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Talea operates two taprooms in Brooklyn.
Molly Tavoletti/Talea

The Best Local Breweries for Grabbing a Crisp, Cold Pint in NYC

Where to find tart sours and hazy IPAs across the city

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Talea operates two taprooms in Brooklyn.
| Molly Tavoletti/Talea

This city has no shortage of craft beer bars, watering holes where some of the region’s best brews are on display, but there’s a something special about grabbing a pint in the same building it was made. Bartenders are often more informed, for one, and the beer is fresh. Plus, sitting down to a flight is one of the best ways to get a feel for a brewer’s style.

From a woman-owned brewery winning over IPA haters to longtime stalwarts in the Bronx and Queens, this list of local breweries includes spots with food trucks, beer slushies, and year-round backyards. The beers listed in the descriptions below can change regularly, and BeerMenus is usually the best bet for an updated list of drinks on tap.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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Gun Hill Brewing Company

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Nestled in the East Bronx is Gun Hill Brewing Company, named one of the state’s most underrated breweries by Thrillist in 2019. The menu boasts a handful of award-winning beers — the Spirit 76 pilsner and Void of Light stout are both worth trying — along with more experimental drinks customers are unlikely to find elsewhere, like Henny Colada sour IPAs and a (Benedict) Arnold Palmer Berliner Weisse-style brew with lemonade and tea. Canned beers are available for takeout, too.

The Bronx Brewery

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Anchoring the northernmost borough’s beer scene is the Bronx Brewery. This decade-old brewer sells its most popular beers across the city, but the taproom is worth a special visit for its seasonal releases and sprawling backyard, open seven days a week. The brewery recently opened a taproom in the East Village, too, with a downstairs food counter slinging smash burgers that are better than you’d expect.

Big aLICe Brewing

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Named after its home neighborhood, Long Island City (LIC), Big aLICe distinguishes itself with easy-drinking pours made from less common ingredients. Its rye beer is brewed with jalapenos and the restaurant has farmhouse ales made from figs and local honey. The Queens brewery operation also runs a taproom out of Industry City in Sunset Park.

Alewife Brewing

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Alewife earned its following as a small brewpub in Long Island City, where its rare, small-batch beers turned the taproom into a citywide destination. It’s since moved to this larger outpost in Queens, where the company has more space for on-premise brewing. There’s some 16 beers on tap at a time, including fruited sours and its popular Death to Ego IPA.

Fifth Hammer Brewing Company

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Fifth Hammer joined Long Island City’s vibrant brewing scene in 2017. Beers are broken down into fun, easy to decode categories — “the bright bunch,” fruited sours, and “the hop zone,” among others — making it easy to sift through the 16 or so beers on tap. The brewery allows customers to bring outside food into the venue (we recommend Taiwanese dumpling spot Yumpling, five blocks away), while food trucks and pop-ups operate out of the space on weekends.

Torch & Crown Brewing Company

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Torch and Crown opened this massive brewery early in the pandemic, becoming the only large-scale brewing operation in lower Manhattan. (The company previously operated out of a production facility in the Bronx.) This Soho brewery can become a bro breeding ground on weekends, but for those who persevere, smooth sours and sippable West Coast IPAs await. There’s plenty of indoor seating, along with tables out front and in a covered side yard.

Inside a brewery with some brew tanks on the side, wooden flooring, and bar seats on the right
Inside Torch & Crown.
Torch & Crown

Talea Beer Co.

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Talea is the youngest brewery on this list and easily one of the most exciting. The beer company comes from Tara Hankinson and LeAnn Darland, two of the city’s only female brewery owners who are on a quest to win over New Yorkers who may have been nudged out of beer by bitter IPAs and the bros who serve them. Sours are well represented here, while IPAs lean hazy and are often brewed with tropical flavors like mango, pineapple, and passion fruit. There’s a smaller taproom in Cobble Hill now, too.

The exterior of Talea, a brewery based in Brooklyn, New York.
Talea, one of the city’s only women-owned breweries.
Sydney Butler/Talea

Grimm Artisanal Ales

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Grimm is responsible for some of the city’s cutest beer cans, and in this case, it’s okay to judge a book by its cover. The taproom and brewery in East Williamsburg is a high-temple to sour ales, brewed with mango, key lime, and seasonal fruits. There are some 24 beers on tap at a given time, and don’t hesitate to ask the friendly bartenders here for a recommendation or sample before committing to a pint.

An assortment of four colorful beers from Grimm, a brewery based in East Williamsburg.
Beers from Grimm.
Grimm

Interboro Spirits & Ales

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What this East Williamsburg brewery lacks in size, it more than makes up for with its menu of barrel-aged sours and single, double, and triple IPAs. Commit to a full pint, or pick out a couple four-ounce pours as part of a flight. Looking for something lighter? Try a canned cocktail, or pop open one of Interboro’s 500 milliliter beer bottles, only available at the brewery and perfect for sharing.

Kings County Brewers Collective

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A restaurant manager, an advertising executive, and a molecular biologist walk into a bar. It sounds like the punchline to a joke, but it’s the founding story behind this brewery and taproom, which has been holding things down in Bushwick since 2016. Often abbreviated as KCBC, Kings County Brewers Collective serves several of its own beers on draft — a red currant and guava sour, a hazy pale ale called Penguin Pizza Party — plus a handful of pours from other breweries.

Evil Twin Brewing

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Tart smoothie beers, sours brewed french toast bagels, and “pastry seltzers” are all par for the course at this cult-favorite brewery from Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, the twin brother of Mikkel Borg Bjergso, who runs global beer brand Mikkeller. There’s a “hidden” cocktail bar located on premises and the Ridgewood brewery runs a smaller taproom in Dumbo with many of the same pours.

Picnic tables and umbrellas are arranged in the side yard of a Queens brewery, Evil Twin.
Evil Twin’s side yard is peak summer drinking.
Evil Twin

Threes Brewing

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The CEO of this Gowanus beer company stepped down in early 2022, after likening the city’s vaccine mandate to the Nazi regime, but the brewery he left behind remains a top pick for Brooklyn beer obsessives. There’s a big backyard, around 20 beers on tap, and burgers courtesy of the Meat Hook butcher shop, who operates a kitchen out of the space. Cans from Threes are sold in bars and bodegas across the city, but the brewery provides a chance to try them all in one place, plus a rotating menu of limited-run ales.

The interior of Threes Brewing, a bar and taproom located in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The bar and taproom at Threes Brewing.
Daniel Krieger/Eater NY

Finback Brooklyn

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Brooklyn beer nerds have been griping about the trek to Glendale, where Finback is headquartered, for about a decade. The popular brewer only recently caved to demand, opening this second taproom in Gowanus with beer, dumplings, and coffee. The brewery is known for its single, double, and triple IPAs, but you can usually count on finding a stout or kolsch on tap.

Strong Rope Brewery

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Strong Rope is a great option for those in search of excellent beer — and a calmer crowd than at Threes Brewing, down the street. Blonde ales and lagers are the move here, especially in the warmer months when customers pour out onto the brewery’s patio. Strong Rope operates a second location along the Red Hook waterfront.

Other Half Brewing Company

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This Carroll Gardens brewery has earned a following for its New England IPAs, characterized by a cloudy, hazy appearance and smooth finish. Don’t be deterred by the industrial warehouse-style entrance, or the roar of the BQE overhead: This is a welcoming space with a team that’s happy to offer recommendations. Other Half has additional locations at Domino Park and Rockefeller Center.

A hand clutches a double IPA can from Brooklyn brewing company Other Half.
Top of the Broc, a double IPA from Other Half.
Tishman Speyer

Gun Hill Brewing Company

Nestled in the East Bronx is Gun Hill Brewing Company, named one of the state’s most underrated breweries by Thrillist in 2019. The menu boasts a handful of award-winning beers — the Spirit 76 pilsner and Void of Light stout are both worth trying — along with more experimental drinks customers are unlikely to find elsewhere, like Henny Colada sour IPAs and a (Benedict) Arnold Palmer Berliner Weisse-style brew with lemonade and tea. Canned beers are available for takeout, too.

The Bronx Brewery

Anchoring the northernmost borough’s beer scene is the Bronx Brewery. This decade-old brewer sells its most popular beers across the city, but the taproom is worth a special visit for its seasonal releases and sprawling backyard, open seven days a week. The brewery recently opened a taproom in the East Village, too, with a downstairs food counter slinging smash burgers that are better than you’d expect.

Big aLICe Brewing

Named after its home neighborhood, Long Island City (LIC), Big aLICe distinguishes itself with easy-drinking pours made from less common ingredients. Its rye beer is brewed with jalapenos and the restaurant has farmhouse ales made from figs and local honey. The Queens brewery operation also runs a taproom out of Industry City in Sunset Park.

Alewife Brewing

Alewife earned its following as a small brewpub in Long Island City, where its rare, small-batch beers turned the taproom into a citywide destination. It’s since moved to this larger outpost in Queens, where the company has more space for on-premise brewing. There’s some 16 beers on tap at a time, including fruited sours and its popular Death to Ego IPA.

Fifth Hammer Brewing Company

Fifth Hammer joined Long Island City’s vibrant brewing scene in 2017. Beers are broken down into fun, easy to decode categories — “the bright bunch,” fruited sours, and “the hop zone,” among others — making it easy to sift through the 16 or so beers on tap. The brewery allows customers to bring outside food into the venue (we recommend Taiwanese dumpling spot Yumpling, five blocks away), while food trucks and pop-ups operate out of the space on weekends.

Torch & Crown Brewing Company

Torch and Crown opened this massive brewery early in the pandemic, becoming the only large-scale brewing operation in lower Manhattan. (The company previously operated out of a production facility in the Bronx.) This Soho brewery can become a bro breeding ground on weekends, but for those who persevere, smooth sours and sippable West Coast IPAs await. There’s plenty of indoor seating, along with tables out front and in a covered side yard.

Inside a brewery with some brew tanks on the side, wooden flooring, and bar seats on the right
Inside Torch & Crown.
Torch & Crown

Talea Beer Co.

Talea is the youngest brewery on this list and easily one of the most exciting. The beer company comes from Tara Hankinson and LeAnn Darland, two of the city’s only female brewery owners who are on a quest to win over New Yorkers who may have been nudged out of beer by bitter IPAs and the bros who serve them. Sours are well represented here, while IPAs lean hazy and are often brewed with tropical flavors like mango, pineapple, and passion fruit. There’s a smaller taproom in Cobble Hill now, too.

The exterior of Talea, a brewery based in Brooklyn, New York.
Talea, one of the city’s only women-owned breweries.
Sydney Butler/Talea

Grimm Artisanal Ales

Grimm is responsible for some of the city’s cutest beer cans, and in this case, it’s okay to judge a book by its cover. The taproom and brewery in East Williamsburg is a high-temple to sour ales, brewed with mango, key lime, and seasonal fruits. There are some 24 beers on tap at a given time, and don’t hesitate to ask the friendly bartenders here for a recommendation or sample before committing to a pint.

An assortment of four colorful beers from Grimm, a brewery based in East Williamsburg.
Beers from Grimm.
Grimm

Interboro Spirits & Ales

What this East Williamsburg brewery lacks in size, it more than makes up for with its menu of barrel-aged sours and single, double, and triple IPAs. Commit to a full pint, or pick out a couple four-ounce pours as part of a flight. Looking for something lighter? Try a canned cocktail, or pop open one of Interboro’s 500 milliliter beer bottles, only available at the brewery and perfect for sharing.

Kings County Brewers Collective

A restaurant manager, an advertising executive, and a molecular biologist walk into a bar. It sounds like the punchline to a joke, but it’s the founding story behind this brewery and taproom, which has been holding things down in Bushwick since 2016. Often abbreviated as KCBC, Kings County Brewers Collective serves several of its own beers on draft — a red currant and guava sour, a hazy pale ale called Penguin Pizza Party — plus a handful of pours from other breweries.

Evil Twin Brewing

Tart smoothie beers, sours brewed french toast bagels, and “pastry seltzers” are all par for the course at this cult-favorite brewery from Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, the twin brother of Mikkel Borg Bjergso, who runs global beer brand Mikkeller. There’s a “hidden” cocktail bar located on premises and the Ridgewood brewery runs a smaller taproom in Dumbo with many of the same pours.

Picnic tables and umbrellas are arranged in the side yard of a Queens brewery, Evil Twin.
Evil Twin’s side yard is peak summer drinking.
Evil Twin

Threes Brewing

The CEO of this Gowanus beer company stepped down in early 2022, after likening the city’s vaccine mandate to the Nazi regime, but the brewery he left behind remains a top pick for Brooklyn beer obsessives. There’s a big backyard, around 20 beers on tap, and burgers courtesy of the Meat Hook butcher shop, who operates a kitchen out of the space. Cans from Threes are sold in bars and bodegas across the city, but the brewery provides a chance to try them all in one place, plus a rotating menu of limited-run ales.

The interior of Threes Brewing, a bar and taproom located in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The bar and taproom at Threes Brewing.
Daniel Krieger/Eater NY

Finback Brooklyn

Brooklyn beer nerds have been griping about the trek to Glendale, where Finback is headquartered, for about a decade. The popular brewer only recently caved to demand, opening this second taproom in Gowanus with beer, dumplings, and coffee. The brewery is known for its single, double, and triple IPAs, but you can usually count on finding a stout or kolsch on tap.

Strong Rope Brewery

Strong Rope is a great option for those in search of excellent beer — and a calmer crowd than at Threes Brewing, down the street. Blonde ales and lagers are the move here, especially in the warmer months when customers pour out onto the brewery’s patio. Strong Rope operates a second location along the Red Hook waterfront.

Other Half Brewing Company

This Carroll Gardens brewery has earned a following for its New England IPAs, characterized by a cloudy, hazy appearance and smooth finish. Don’t be deterred by the industrial warehouse-style entrance, or the roar of the BQE overhead: This is a welcoming space with a team that’s happy to offer recommendations. Other Half has additional locations at Domino Park and Rockefeller Center.

A hand clutches a double IPA can from Brooklyn brewing company Other Half.
Top of the Broc, a double IPA from Other Half.
Tishman Speyer

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