Fox New Business was onsite at Brooklyn Brewery last week discussing the craft beer business. Few talking points to throw out – Beer sales in the United States down 3% overall. Craft beer (Microbreweries) up 9%. Employ Continue Reading →
Yesterday (Feb 14) Mayor Michael Bloomberg official cut the ribbon on Brooklyn Brewing’s expansion. Bloomberg was joined by brewery president Steve Hnidy, and Brewmaster Garrett Oliver, plus business partners.
Brooklyn’s expansion will increase the capacity of the brewery from 12,000 barrels to 120,000 barrels a year. For those of you that aren’t aware, a lot of Brooklyn’s beer is currently contracted to Matt Brewery in Utica, NY. Between Brooklyn and Matt Brewing, Brooklyn’s production was 108,000 barrels of beer.
Facts About Brooklyn’s Expansion (Per the press release):
– Brooklyn grew by 20% despite capacity issues in 2010.
– Brooklyn expects major growth over the next 3 years (Sales expect to double)
– $800,000 grant from The Empire State Development Corp was given to Brooklyn. Purpose, to spur development & job creation in New York.
– The first beer brewed in the new expansion is “Main Engine Start” an abbey style single
Read on for the full press release
A few sources close to Brooklyn Brewing’s distributors are telling me that the brewery has promoted their recent Brewmaster’s Reserve Sorachi Ace to a year round offering.
Sorachi Ace is a farmhouse ale released early 2010 brewed with a rare unique hop Continue Reading →
This is exciting to find in your inbox this AM. A new beer from Brooklyn Brewing. “Main Engine Start”. This beer will be Trappist/Abbey style, with Belgian yeast strains etc. The name references the first beer brewed in the new brewhouse. Main engine is a part of Brooklyn’s “Brewmasters Reserve” series and will be draft only.
From Brooklyn:
We know what you’re thinking. You think we’ve lost our minds. “Main Engine Start”? That’s okay — no worries — but actually we haven’t lost anything at all. We just gained a new brewery here in Brooklyn. A few months ago, we busted through the brewhouse wall into another building and expanded our fermentation cellars. Now we’ve just finished installing a big shiny new set of German brewhouse equipment. Over the coming years, we’re going to brew you a lot of fun new beers on this baby.
It’s cold, making it a perfect time to drink a barleywine. Following on the heels on a non-existent beer “Black Ops” is Brooklyn Brewing’s “Monster Barleywine”.
Commercial Description:
Brooklyn Monster is a classic barleywine, a style of ale originally brewed by the Continue Reading →
It’s here. One of Brooklyn Brewing’s rarest beers- Black Ops. Take an imperial stout, age it in bourbon barrels, bottle it flat, then add a champagne yeast for bottle conditioning. It is a tasty no brainer.
Brooklyn Black Ops does not Continue Reading →
There is always mystery surrounding this beer. Only 2 people at Brooklyn Brewing know the recipe. No one knows when this beer arrives until it hits distributors. There are variances to each years release also. What you do need to Continue Reading →
Fox New Business was onsite at Brooklyn Brewery last week discussing the craft beer business. Few talking points to throw out – Beer sales in the United States down 3% overall. Craft beer (Microbreweries) up 9%. Employ 100,000 people full or part time. 1,700 active breweries in the U.S. 500 in planning according to The Brewers Association.
Full Article —> Fox New Business
Yesterday (Feb 14) Mayor Michael Bloomberg official cut the ribbon on Brooklyn Brewing’s expansion. Bloomberg was joined by brewery president Steve Hnidy, and Brewmaster Garrett Oliver, plus business partners.
Brooklyn’s expansion will increase the capacity of the brewery from 12,000 barrels to 120,000 barrels a year. For those of you that aren’t aware, a lot of Brooklyn’s beer is currently contracted to Matt Brewery in Utica, NY. Between Brooklyn and Matt Brewing, Brooklyn’s production was 108,000 barrels of beer.
Facts About Brooklyn’s Expansion (Per the press release):
– Brooklyn grew by 20% despite capacity issues in 2010.
– Brooklyn expects major growth over the next 3 years (Sales expect to double)
– $800,000 grant from The Empire State Development Corp was given to Brooklyn. Purpose, to spur development & job creation in New York.
– The first beer brewed in the new expansion is “Main Engine Start” an abbey style single
Full Press Release:
BROOKLYN, NY (Feb 2011) – New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will cut the ribbon to inaugurate the local expansion of The Brooklyn Brewery on Monday, Feb 14, at 10am.
The mayor will join brewery President Steve Hindy, Brewmaster Garrett Oliver and partners Robin and Eric Ottaway at the 79 North 11th St brewery in the Williamsburg neighborhood. Also attending will be Borough President Marty Markowitz, Assemblyman Joe Lentol, state Senator Daniel Squadron and Peter Davidson of the Empire State Development Corp.
The $8 million expansion will increase the capacity of the Brooklyn brewery from 12,000 barrels a year (1 barrel = 14 cases of beer) to 120,000 barrels. Last year, the brewery sold 108,000 barrels of beer, most of it produced under contract at the Matt Brewery in Utica, NY.
“The expansion of our Brooklyn brewery means that most of our growth in the next three years will be in Brooklyn,” said Hindy. “We expect to double our sales in the next three years.”
The brewery grew by 20% in 2010 in spite of capacity limitations.
The Empire State Development Corp. gave the brewery an $800,000 grant for the project from the Downstate Revitalization Fund, which is aimed at spurring development and job creation in New York.
The Brooklyn Brewery was started in 1988 by Hindy, a former Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, and his Brooklyn neighbor, Tom Potter, a former banker. Potter retired from the business in 2004, and he now is starting a distillery in Brooklyn, the New York Distilling Co.
Craft brewers like Brooklyn Brewery are growing rapidly at a time when overall beer consumption in the United States is falling. In 2009, beer consumption declined by 2.5% and in 2010 by 2%. Craft beer grew by 10% in both of those years. The Brooklyn Brewery grew by 20% in those years.
The Brooklyn Brewery searched unsuccessfully for more space to expand its Brooklyn operations over the past five years. “It wasn’t until the economy tanked that we were able to negotiate a lease that we could live with,” said Hindy. In the end, the brewery acquired space directly adjacent to the brewing facility they opened in 1996.
The expansion also will allow for tours and special events on weekdays. Previously, the only public hours were Friday 6-11pm, Saturdays noon-8pm and Sundays noon-6p
Link to Bloomberg’s Site About event —> http://www.mikebloomberg.com/
A few sources close to Brooklyn Brewing’s distributors are telling me that the brewery has promoted their recent Brewmaster’s Reserve Sorachi Ace to a year round offering.
Sorachi Ace is a farmhouse ale released early 2010 brewed with a rare unique hop Sorachi ace. It was developed in Japan at Sapporo Brewery in 1988. Ace is a cross between British Brewers Gold and Saaz hop varieties. This hop is very lemony in smell and flavor. Unlike other offerings by Brooklyn, Sorachi Ace features only this hop. Ace is unfiltered, uses a proprietary Belgian yeast strain, and is dry hopped also with Sorachi. Also bottle re fermented.
Ace became quite popular very fast, and with Brooklyn Brewing’s recent expansion promoting this beer seems like a no-brainer.
This is exciting to find in your inbox this AM. A new beer from Brooklyn Brewing. “Main Engine Start”. This beer will be Trappist/Abbey style, with Belgian yeast strains etc. The name references the first beer brewed in the new brewhouse. Main engine is a part of Brooklyn’s “Brewmasters Reserve” series and will be draft only.
From Brooklyn:
We know what you’re thinking. You think we’ve lost our minds. “Main Engine Start”? That’s okay — no worries — but actually we haven’t lost anything at all. We just gained a new brewery here in Brooklyn. A few months ago, we busted through the brewhouse wall into another building and expanded our fermentation cellars. Now we’ve just finished installing a big shiny new set of German brewhouse equipment. Over the coming years, we’re going to brew you a lot of fun new beers on this baby.
First, though, it’s time to rev this whole thing up and get it humming. The first beer out of our new brewhouse is Brooklyn Main Engine Start, a burnished gold ale in the rare “Abbey Singel” style, reminiscent of the un-filtered beers that Trappist monks make for themselves. It’s dry and biscuity on the palate, with a lilt of spicy Belgian yeast character and a snappy hop bite. Judicious dry hopping with Slovenian Aurora hops lends an appetizing herbal note. It’s tasty enough to stick with for the whole evening, and at about 6% ABV, it won’t have you tripping over snow banks after just one.
We know it’s winter and you might have been expecting something heavy and dark, but right now we’re just not in a heavy and dark mood. In fact, we’re feeling pretty cheerful, and we want to celebrate with a bunch of our friends and a few pints of beer. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by during our tour hours and see the new brewery. If you’ve seen the brewery before, you’ll be amazed what we’ve done with the place. It’s cold outside — stay a while. We’re going for Main Engine Start.
Style: Abbey Ale
Hops: German Perle, East Kent Golding, Slovenian Aurora
Malts: British 2-Row, British Crystal Malt, Belgian Aromatic Malt, Honey Malt.
6.2% ABV
Arrival: Mid-February, 2011
It’s cold, making it a perfect time to drink a barleywine. Following on the heels on a non-existent beer “Black Ops” is Brooklyn Brewing’s “Monster Barleywine”.
Commercial Description:
Brooklyn Monster is a classic barleywine, a style of ale originally brewed by the butlers to the English and American aristocracy. Brewed from three mashes of heirloom British malt and spiced with aromatic American Willamette, Cascade, & Fuggle hops. After 4 months of aging, it has a magnificent burnished copper color, an aroma redolent of sherry, citrusy hops & fruit, a soft, warming, complex palate, a spiritous finish, and a strength of 10.8%.
Style: Barleywine
Hops: Willamette, Cascade, American Fuggle
Malts: Scottish Floor Malted Marris Otter & English 2-Row
Taste Expectations: Full malt flavor, molasses & toffee. Caramel, dried fruit. Citrus, bit of warming alcohol.
Availability: 12oz/6pks. Draft. December-March, seasonal.
Cellar? Yes. Under the proper conditions – years.
10.3% ABV
It’s here. One of Brooklyn Brewing’s rarest beers- Black Ops. Take an imperial stout, age it in bourbon barrels, bottle it flat, then add a champagne yeast for bottle conditioning. It is a tasty no brainer.
Brooklyn Black Ops does not exist. However, if it did exist, it would be a robust stout concocted by the Brooklyn brewing team under cover of secrecy and hidden from everyone else at the brewery. Supposedly “Black ops” was aged for four months in bourbon barrels, bottled flat, and re-fermented with Champagne yeast, creating big chocolate and coffee flavors with a rich underpinning of vanilla-like oat notes. They say there are only 1,000 cases. We have no idea what they’re talking about.”
Style: Russian Imperial Stout (Barrel aged)
Taste Expectations: Vanilla, chocolate, oak, touch of coffee. Lets not complicate it.
Availability: 22oz bottles. Corked, caged. 1000 cases total.
10% ABV
Looking for this? Green’s, Hop City, Tower, Mink’s Package. Porter Beer Bar. More to follow.
There is always mystery surrounding this beer. Only 2 people at Brooklyn Brewing know the recipe. No one knows when this beer arrives until it hits distributors. There are variances to each years release also. What you do need to know – it’s a Russian imperial stout aged in bourbon oak barrels. Bottled flat, and bottle conditioned with champagne yeast.
Black Ops is a big beer, 10% abv, and should be on your beer bucket list. Great news, it just hit the distributor. Be on the lookout for it. You’ll be happy you did.
Stay tuned for more info, and follow me on twitter – @ATLBeerMaster
(Thanks to Mink’s Package for the heads up…)
