Hello from a Metro-North train barreling its way back to New York City after spending the holiday up in Rhode Island, where I managed to squeeze in a visit to the gorgeous new home of Ragged Island Brewing, my 361st of the year, pictured above. Don’t worry, I didn’t stop there. I got to 366 for the year thanks to a few new breweries that are a quick commuter rail trip from the city. Next week, I’ll look back on my favorite brewery visits of 2022.
But this New Year’s Eve, let’s take a look back on the year that was. New York City’s beer scene grew slowly this year in terms of notable openings, but its most popular breweries continued to expand in new and interesting ways. We said farewell to some old favorite bars but welcomed new spots that will serve great beer well into the future. Let’s dive in.
The Brew York Beer Superlatives 2022
Brewery Opening of the Year
Belse
In New York’s crowded beer scene, finding a niche that can set a brewery apart is becoming more of a challenge than ever. But Belse broke through by offering a stellar vegan food menu along with its beers. And its beers are nothing to scoff at — brewer Ryan Gilette is German-trained, and has a resume that includes stops at Hyde Park Brewing, New Belgium, and Trillium. The beautiful German-engineered brewhouse he’s brewing on sat dormant inside the shuttered storefront on the Bowery after the previous occupant of the space, Paulaner Brauhaus, closed in 2018. Now it’s being used to churn out some stellar beers, from crisp lagers to hazy IPAs. Manhattan’s beer scene is roaring back to life, and I’m glad that Belse is a part of it.
Most Heartbreaking Closures
St. Gambrinus Beer Shoppe and Good Beer (tie)
There’s simply no way to decide which of these two closures broke more hearts, but beer fans in Brooklyn and Manhattan were delivered doses of bad news this year when these two spots that pioneered the bottle shop/beer bar model shuttered to bookend the summer, with St. Gambrinus closing at the end of June and Good Beer selling its last beer in mid-September.
St. Gambrinus opened back in August of 2013 and quickly became a neighborhood favorite and a low-key spot to pre-game before an event at Barclays Center or sip a beer outdoors in their backyard. They hosted events from countless local breweries and always had a reliable tap list and friendly faces behind the bar. They had a loyal following of regulars who celebrated “St. G.” Thankfully, the closure of the space was short-lived, as it reopened as a new Hops Hill location later in the year.
Good Beer’s closure hit me personally. I was the first to give the place a write up before it opened in 2010, when I lived in the East Village and bought beer to stay and to go multiple times a week there. Owner Dave Cichowicz was a “delightfully jaded proprietor,” and his staff over Good Beer’s 12 years in business was full of people as passionate and knowledgeable about beer as he was. It leaves a hole in my heart to know the city will be without this place.
Beer of the Year
DDH Riwaka+Motueka, Other Half Brewing
Early this spring, Other Half pulled out all the stops with New Zealand Week — a week of beers with New Zealand hops. I had this absolute gem at the Domino Park location, and it floored me. On paper, it’s just another run-of-the-mill Other Half Double IPA, but that’s where they shine, and showcasing these hops only made this beer shine brighter.
Best Glow-Up
Proletariat
For a decade, Proletariat was serving a stellar beer list out of a cramped space on St. Marks Place — an embodiment of “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.” But early this summer, they moved a couple blocks to a roomier space on East 7th, with the same great tap list and the addition of a kitchen serving a tasty pub grub menu. It was a much-needed upgrade, but it didn’t take the personality away from the bar.
Trend of the Year
Satellite taprooms
Bronx Brewery opened two new taprooms in Manhattan this year, in the East Village and at Hudson Yards. TALEA opened a pop-up space for the summer at Grand Central and a permanent taproom in Boreum Hill. Gun Hill opened their new location at Industry City in Brooklyn. Sixpoint opened a space in Dekalb Market and announced plans for another taproom in Battery Park City. This builds off of 2021’s momentum that saw Other Half, EBBS, and Evil Twin open their own standalone taprooms. For what the city lacked in new breweries this year, our existing breweries expanded in new ways to bring their beer closer to drinkers wherever they live.
Most Likely to Zig When Others Zag
Grimm’s pivot to wine
It didn’t make news in this newsletter, but in an era where every year brings dire warnings of craft beer’s demise, Brooklyn’s Grimm Artisanal Ales made a pivot this summer to get into the wine business, starting a line of spontaneously fermented wines called Physica Wines with grapes grown on the North Fork of Long Island. It’s very much in keeping with their aesthetic, and while many brewers are pivoting to hard seltzer to bring new drinkers into the fold, Grimm charted a different path.
Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you have a safe and fun time ringing in 2023 wherever you are.
Cheers,
Chris
Happy New Year Chris! Thanks for sharing your travels. Wish we had a Chicago version of BrewYork