Credit: Caroline Lethbridge
Fall always seems to be filled with pumpkin spice lattes, hot cocoa and for others, ciders and beers. We decided to feature a few local NYC breweries and all the fine brews that they offer during this season; and there is a little something for everyone in several parts of this beautiful city.
1. First up the Folks at Folksbier carry Wiesn Bier (5.5% ABV) which is a strong Helles lager that utilizes an intensive step mash, and is brewed with the finest Pilsner and Munich malts. The beer is light but has very clean and alert taste, great for drinking while watching the leaves turn orange with a few friends or at their brewery.
?101-103 Luquer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
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2. Bridge and Tunnel Brewery is offering a few delectable beers in cans or on draft at their tap room, which might tickle your palate:
- 3 Sisters Spiced Pumpkin Ale – 5.8% ABV
- Angry Amel Dunkelweizen – 5.6% ABV
- Tiger Eyes Hazelnut Brown Ale – 5.8% ABV
- Their silver medal award winning: Ol Gilmartin Milk and Oatmeal Stout – 5.8% ABV
- 2019 Fear City Barley Wine – 12% ABV
If beer is not your thing, they also have their own house pressed cider from apples grown and harvested in New York State.
?15-35 Decatur St. Ridgewood, NY 11385
3. Some people don’t think of IPA’s during the fall, but as my beer of choice I will always seek an IPA no matter the season. The Gridlock Hazy IPA has a smooth and full bodied taste, at 6.5% ABV that is important. You can find it at Five Boroughs Brewing Co. on draft or in a can, for your weekend adventures.
?215 47th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11220
4. Up in the Bronx, you are probably familiar with Gun Hill Brewing. This season Gun Hill has the Tried and True Festbier, which is smooth with subtle sweetness, the Smore Smiles, a brown ale reminiscent of toasted marshmallows, graham crackers, and cocoa, and finally the Broadway Boogies an American amber ale with hints of Bergamot tea.
?3227 Laconia Avenue, Bronx, NY 10469
5. Transmitter Brewing is showcasing their NY1 Rye Saison, which was be around Rye Week, last week. It’s sourced from NY Malt and Hop Farms. Another option they have is their Biere de Garde, a fall French country ale with spicy pepper notes. This can be found bottled at a store near you or you can visit their taproom to experience all their farmhouse ales.
?141 Flushing Ave Building 77, Brooklyn, NY 11205
6. If you find yourself yourself out east in Bay Shore, NY you might as well stop by Great South Bay Brewery. This season you can try their Splashing Pumpkin beer which is mild at 5% ABV. This beer is made with over 100 pounds of pumpkin. There are also two limited fall beers, the Oktoberfest and the Candelabrum. The Oktoberfest is now available outside of the tasting room at 5.8% ABV and made with German hops. The Candelabrum is at a nice 8% ABV and is their Pumpkin Ale is brewed in rum barrels from Long Island Spirits.
?25 Drexel Dr, Bay Shore, NY 11706
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7. There are two fall themed beers available from Fifth Hammer. The first is a sour named the Palate Pigment, with blackberry and lime. The second an IPA named Sonic Architecture and has a blend of hops: Lemondrop, Calypso and Mosaic. You can get these in cans, at your local beer shop or in growlers on site. They’re also having a Halloween costume party for dogs on Monday October 28th.
?10-28 46th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
8. Rye ales are popular during the fall, probably because it warms the soul. At Strong Rope Brewery in Park Slope, you can try the Fire Season Smoked Rye Ale which uses rye and caramel, chocolate and smoked malts and evokes the feeling of campfires. Another tasty beer is their Fat Man, Little Stout which has a 4.9% ABV and tastes a bit like dark chocolate and coffee.
?574A President Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
9. If you haven’t heard about Talea, the women and veteran owned and operated beer company then you’re in for a treat. Their beers can be found at various stores and events throughout NYC, and made locally. This season they have a 7.5% ABV Sour India Pale Ale, made with lactose, named the Pumpkin Roll Tart Deco, which evokes the notes of Buche de Noël with its baking spices.
You can find their beers here
10. Another Park Slope brewing company, which also has a backyard for the summer months and a private room for parties and events, is Threes Brewing who have been around for a few years and for good reason. They always have rotating beers made in house. The first beer is an Oak Aged Festbier named ‘Far Between’, because it isn’t a pilsner or a dark lager but shares some similarities to both, only served on draft.
The Wandering Bine is a Saison Ale and one of the first beers brewed at Threes and can be found bottled or on tap. This is the 9th version of this ever evolving beer which is because it is brewed using a wine method called Solera. Released on October 11th, a collaboration with Forest and Main, the ‘Slowly, We Learn’ is a special barrel fermented saison made with local honey. It is aged in wine oak barrels which do the work for the flavor of this beer, the result is a 5% ABV.
Another collaboration for their fall season, is the Constant Disregard, made with Oxbow Brewing Company. This oak aged smoked black lager is smokey and subtly hoppy, it is smooth and creamy despite its appearance. There is also a kitchen onsite to pair some bites with your brews.
?333 Douglass St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
11. The beers that Evil Twin Brewing are offering this season also have some pretty hefty stouts to keep you warm on the colder nights:
- The Trending Danish Dream Cake – Stout – Imperial / Double, 13.0% ABV
- Tired Of Hops Yet? – Pilsner – Other, 5.0% ABV
- Today’s Forecast. Unhealthy Air Quality For Sensitive Groups – Special Edition 2 – Stout – Imperial / Double, 14.0% ABV
- Cherry Cola Sour – Sour – Other, 6.0% ABV
Their beer list can be found here
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13. Fall goes hand in hand with turkeys and at Flagship Brewing Co. located in Staten Island. Where numerous (think hundreds) of wild turkeys have been sighted, you would say that they complement the season well. Their Roggenfest beer, which has a cult following, is a Marzen/Roggenbier hybrid with a big body and smooth finish. You can find this beer canned in 16oz 4 packs; something to enjoy while you watch the turkeys roam.
?40 Minthorne St, Staten Island, NY 10301
14. Kings County Brewers Collective commonly known as KCBC Beer is pretty much a staple NYC brewery at this point. This season they have a few Halloweeneske beer, one featuring a SPOOOKYY beer which is a collaboration with Five Boroughs Brewing Co. named the Polkageist, a 4.8% ABV Helles Lager. It is made from German spring barley, and is light and flavorful. Another collaboration with Strassenbrau, is their Death From Below 2, a 4.2% ABV milk stout. It has a milk chocolate flavor, a bitter-sweet finish and contains lactose. The last but not least beer of their fall collection is another collaboration with SONY Pictures, it is called the Zombieland Double Tap, a double fruited sour ale at 5.5% ABV. It probably goes best with the new movie.
?381 Troutman St, Brooklyn, NY 11237
15. Big Alice Brewing, with locations in both Queens and Brooklyn has released a pumpkin beer without the pumpkin, which uses their new house saison yeast cultivated from figs harvested in Astoria. Talk about an all around NYC beer, down to the ingredients! In addition that that beer they also have the Kings and Queens of Bavaria, a smoked lager collaboration with KCBC. The Beer Trekker is a German Rauchbier style that has light smokeyness reminiscent of a bonfire. You can also explore their Sweet Potato Farmhouse beer which is available year round, but even that title has one asking when the turkey will be ready.
If you’re looking for some fun they will also be hosting a Halloween musical in Brooklyn, tonight the 25th of October where they will have a costume contest with prizes.
?8-08 43rd Road, Long Island City, Queens, 11101
New York City has its lights, its cameras and now its own slew of amazing beers and breweries to try all across its neighborhoods. If pumpkin and apple picking are not your activities of choice, you can always peruse the various beer and cider options offered throughout the year and especially this fall. Collaborations seem to be very in these days as far as breweries go, while coming up with new and innovative beers and brewing techniques.
