Authentic, Not Archaic
What to look for at Pils & Love, two beer bar closures, and two colorful beers
Getting the bad local news out of the way early in this week’s newsletter, as two longtime New York City beer-drinking establishments are closing: Astoria Bier & Cheese on Broadway closed its doors for good last weekend after a tumultuous last few months. The beer shop, bar, and food purveyor had been in business for twelve years in this location and even opened a second location in the neighborhood that was spun off to new owners, changed its name in 2021 and remains open. Meanwhile, in Chelsea, Cooper’s Craft will close its location on 8th Avenue this weekend after a decade serving beers in the neighborhood. They’ll throw one last party this Sunday during Pride to say farewell to Chelsea. Cooper’s original location in the East Village, at the corner of 2nd Avenue and 5th Street, will remain open as usual.
Previewing this Saturday’s Pils & Love
After throwing the fest at locations up the road and across the country, Pils & Love, the annual celebration of all things Pilsner spearheaded by Birrificio Italiano’s Agostino Arioli (of Tipopils fame), is coming to Brooklyn this Saturday, hosted by Threes Brewing at their Gowanus taproom. The festival features more than 50 breweries celebrating their love for Pilsners in a walkaround event held in two three-hour sessions, from noon to 3pm and from 4 to 7pm. Tickets are still available, if you’ve been procrastinating, for $70, with a portion of proceeds going to The Bowery Mission.
Some of the nation’s best lager makers will be in town for the occasion. Among the ones I’m looking forward to:
Halfway Crooks, the famed Atlanta brewery that’s become known for their stellar German and Czech-style Pilsners
Cohesion Brewing, the traditional Czech-style brewer in Denver that’s become a darling of lager lovers across the country
Live Oak Brewing, the Austin, Texas outfit that’s been brewing traditional European beer styles since its inception in 1997
Dovetail Brewery, a Chicago favorite that sticks to traditional European beer styles and conventional methods of brewing
Godspeed Brewery, Toronto’s finest lager-maker, specializing in traditional styles with new-world twists
Zillicoah Beer Company, a standout in a very crowded Asheville, North Carolina beer scene that’s churning out some fantastic lagers with European hops
In addition to these and a whole bunch of other breweries pouring at the event, there’s also a special beer for the occasion — a Pils and Love 2024 Collab Beer made by host Threes Brewing, co-host Birrificio Italiano, and previous Pils and Love hosts Firestone Walker and Oxbow. Not surprisingly, it’s a 4.2% ABV Pilsner. This one’s made with new-world German hops, Callista and Tango, resulting in a more fruit-forward Pils than your traditional offerings. Look for it in cans this week and at the festival.
Brewery Tracker
Total brewery count: 3,443
Total breweries visited in 2024: 159
Total breweries visited in California: 279
Total breweries visited in San Diego County: 100
Brewery Visit of the Week
Brewery #3375, GOAL. Brewing, San Diego, California (Visited 17-Mar-2024)
I mentioned GOAL. in my newsletter last week since they were pouring at last weekend’s Green City at Other Half Gowanus, but I never really gave them the spot they deserve in this newsletter. If you went to Green City, you probably got a chance to try their Ube Haze, a purple-hued, somewhat sweet and citrusy IPA made with Citra hops and ube, a purple sweet potato. A few articles have been written about brewing with ube, and GOAL. brewer Derek Gallanosa has been quoted in most of them. Ube Haze was originally made for Filipino American History Month, and Derek’s Filipino roots can be shown in many of the ingredients he uses in his beers.
For example, on my visit, which happened to be on St. Patrick’s Day, GOAL. was pouring a green beer, but the green color was actually derived from pandan leaf, which lended a nutty aroma and vanilla-like flavor to complement the Citra hops and coconut in the Buko Pandan Haze. As much as I love straightforward, beer-flavored beers (which GOAL. also makes), I truly appreciate beers that break new bounds, but aren’t just weird for the sake of being weird. This brewery was my 100th in San Diego County, and it was a great way to mark the milestone.
The Doom and Gloom Tracker
At least 3 breweries I’ve visited closed or announced their closure this week:
Brewery #328, Finkel & Garf Brewing Company, Boulder, Colorado (Visited 20-Mar-2015)
Brewery #695, Edge Brewing Company, Boise, Idaho (Visited 11-Dec-2016)
Brewery #3312, Alchemy Brewing, Brunswick, Victoria, Australia (Visited 18-Jan-2024)
The Weekly Reader
Can Athletic Brewing break the curse left at Ballast Point’s former HQ? (With gratuitous use of “hermit crab brewery”) [Dave Infante, VinePair]
Other Half opens their newest Finger Lakes location [Mike Murphy, D&C]
On DEI and burnout in beer [Ruvani de Silva, Pellicle]
A brief history of Cream Ale, a style New York calls its own [Kevin Kain, Casket Beer]
One Last Thing
When I was writing about my visit to Harvey’s Brewery in last week’s newsletter, I was having a mental block that resulted in the omission of a line from brewer Miles Jenner’s tour around the historic brewery. In discussing his approach to beer and the brewery’s willingness to innovate (particularly in the context of an upcoming collab with some more modern brewers), he said, “we’re authentic, not archaic.”
That line really stuck with me, because it feels like the two are often confused. In modern American beer, there’s a certain type of brewpub or brewery that can fall into one of these two camps — mainly those that opened in the 1980s and 1990s. The archaic ones refuse to innovate or expand into new styles, their brewers and owners still insistent on living in the bygone era when Goldens, Ambers, and Browns were all givens on a beer menu. The authentic ones take a nod from that era, but continue to improve upon their practices, enhance their old recipes with modern techniques, and introduce new beers that appeal to a present-day palate, but nod to their early days to remain true to what helped them succeed.
Honestly, there’s not always something wrong with being archaic as a brewery, provided that you remain financially viable with a continually-aging customer base. I went to one such brewery in New Jersey last year, and while I was easily the youngest drinker in there by several years, the place was still packed with people. But in an era when breweries are closing at a more rapid pace, authenticity — remaining planted by your roots, but not being a stick in the mud — feels like it’s apt to be a far more successful model.
Cheers,
Chris