Port Morris site will offer tours and sampling
An 8,000-square-foot warehouse in Port Morris will soon house a brewery, tasting room, and even a place for patrons’ dogs to run.
The Bronx Brewery has moved into a new location on East 136th Street and is set to open its doors in December. The company has been brewing its beers at a Connecticut site from where it has been trucking them into the city since it opened a year-and-a-half ago.
Now, head brewer Damian Brown and general manager Chris Gallant will have a permanent headquarters for brewing the company’s signature pale ales, and will offer tours with sampling.
The facility where the brewery will soon move was built in 1929, and was originally part of an ironworks company. Later, it housed a lace factory.
The Bronx Brewery will be the first brewery to operate in the borough since the 1960s, when Rheingold Beer’s site closed down. While the brewery is still a work in progress, the small team is currently working with architects and engineers to plan the renovations.
“We’re definitely excited to be in the neighborhood,” said Brown, who has been brewing beers for the past 10 years. Bronx native Steve O’Sullivan conceived the idea for a brewery in the Bronx. After forming the company, he brought in Brown and Gallant, both 32.
“It seemed like a great opportunity. I’ve always loved New York and wanted the chance to start my own company,” said Brown.
The brewery specializes in pale ales—a flagship American style pale ale is available all year round—while the company releases seasonal beers throughout the year, like their Rye and Belgian Pale Ales.
The company distributes throughout the five boroughs. Its pale ales can be found at Trader Joe’s, the Clock Café and Bar in Port Morris, and the Hard Rock Café near Yankee Stadium. But once the facility opens, they hope patrons will come to the 136th Street location to try the ales in the tasting room, which will be located on the first floor, next to the production floor, and in the outdoor beer garden area.
And as Brown and Gallant are both dog lovers –a small French Bulldog named Pancetta roams around their current makeshift office on the warehouse’s second floor—they plan to include an outdoor area where patrons can bring their dogs to roam while they taste the ales and enjoy the atmosphere.
“We envision a lot of people coming here and experiencing the brewery and experiencing the neighborhood,” said Gallant.
Brown estimates that the brewery will sell about 5,000 barrels of ale this year. Last year when the company was just starting out, it sold about 1,200. Having spent a year personally delivering their beers to distribution locations and restaurants, Brown says their ales have received a lot of positive reviews from the community.
“I think people are excited to see a brewery in the Bronx again,” he said.
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correction this will not the first brewery to open in The Bronx since the 1960’s. Gun Hill Brewery located on Laconia Ave in the Gun Hill area of The Bronx opened up earlier this year and have been brewing in The Bronx since