Brooklyn Brewery is getting closer to opening its new home at 1 Wythe Avenue.
The team plans to start with a soft opening in late summer and host a grand opening in the fall, thirty years after opening its original Williamsburg tasting room in 1996.
Greenpointers first reported on the relocation of Brooklyn Brewery’s flagship facility from the current location on North 11th Street in November 2022. At the time, the team hoped to open the new location in 2024.
Brooklyn Brewery’s new home on Wythe Avenue is about four times the size of its current location. The new space expands beyond the brewery and tasting room, with a full kitchen, a rooftop terrace, room for more cultural programming, and greater brewing capabilities.
The new flagship marks the first time that Brooklyn Brewery will have a full kitchen. To helm it and assist with the design, Brooklyn Brewery tapped Chef Michael Ayoub, the founder of Fornino (849 Manhattan Ave.), a restaurant that has served pizza and Italian cuisine to North Brooklyn for over two decades.
“Working with Michael on the kitchen design has been a really exciting part of this project because we approached it in a much bigger way than simply adding food service to the brewery,” Brooklyn Brewery’s CEO, Eric Ottaway told Greenpointers.
“From the layout and equipment to the overall flow of the space, the focus was on creating a foundation that gives us the flexibility to grow culinarily over time — whether that’s through our casual everyday offerings, larger collaborative dinners and events, or new ideas we haven’t even thought of yet. We wanted the food experience to feel as welcoming, fun and community-driven as the brewery has always been.”
Chef Ayoub’s menu at Brooklyn Brewery will focus on Neapolitan-style pizza and food designed to pair with the brand’s beers.
“There are so many possibilities for what Brooklyn Brewery’s new food program could become, from working with fresh seasonal ingredients, experimenting with ideas like incorporating beer or spent grain into pizza dough, or collaborating with visiting chefs from the neighborhood or around the world,” Chef Ayoub told Greenpointers. “The new kitchen spaces really open the door for endless creativity.”
Brooklyn Brewery’s new space will also have a professional-grade dedicated demo kitchen, equipped with live streaming capabilities. The team envisions this addition to open the door to specialty collaborations and other innovative, food-forward experiences.
Alongside the new food program, Brooklyn Brewery’s new home will introduce a broader bar program. In addition to beer, the beverage menu will include wine, cocktails, and other drinks.
Brooklyn Brewery’s move also expands the brand’s brewing capabilities with upgraded facilities that allow increased small-batch and experimental brewing. Plus, brewery tours will return alongside guided tastings and other events.