Beer Mansion Might be the Most Extra Beer Event We’ve Been to & We’re Not Complaining

@BrooklynBrewery
#beermansion

Just the idea of a Beer Mansion seems incredibly oxymoronic, but somehow Brooklyn Brewery pulled it off. Now in its second year, Beer Mansion is officially annual and you can thank your lucky stars it is because now you’ll be able to plan to go next year.

The event which centers around interactive experiences and beer began last year in a somewhat smaller venue. This year, they upped the ante, opting instead for a makeshift bank called the Weylin, which fits so conspicuously that you wouldn’t even have noticed it was an event space if not for the address and the line of people.

When you first walk in, you’re greeted by your own small tasting glass (a wine glass if you scooped up VIP tickets), and a list of stations mapped out for easy access. The map also had a list of after-party locations if you felt like keeping the party going post all-you-can-drink beer.

In the first room, you found a room labeled, The Show, which was the main event space. It hosted all the live bands, which, during our session included DJ Mike Sniper, Jackson Macintosh and Robert Earl Thomas, a beer station with beers from Brooklyn Brewery, Captain Lawrence, Transmitter, Industrial Arts, Mikkeller and Fifth Hammer. The beers here seemed to focus on fruit forward flavors.

The next room over was The Bazaar. Quite possibly the most important room, mostly because it held all the food, provided by Oddfellows Ice Cream, Meatball Shop, El Atoradero and Pig Beach. They also had shops with purchasable merch, including a make-your-own-beer kit. The room focused on sour beers from the same vendors as above, and an added bonus of raspberry cider from Bad Seed Cider.

Also upstairs, we wore glowing crowns and sat on a thrown, while playing music using beer bottles sponsored by Orange (a speaker company) and check out records from Rough Trade.

Making your way downstairs, you found the real party—The Arcade, and Barcade was there to greet you with a room full of video games and unlimited tokens ( they also encouraged you to take extra, so that you could have a little after-party drink at their location down the street). There was also a magnetic wall to write messages using beer caps, comic books for purchase and board games.

This side of the lower level hosted—you guessed it—more beer.

As you made your way deeper into the basement, you found a room called The Speakeasy, reminiscent of a dark, sleek and very date-night-like atmosphere with cocktails in addition to refined beer and cider, as well as a blackjack table promising a great prize if you got 21—we did not.

For VIP’s, the experience also included a special upstairs tasting room, which was just large enough to host the beer and music tasting, curated by one of Brooklyn Brewery’s own and featuring several “Ghost Beers”, which we’re told were prototypes that are only sold in special occasions and made in small quantities.

It was safe to say that by the end of the event, everyone’s thirst was sufficiently quenched, but due to the great location, the options for after-party were hardly slim. If you’re a fan of beer, or just like a good excuse to drink and meet new people, this is definitely a fun, new and different way to do it. Our recommendation? Keep an eye out for tickets next year!