Brooklyn Brewed

Brooklyn has come a long way over the last few years.  Nowadays when you visit New York, you ought to explore Brooklyn too.  Especially when it comes to food. food.  If you want homemade sausage, there's Faicco's.  If you want local mozzarella, there's Caputo's or organic ice cream, there's Blue Marble Ice Cream.  Brooklyn's also responsible for producing distinguished beers and wines.  Yes, even wine and you don't have to be in Brooklyn to drink them either...

• Six Point Craft Ales www.sixpointcraftales.com                              40 Van Dyke Street                                   
  

This a seriously well-crafted beer and not just by locavore standards.  Just look for the symbol stamped on the label -- a hybrid of the nautical Star reflecting Red Hook's maritime roots and the hexagram once stamped on containers to symbolized quality in beer.  They're meticulous about the quality of the hops and barley in their beers.  We're fans of the "Sweet Action," the "Righteous" and the popular "Bengali Tiger."

(Available at:)                                                                                                              

Brouwerij Lane
78 Greenpoint Avenue
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
(212)529-6133

Blind Tiger AleHouse
281 Bleecker St
New York, NY
(212)462-4682

• Brooklyn Oenology                            www.brooklynoenology.com
  

Everything about this wine shop is 100% local, including its owner, Alie Sharper who opened this artisanal winery in a converted Greenpoint warehouse.  Sharper has tapped all local resources to make the best Brooklyn wine possible, including Brooklyn artwork for the labels.  All the grapes are grown  on the north fork of Long Island and brought to Brooklyn to ferment in barrels. 

(Available at over 50 locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn including:)
Alphabet City Wine
100 Avenue C, btwn. 6th & 7th Sts.
(212) 505-9463

Astor Wine and Spirits
399 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place
(212)674-7500

Brooklyn:
Dandelion Wine
53 Franklin Street, nr. India St.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
(718)689-4563

• Brooklyn Brewery                                                                                                                                                    79 North 11th Street, nr. Wythe St.                                                                                            (718)486-7422                                                                                                                                                     Perhaps the most well-known and respected of the bunch, this company produces signature and seasonal ales.  This brewery does all their brewing and distributing right in Williamsburg and distribute to hundreds of stores and restaurants in New York as well as nationally.  We're especially fond of their seasonal ales and a rich and sweet Black Chocolate Stout.  Every Friday at 6 is happy hour at this brewery, bar and shop, which also carries other local beers like "Brooklyn Local 1" and "Brooklyn Local 2."

(Available most places that sell beer.)

• Bridget                                                                                                                                                                   20 Broadway, at Kent Street                                                                                                                  Williamsburg, Brooklyn                                                                                                                          (718)384-2100
  

The owners of Bridge Vineyard in Long Island recently opened a wine shop called Bridget in Williamsburg.   This urban winery and wine bar has barrels right on site and frequent tastings to sample new blends.   Everything's local at this wine bar, including a Long Island goat cheese and Sang Lee Farms salads.   This is an New York-only wine shop with bottles from the North Fork, the Finger Lakes, as well as the Hudson Valley.

• Brooklyn Brew Shop                                                                                                      www.brooklynbrewshop.com                                                                                                                                   If you think you can do better, you can brew your own damn beer. This Brooklyn Brew Shop not only features its own unique brews, but also sells grains, yeast, hops, jugs, thermometers, and even kits if you feel like making a hobby of fermenting.

• Kambucha Brooklyn (KBBK)                                                                                                                                If you're craving a beer in the middle of the day, drink Kambucha made right in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  This organic fermented tea is sweet, healthy and truly superior to most other brands we've tasted.   Instead of inducing a hangover, it cures one.                                                               
  

Available at:

Bierkraft                                                                                                                                                                    191 5th Avenue, at Union St.                                                                                                                                    Park Slope, Brooklyn
(718)230-7600

Marlow & Sons
81 Broadway, nr. Berry St.                                                                                                                            Williamsburg, Brooklyn                                                                                                                               (718)384-1441