First Coffee, Then Beer
The first Lovibond Project beers, Interboro's impending closure, and another brewery milestone
Hello from a coffee shop in Dublin, where I’m writing this week’s newsletter over a very strong cup of coffee to power me through my first day in Ireland after an uncomfortably short 5 hour, 20 minute-flight from JFK thanks to a very strong tailwind. I’m back over in Ireland for the first time since February 2020, my last overseas trip before my passport sat untouched in a desk drawer for more than a year and a half, and it’s nice to be back. I’ll be spending time in Belfast and Dublin this time around, sightseeing and seeking out some cozy pubs on the dark, damp, cold December days here. At the very least, the days will be brightened by the festive atmosphere around the holidays. This cute little coffee shop is all decked out and playing holiday music, and it’s the first time this month I’ve actually felt like I’m getting into the holiday spirit. Soon enough, there will be beer… but not until I’m properly caffeinated.
Get to know and taste The Lovibond Project tonight
There’s a really neat event going on tonight at Other Half Brewing’s Gowanus taproom that I’d like to highlight. The Lovibond Project is an effort to broaden Black New Yorkers’ access to the craft beer industry through internships. Recognizing that the industry, even in a diverse city like New York, tends to be racially homogenous, the project offers eight-week paid internships to People of Color at breweries, getting them hands-on experience in every aspect of the business that can prove extremely helpful in securing employment in the brewing industry. Tonight’s event will celebrate the release of fall intern Travis Cameron’s beer collaboration with Other Half, First Love, a Brown Ale made with two variations: one with coffee and vanilla, the other with Wild Thai banana, walnuts, and cinnamon.
The event runs from 6-10pm, and will feature $5 pints, pizza from Nate’s Detroit Pizza, and tunes spun by Minister Maestro (speaking of, congrats to Chris on the sixth anniversary of BierWax this week!). The Lovibond Project will also be kicking off fundraising for their spring internship program. Show them your support at the event, or donate through their website if you’d like to support this cause!
Interboro announces closure of Brooklyn facility
Interboro Spirits and Ales will close their Williamsburg, Brooklyn production facility and taproom at the end of the month, they announced last week. The brewery and distillery, which celebrated its seventh anniversary in September, will close on December 31st. After that time, Interboro’s beer and spirits will continue to be distributed in New York, though they will be produced in an Upstate location.
Interboro opened in 2016 to early acclaim with brewer Jesse Ferguson, who did stints at Other Half and Carton, at the helm. Highlights over the years included a series of collaboration beers with hip-hop group Run the Jewels, an annual celebration of lagers called Pils City, and raucous anniversary parties with a lineup of DJs.
Their last IPA in their Brooklyn location, Local Prospect, is out now, and they’ll continue to operate as normal through the end of the month, including hosting two Whiskey Talks and Tastings next week.
Interboro marks the city’s third brewery closure this year. Big aLICe closed their Long Island City, Queens location in October, and Coney Island Brewing Co. shuttered their brewery and taproom in November. Like Interboro’s plans, both Big aLICe and Coney Island continue to brew beer, but in other locations.
Brewery Tracker
Total brewery count: 3,272
Total breweries visited in 2023: 377
Total breweries visited in North Carolina: 108
Brewery Visit of the Week
Brewery #3264, Resident Culture Brewing Company, Charlotte, North Carolina (Visited 9-Dec-2023)
I visited my 100th brewery in North Carolina last weekend, marking the sixth state where I’ve hit the century mark. I wanted to make the milestone special, and I had one particular brewery in mind: Charlotte’s Resident Culture. I’d occasionally had their IPAs at beer festivals or bottle shares, and they had collaborated with a lot of other breweries I’ve visited and admired over the years, like Other Half, Grimm, Equilibrium, Outer Range, Burial, and even Lisbon, Portugal’s Dois Corvos. It’s all about the company you keep.
But I’m always one to buck trends, so my first beer was a lager. The Riding for the Feeling Italian Pilsner was suggested to me by taproom manager JP Teague, who came over to greet me when he learned of the milestone via Instagram. It was outstanding and showed this brewery is no one-trick pony. Not that I expected them to be — and man, did I love the IPAs I had on my visit — but Resident Culture is adept at making beer styles across the board as they try to broaden their popularity beyond Haze Bros who also enjoy amateur wrestling (which was happening in their parking lot on the Saturday afternoon when I visited). I couldn’t be more grateful to the staff here for making the visit so memorable, and RC should absolutely be on your to-do list when you visit Charlotte.
The Weekly Reader
On the revival of cask ale in New York City [Courtney Iseman, Pellicle]
A preview of Finback’s forthcoming LIC location [Ethan Marshall, LIC Post]
Phil Murphy’s veto means a return to archaic, draconian brewery rules in New Jersey [Mike Hayes, Gothamist]
Could exports to China save American Craft Beer? [Dave Infante, VinePair]
One Last Thing
Only two more editions of the newsletter left this year! A reminder to drop me a comment (or reply to this email) with some suggestions for your favorite new beer brewed in New York City in 2023 for my annual Beer Superlatives issue… as well as any other thoughts you have about the year in beer in the Five Boroughs. Have a great weekend!
Cheers,
Chris
Five beers that were new this year that I absolutely loved:
1. Other Half Tall Kiwi (NEIPA)
2. Threes The Big Reveal (Cold IPA)
3. Threes Outside In (German Pilsner w/ Halfway Crooks)
4. Other Half Catawba 2021
5. Evil Twin An Ode To The Obadiah Poundage Letter (Porter w/ Coffee)