Brooklyn Brewery

If you get the opportunity to see a show at Brooklyn Bowl (or just go bowling), why not sneak around the corner to grab a quick pint at Brooklyn Brewery. These guys have been doing it for a while, and Saturday, August 3rd was the first time we had the chance to get up there.

It's located in North Williamsburg, close to Greenpoint, so unless you live there or in Manhattan, it can be a little bit of a hike. We went on a weekend, and the place was absolutely packed. There were families and kids everywhere. Upon talking to to bartender, I would recommend going on a weekday if you can swing it. They have curated flights during the weekend, and quite frankly, many of the beers are ones that you can get bottled anywhere, such as their lager, Bel Air sour, and Defender IPA. The real reason to come to the brewery is to try some of their rarer beers that you may not see out in the wild, so we opted for full pours instead of flights.

The beers we ordered pints of were big, boozy ones. There were two barleywines on tap, and I went with the one recommended by the bartendar, their Capataz. What really attracted me to it was the fact that it was aged in Sherry barrels, which is a drink I love. The Sherry flavor definitely came through, with notes of oak and vanilla. Luckily, it was a 12 ounce pour, and we had more to do that night, and more of this might have put me on the floor.

Shannon had their MegaPurple, which is a strong, Brett sour that has concentrated grapes added. I was a big fan myself, as I love beers with Brettanomyces. It paired well with the sour, and made another really heavy, fruit forward beer, especially given that it's also aged in Sauvignon Blanc barrels. If you're a sour and/or Brett fan, try to check it out.

Overall, it was worth going to the brewery, but as I mentioned, it's packed on weekends. I doubt we'll venture back unless it's on a weekday night so we can slow down and try more of the exotic offerings. If you do go, be sure to avail yourself of the Mario Kart 64 "arcade" cabinets that are scattered around the room. All in all, good beer, which is what we've come to expect from Brooklyn Brewing.