes of the beer. Heartland, the company, hires the brewery to make the beer, giving them the recipe, etc. Kelso is the brewery's own label of beer, nothing to do with Heartland except that its made under the same roof, and it is very good.
A beer garden would be a fantastic venture for this neighborhood. There are a limited selection of decent bars, and this would be a welcome addition.
Good news guys...with construction underway, new authentic (old Austro-Hungarian style)Biergarten's coming to Williamsburg, 115 N3rd St.
...will keep you updated...
Any news regarding the beergarden in Wlliamsburg? Will it open in 2007?