Here we are, we made it. It’s the end of the year. I’m writing this from a divey bar in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego, California, where I’m sipping on an Alpine Duet and wondering what my final brewery visit of the year will be. Guess I’ll find out before the day is over, and you’ll find out on Instagram.
Anyway, I’ll get to my annual wrap-up in just a second, but first, a couple of announcements and notes.
I was going to include a roundup of all of the beer-y New Year’s Eve events going on tonight, but it seems that there’s hardly a brewery or beer bar in New York City that hasn’t announced some sort of party or special event to ring in 2024. Support your local or browse social media pages of your favorite breweries if you’re still looking to make last-minute plans — there’s plenty out there!
In addition to Interboro closing their doors after the last day of 2023, a couple other beer spots in the city have announced their last day in business will be today: Rockaway Brewing Co.’s Rockaway Beach location is shutting its doors for good after their New Year’s Eve party, and the original Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor on West 8th Street in the village announced they won’t be renewing their lease and will close after service tonight.
The Brew York Beer Superlatives 2023
Best Brewery Opening: Kills Boro
Okay, this one is a little complicated in a year where just two breweries opened in New York City. One, Kills Boro, is a new brewing location without a taproom, and the other, Finback LIC, is a new brewing location that just opened a week ago and hasn’t released a beer yet. But it’s worth noting that Staten Island-based Kills Boro’s expansion into a new production space earlier this year has reaped dividends for New York City beer drinkers. Their beers are easier to find, and their push this year to be more present in their home borough is also refreshing. You can still find their beers at their taproom at Craft House on Van Duzer Street, but that new taproom is also coming along, with co-founder Sean Torres hopeful for a May opening.
Best Bar Opening: Queue Beer
If you’ve visited Other Half in Gowanus at any point during the year, you’ve probably noticed this new addition to the neighborhood on Smith Street. Hopefully, you’ve been inside, but if you haven’t, you’ve been missing out on a nicely-polished bar that’s been hosting a stellar lineup of beers and beer events. Since Shane Monteiro, who honed his beer skills at Carmine Street Beers in Manhattan, opened Queue Beer in January, it’s picked up plenty of fans. And even if you don’t have time to enjoy a pour here, it’s a nice place to diversify your case of beer from OH with some to-go cans from other breweries.
Best Brewery Launch: Schenker Beer
Back in 2021, New York’s beer nerds were stunned when Brooklyn-based Folksbier abruptly closed. The beers, made under the watch of brewer Joey Pepper, were beloved for their quality and simplicity and were deeply missed during 2022, when Pepper was working to launch his own brand of potions called Schenker Beer, which debuted in April. From his well-crafted lagers to the return of the Glow Up Berliner Weisse series that won over fans from his time brewing in Brooklyn. While the beers are brewed in Connecticut these days, it’s great to see these beers back on shelves in the city again, filling the hole in our hearts left by Folksbier’s closure.
Most Heartbreaking Brewery Closure: Big aLICe Brewing LIC
This has been a complicated year for beer for a number of reasons, but this category was tough, since there were more closures in New York City this year than in any time in recent history. Interboro is closing but will continue to brew, Singlecut ceased brewing in Queens but kept their taproom open and keeps brewing upstate, and Coney Island shut down operations in their namesake neighborhood, but the closure of Big aLICe’s original Long Island City location left a whole in the heart of locals. The cozy space had changed its appearance several times over the years, starting back when they were a “Community Supported Brewery” selling shares with bottle allocations to their heyday when they were brewing on a five-barrel system and squeezing thirsty drinkers into a shoebox-sized taproom. While Big Alice still brews upstate and keeps their Barrel Room open in Industry City in Brooklyn, their LIC location was a cornerstone of brewing in the city for a decade, and it was sad to say goodbye when it closed for good in October.
Trend of the Year: Rebranding
The saying goes that “three makes a trend,” but it’s not every year that two New York City breweries rebrand months apart. That happened this year, with Queens-based IcoNYC morphing into Focal Point Beer Co. back in the Spring, and Brooklyn’s Circa Brewing becoming Sound + Fury Brewing. While the changes may be skin deep, the strategy is sound: reinvigorate a brewery that has evolved and matured from its original purpose, concept, and name. Will we see more of this in years to come?
Mood of the Year: Dread
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. With several brewery closures in the city this year, it was not exactly a time for optimism in the beer industry. And that trend echoed nationwide. When the tally is finalized, 2023 is likely to be the first year that more breweries closed than opened in the U.S. in two decades. Beer consumption is still getting watered down with other options, like non-alcoholic beers and hard seltzers, and there’s not nearly the coolness factor in craft beer that existed even six or seven years ago. But hey, there are still over nine thousand breweries in the country, and many of them are still expanding and innovating and creating new experiences that still get me excited when I travel to a new city or step inside a new taproom. There’s plenty of cause for concern and problems that need to be addressed to expand the scope of the industry, but craft beer is not on death’s door. Here’s to a better 2024.
That’s all! Have a safe and happy New Year! See you in 2024.
Cheers,
Chris