If there’s anything more refreshing than a late-afternoon summer thunderstorm to cool down the air, it’s a beer to go with it… and a couple others after that, because the rain continues to pour down for several hours. That was what happened to me when I ducked into Threes Brewing at Franklin + Kent on Tuesday when the sky opened up. I had nowhere to be, so why walk to the subway in the pouring rain when there’s Yore, their awesome Czech Pils, on tap? Oh, it’s still raining? Guess I’ll have a Constant Disappointment, an IPA that is never disappointing. Was that another flash of lightning? Fine, pour me a Short Fuse Smoked Helles.
Sure, I could just remember to check the weather forecast and carry an umbrella with me, but what’s the fun in that?
Runway Robbery: LaGuardia concessionaire bilks beer drinkers
After opining on the joy of airport beer bars, I looked forward to settling into a layover last week with a Minnesota-brewed beer at my favorite beer bar at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. I opted for the Modist False Pattern New England Pale Ale at a standard airport cost of $9 for a pint. Sure, that’s pricey for Minnesota, but I think we’ve all expected that airports have us by the nards and can charge anything they want for pretty much anything. A bottle of water and Kind bar at some airports now exceeds my day job’s $10 breakfast per diem. Many airports, like Portland, Oregon, have realized this absurdity and has instituted policies to match in-city pricing in the airport terminal. New York’s airports adopted a new “Street Pricing plus 10%” policy last year, but the Port Authority has let companies that run concessions have free reign to rip off consumers far beyond the agency’s own policies.
Enter the very generic “Biergarten” (which is very much not a biergarten), a bar inside security at Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport. Given the new policy, it appears that OTG, the operator of the concessions in the Delta Air Lines terminals at LGA, has gone to new heights to bilk customers out of every last dollar. The beers themselves are respectable enough for an airport bar, with Greenport Harbor Black Duck Porter, New Belgium Fat Tire, and Weihenstephaner Hefeweisse on draft. But the prices are anything but respectable, as Cooper Lund on Twitter found yesterday. A 23-ounce pour of Black Duck will set you back $16.35. A Sam Adams Boston Lager is $18.15. The same sized pour of Fat Tire? A whopping $20.60. That’s 21% more expensive than what they charged for the same beer just before the pandemic began.
But wait! All those prices are before tip, taxes, and a “10% Covid Recovery Fee” that OTG takes for themselves (never mind that the Park Avenue-based company received over $8 million in PPP loans during the pandemic for their operations at New York airports alone). That puts the grand total for that glass of Fat Tire, with a modest 20% tip, at $28.61.
OTG has corrected an even more egregious price on their menu, which was $27.85 for a glass of Sam Adams Summer Ale. But that doesn’t make the other prices any better.
Please don’t encourage this nonsense. Please don’t drink at LaGuardia. Save room for beer at your destination.
Mission Dolores will be resurrected as Seven Bridges
Finally, some good news concerning the city’s local beer scene. The space that was home to Mission Dolores until it permanently closed during the pandemic will become home to another beer bar. The space will reopen soon as Seven Bridges Bar, and will be run by the same owners of The Hop Shop on the Columbia Street Waterfront in Brooklyn. When it opens this summer, expect twenty draft lines of craft beer including plenty of local breweries. You can follow their progress on Instagram.
Other Half eyes Philly for next location
Look out for the next big jawn, Philadelphia. You are going to get an Other Half outpost of your own. The brewery confirmed that they have filed for a license in the Fishtown neighborhood, taking over the space previously occupied by a short-lived Goose Island Brewhouse, which closed after just over two years in operation last December. “When the opportunity presented itself to open an Other Half location here — in between our DC and NYC breweries — we couldn’t pass it up,” Other Half’s Andrew Burman said about the space in a statement. Breweries in PA first broke the news on Monday when a license application was filed under OHB PA, LLC.
The area where Other Half will open is already teeming with breweries, with Yards, Urban Village, Human Robot, and a future location of New Jersey’s Source all nearby. This will mark Other Half’s sixth location adding to their , following the opening of Domino Park and Washington, DC last year and the announcement of a Buffalo location earlier this year. The Philly location is aiming to be open by the end of the year.
Brewery Tracker
Total brewery count: 2,267
New breweries in 2021: 193
Breweries visited in New Mexico: 27
Breweries visited with “Gravity” in their name: 6
Brewery Visit of the Week
Brewery #2258, Gravity Bound Brewing Co., Albuquerque, New Mexico (Visited 2-Jul-2021)
Many times when I make a return visit to a city, I come across a new brewery that has risen to the top-tier of the beer scene there seemingly overnight. On my trip to Albuquerque last weekend, year-old Gravity Bound was that brewery. I settled in with a pour of their Proof of Life Vienna Lager, a delectably toasty and clean true-to-style interpretation. Considering three people came up to the bar in that short time asking about their hazy IPAs (they were out of them, and the bartender told me they’ve been selling out quickly), I had to take their hazy Background Talent pale ale for a spin. It boasted a lot of flavor, though it was a little green. But if green is what you’re looking for in the most pleasant of ways, the Garden Spot Gose was pure enjoyment. It’s made with purple and sweet basil grown in the brewery’s garden, along with hothouse cucumbers. The salinity, tartness, and crispness all played well together. I’m hoping for great things from Gravity Bound next time I find myself in New Mexico. They’re off to a great start.
Beer of the Week
Denim Tux
Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Adjunct Lager
4.9% ABV
I spent most of my afternoon on the Fourth of July at the bar at a brewery that’s quickly becoming one of my favorites in Albuquerque. I first visited Bow & Arrow in 2016, just shortly after the brewery had opened. Knowing nothing about it, I was blown away by the quality of the beer, the wide variety of styles, and the pleasant atmosphere of the taproom. Five years later, I became even more impressed after the first sip of my first beer, this Denim Tux. Several of the breweries I visited last weekend served lagers made with New Mexican Blue Corn, but none did it as cleanly and competently as Bow & Arrow. This one is crispy, with a mild grassy hop bite, a touch of bready sweetness, and some crackery corn flavor. It was a delight, as were the other beers I had at what is one of the only Indigenous Women-owned brewery in the United States.
Long Read of the Week
Good Beer Hunting launched a three-part series this week by Jamaal Lemon about the roots of inequality in beer from the perspective of 19th-century Charleston, South Carolina. It’s a truly fascinating, enlightening, and well-researched read and very much worth your time. I’m looking forward to reading parts two and three.
One More Thing
This morning was the second time this week that my alarm was set for a time prior to 5am. I am not even remotely a morning person, so please forgive me when I say I’m all out of things to write. Now, excuse me while I get in a nap on this flight.
Cheers,
Chris
Eh just pay another $12 and go drink all ya want in the delta sky lounge right next to that LGA beer bar - plus free wifi, nice bathroom and food!
So I was recently invited to a focus group for Great Divide. You could tell that they are looking to spice up the brand as it's been around. The moderators asked some interesting questions about GD and the Denver craft beer scene. The only word that seemed to fit for me was "mature". And most other panelists agreed. Denver has a great beer scene, but it's not new and vibrant like was and is in some newer beer cities. Certainly not a knock, but something I notice when following your beer travels.