Queens Brewery

Where do you go to find good beer in NYC?

Queens Brewery

Queens Brewery is a gem that I would highly recommend you find. It's in Ridgewood, Queens, right across the county line from Bushwick, and can be a hike depending where you're coming from. But if you can catch the L (and the MTA is running properly) it's a real easy two blocks off the Halsey Street stop. We checked them out on a Saturday in mid-July when the heat index was approaching the hundreds, and full disclosure, there isn't any air conditioning. But the inside is wide open and spacious and had a couple industrial size fans going, and although we were warm, it wasn't unbearable. Cold beer and fun company made the trip worth it.

The inside is huge and open, and has the feel of an industrial take on a German Bierhaus. Looking through their webpage and Instagram account, it seems they do a pretty serious Oktoberfest celebration. They're relatively new, and still getting all of their paperwork in order for brewing, so when we went they had four of their own beers on tap and couple guest spots from King's County Brewing Collective right across the borough border.

We were greeted by the "guest bartender", who in reality was the very friendly and welcoming owner, Nelson D. Rockefeller. We felt right at home. The regulars were friendly and chatty, and the staff were very generous with taster pours and whiskey shots (chilled, thankfully, given the heat). But on to the beers.

I started off with their IPS (India Pale Saison). I pride myself on having had at least a taste of most beer styles, but this was a subgenre I hadn't really had a chance to try yet. I'm glad I did. The hops weren't overpowering, but were present a good amount while still allowing the saison pepper flavor to shine through. There was a little bit of funk to it, and I'm not sure which yeast they may have used, but I'm always welcoming of this flavor when it's supposed to be present. Overall a great beer, and one I would definitely have again. Shannon had their QS1, which is their farmhouse ale. I'm not sure if this is always made with pineapples, but this version was, and pineapples are a way to my wife's heart. Another excellent beer, especially on a hot summer day. It was refreshing and crisp, while not being overly sweet. We also made sure to try their Blaut. The Queens Blau is one of their flagship beers, an IPA brewed with blueberries. This was a take on that, being an oatmeal stout brewed with blueberries. It was truly a delicious beer, even on a summer day. Anyone can tell you that I will drink dark beer any day of the year.

We loved this place, and despite it not being convenient to where we live at all, will probably try to check it out again. According to Nelson, they're just weeks out from finalizing all of their legal stuff and will start brewing immediately, sometimes doing up to sixteen different brews on tap. There was even some talk of eventually doing distilling as well. If you want to get in on the ground floor of what is surely an up and coming brewery, make sure you check out Queens Brewing sooner rather than later.