Brewery on Waverly!

Who knew Waverly Ave between Fulton and Atlantic was such a hotbed of intrigue! The filming of TV shows (Hammered for HGTV, Cover Shot for TLC), the Preemie Martini, etc. My latest discovery: A BREWERY! Reader houseowax tipped me off to this place, and after a whole lot of Googling, I made contact with the brewers. A few Fridays ago during the ice storm, houseowax and I set off for a tour (and tasting). Their building on Waverly used to be a dairy:

The brewery is called Greenpoint Beer Works, as Kelly Taylor (who built the facility and manages operations) makes Greenpoint his home. Inside, GPW brews all of Heartland Brewery's beers (where Taylor got his start) as well as their own new brand, Kelso of Brooklyn.

Right now, they're only set up to brew kegs, but Kelly tells me bottling for Kelso is in the works. It's the next step in the business plan.

Used barley is occasionally used for bread by the employees or given to local community gardens for compost, but most often is given to farmers to use as pig slop.

We tried the Barlywine (10% alcohol = fast buzz!) and Scotch Ale- a smooth ale with very little hops and a nice roasted barley flavor. Both were delicious!

They also make natural sodas:

Taylor does offer special tours here and there, but the brewery is not yet equipped for regular visitors. He mentioned potentially looking into opening some sort of summer beer garden situation, but was unsure if people would come. Houseowax and I were thrilled with the idea, so if you think you'd patronize, give a shout-out here so we can tell him how awesome business would be. I also mentioned having a CHB 1-year Anniversary party there, to which he seemed receptive (July-ish. Be There).

For now, you can enjoy Kelso's brews on tap at 67 Burger in Ft. Greene and Soda in Prospect Hts, and at other semi-nearby bars and restaurants. For more info, check out their site.

(I am tagging this under "nightlife," in the hopes that there will be a beer garden.)