You can get a pint of Brooklyn Brewery’s flagship lager in Australia, Belgium, France, Brazil and Japan. Or in Kentucky, Ohio or Texas.
Despite exporting thousands of barrels of beer worldwide, you couldn’t get even a can or bottle of this celebrated brew in our craft beer-loving state until now.
“I’m very excited to come to California. Literally for 30 years we’ve had distributors and ex-New Yorkers hounding us like, ‘Why aren’t you in California? I had your beer in Paris, in Tokyo. Why can’t I get it in L.A.?’ So finally we’re going to be there and I’m hoping that everyone is still thirsty out there,” said Steve Hindy, co-founder of the Williamsburg, Brooklyn-based brewery, which starts selling its beers throughout the state for the first time this month.
Cheers!
The arrival will be marked by tastings where Hindy and head brewer Garrett Oliver will give people the first sip of their beers in person with with events at beer-focused bar and restaurant West 4th and Jane in Santa Monica Jan. 29 and a “Beer Talk,” where the pair will take questions and tell stories at Beelman’s Pub in downtown L.A. Jan. 30.
The beers coming to California will include lagers, IPAs, sours and other styles and will be sold at all Total Wine & More locations, as well as bars, restaurants and small shops which so far include Beelman’s, Spring Street Bar and Buzz Wine Shop in downtown L.A., Sunset Beer Co. in Echo Park, West 4th & Jane in Santa Monica, Iron Press in Anaheim, Mission Bar in Santa Ana, Wise Guys Pizza in Yorba Linda, and Bru Grill in Lake Forest.
Founded in 1988, Brooklyn Brewery was ranked as the 11th largest U.S. craft beer maker based on sales volume in 2017 by the Brewers Association. It was bested by two California breweries, Chico-based Sierra Nevada, which came in third, and Escondido’s Stone Brewing, which took the eighth spot.
“California really is like the Garden of Eden of craft beer…there are so many great pioneering breweries that started in California,” Hindy said, noting that’s one of the reasons they’re excited about finally selling their beers alongside other respected West Coast breweries.
Late arrival
Brooklyn Brewery makes about 300,000 barrels of beer per year. The Brewery exports about 150,000 barrels out of New York to about 30 states and more than 30 countries and that success is the reason it took the brewery so long to come to California, Hindy said.
“We started doing really well with this export business and so we kind of postponed going west and now we’re ready to make the move,” he explained.
And for those who want to get to know Brooklyn Brewery as soon as possible, these are the first batch of brews making the epic road trip from Brooklyn to sunny California.
Brooklyn Lager
This is Brooklyn Brewery’s flagship and best-selling beer. Based on beers made in Brooklyn when it was major brewing center in the late 1800s, it’s an amber/gold beer with a nutty malt flavor and crisp hoppy finish that won the 2018 World Beer Cup Gold Medal.
Defender IPA
If you like West Coast-style IPAs you’ll like this golden beer. “It’s lighter in color but it’s got a really strong hop flavor. Definitely hops is what that beer is all about,” Hindy said.
Bel Air Sour
If you’re just getting into craft beers, try this one since it’s fruity, lemony and easy to drink, especially in the summer.
The Stonewall Inn IPA
This beer pays homage to the Stonewall Riots in 1969, which kicked off the LGBTQ rights movement. It’s a session beer (4.8 percent alcohol by volume) Citra-hopped IPA with hints of grapefruit and citrus. “It’s really a nice easy-drinking IPA,” Hindy said.
Brooklyn Summer Ale
While it was made with Brooklyn summers in mind, this newcomer will fit right in with L.A. barbecues, beach days and salads since it’s got a light, clean flavor with some bitterness and a floral summer aroma.
Black Chocolate Stout
Send your designated driver a nice thank you card for getting you home because at 10 percent ABV this Russian Imperial Stout is a strong one. It’s a rich winter beer that doesn’t even have to be downed right away since it can be aged for years like a fine wine.
Sorachi Ace
This Belgian-style Saison is made with a hop developed in Japan and has a sort of lemongrass flavor with an herbal scent that Brooklyn Brewery describes as “sunshine in a glass.”
Brooklyn Brewery Launch Events
First Taste
What: Meet brewery co-founder Steve Hindy and James Beard Award-winning brew master Garrett Oliver and get a taste of the new beers.
When: 6-9 p.m. Jan. 29
Where: West 4th & Jane, 1432 Fourth St., Santa Monica.
Admission: Free, 21 and older.
Information: 310-395-6765, west4thjane.com.
Bar Talk
What: Hindy and Oliver interview each other
When: 4-6 p.m. Jan. 30
Where: Beelman’s Pub, 600 S. Spring St., Los Angeles.
Admission: Free, 21 and older.
Information: 213-622-1022, beelmans.com