Brooklyn Brewery Logo
Brooklyn Brewery Logo

With the sudden surge of beer gardens cropping up around the city and the recent success of the 2nd annual New York Craft Beer Week, beer mania has officially taken over the Big Apple.

There’s bacon-flavored beer, beer pairings and even a 1,000-seat beer hall opening this fall. For hop lovers interested in sampling top-notch local beer, look no further than the Brooklyn Brewery, creator of the famous Brooklyn Lager.

Now celebrating its 21st year, the Brooklyn Brewery was founded by former Associated Press correspondent Steve Hindy – who learned to brew beer while working in the dry Middle East – and his business partner Tom Porter.

Tapping into Brooklyn’s rich brewing past – the borough was home to 48 breweries at the turn of the 20th century – the Brooklyn Brewery is now one of America’s top 40 breweries.

Located in a former matzo ball factory in Williamsburg, the hipster neighborhood with convenient and original accommodations, the Brooklyn Brewery is open to the public from noon – 6:00 p.m. on weekends, offering free brewery tours every hour on the hour from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.  While the “tour” isn’t so much a tour as a history lesson that takes place in the industrial brewhouse, amid enormous vats of Brooklyn Brown Ale, it is interesting nonetheless. (One fun fact: the Brooklyn Brewery’s logo was designed by Milton Glaser, the man behind the famous “I love New York” logo.)

The brewery also hosts a Friday night Happy Hour from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. In addition to standards like the Brooklyn Lager, visitors can also sample some of the brewery’s tasty seasonal microbrews, like the Oktoberfest Beer or Pumpkin Ale, for $4 a piece or 6 for $20, in the beer-drenched tasting room. For information on how to get to the brewery, visit the Brooklyn Brewery’s website.

If you want to join in New York’s beer mania, plan a trip to the Brooklyn Brewery this fall. New York Habitat has the perfect apartment in Williamsburg for  you. Choose from incredible Manhattan and Brooklyn apartments, including:

– This cozy 1-Bedroom Furnished Apartment in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (NY-14270), located in a charming 4-story brownstone walk-up. Enjoy the apartment’s decorative fireplace as well as backyard garden views.

– This bright and spacious 2-Bedroom Vacation Rental in Noho – East Village – Lower East Side (NY-12499). The apartment is tastefully furnished and very large by New York standards. Enjoy the 12-foot-high ceilings, skylight and views of Manhattan’s rooftops and bridges.

– This stunning 3-Bedroom Accommodation in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (NY-12841), located on the upper three floors of a four-story townhouse. Enjoy the triplex’s terrace and garden.

Have you ever been to the Brooklyn Brewery? Do you have a favorite Brooklyn beer? Share your comments with us!