The Best Craft Beers in NYC
The ultimate NYC craft beer guide
New York is home to some of the most delicious craft beers! You can find a myriad of NYC breweries offering exotic styles. In this article, we’ll share where to find the best craft beers in New York and also provide you with some info on the illuminating brewery tour we took recently.
Our top 9 Craft Beers in New York
Because there are so many craft beer purveyors in NYC, you may not know where to start looking. To make this easier for you, we’ve listed our top 9 craft beers in NYC for you to enjoy without the hassle of doing heavy research!
1. Brooklyn Brewery (Williamsburg)
We consider Brooklyn Brewery the pioneer when it comes to the best craft beer purveyors in New York. During the free Brooklyn Brewery Tour, you can learn about the complete beer-making process. Though the tour is incredibly interesting and definitely recommended, the best part, of course, is sampling the diverse craft beers at the end of the tour.
The brewery is located next to the Whiskey Brooklyn bar and the Wythe Hotel, which advertises a great rooftop bar.
Address: North 11th Street
2. Other Half Brewing Company (Cobble Hill)
The Other Half brews its beer in Cobble Hill, at the Southern part of the picturesque Brooklyn Bridge Park. Our weakness at Other Half is the unparalleled Indian Pale Ale. Their take on this trendy style is what has us come back here over and over again and is also one of the reasons we included Other Half in our list of best craft beer bars in NYC.
Address: 195 Centre St
3. Sixpoint Brewery (Red Hook)
Sixpoint Brewery in the East Village specializes in ales and lagers. They started brewing beer in 2004 and have maintained a renowned reputation as one of the best craft beer breweries in New York.
Address: 40 Van Dyke St
4. Finback Brewery (Queens)
The borough of Queens prides itself in its very first brewery founded in 2014: the Finback Brewery. This brewery is notorious for inventing new variants on traditional classics that will tantalize any beer snob’s taste buds. Some creations even contain exotic and notable flavors such as grapefruit or ginger. Just head to the tasting room where you can sample 12 different types of beer.
5. Bronx Brewery in Port (Bronx)
To be quite honest, we discovered the Bronx Brewery at Shake Shack. While Brooklyn may be famous for its artisan craftwork on a multitude of products, we were pleasantly surprised to see the Bronx represented by such a popular brand in NYC. We particularly enjoy the Bronx Brewery’s American Pale Ale. As a testament to their taste and quality, you can find their craft beers at more than 250 locations throughout the city. Alternatively, you can sit back and enjoy their creations at the Bronx Brewery’s backyard.
Address: East 136th St
6. Threes Brewery (Brooklyn)
As the name implies, there are three founders behind this Brooklyn brewery which, coincidentally, happens to be located at 333 Douglass Street. Besides the bar, the location is also home to a café and a restaurant. We suggest you find a seat in their beautiful beer garden, where you are guaranteed to drink your beer among real New Yorkers.
Address: 333 Douglass Street
7. Chelsea Craft Brewing Company (Bronx)
A Chelsea Brewing Company in the Bronx? Correct! The currently newest addition to the Chelsea Craft Brewing Company has relocated to the Bronx. The new location makes it possible to not only try their delicious creations but also to take a guided brewery tour throughout the large facility. The tour runs on Saturdays from 1 pm to 6 pm.
Address: East 173rd St
8. Flagship Brewing Co. (Staten Island)
Staten Island cut the ribbon on its first own craft beer brewery back in 2012. If you don’t want to commute all this way to Staten Island (even though the Staten Island Ferry is free and a wonderful ride), it would be good to know that you can also have a taste of the Flagship Brewing Co.’s beer at any Mets baseball game at CitiField. Should you find yourself at the Staten Island location, be sure to join one of the guided brewery tours on Saturdays.
Address: 40 Minthorne Street
9. ACBC Alphabet City Beer Company (East Village)
ACBC is our newest discovery and therefore our newest addition to the list of best craft beers in NYC. Here, patrons are invited to take home bottles of whatever craft beers suited their fancy during their visit to the brewery! The store offers lots of rare beer types for even the most discerning of palates.
Address: 96 Avenue C
New York Brewery Tours
One of the best ways to explore the wide range of craft beers in NYC is by joining a brewery tour. Many breweries offer these guided group tours for free! After learning more about the ingredients and processes, the craft beer will taste even better and you’ll appreciate the flavors coming together!
For a more exclusive experience, we recommend taking the Craft Beer Tour with Tastings that introduces you to not only one but 3 different breweries in New York. Throughout the tour, you’ll get to meet like-minded people and together you can share your experiences and insider tips about the best breweries or best craft beers in NYC. That’s how Steffen learned about one of his favorite bars in the city: The Proletariat.
This brewery tour takes about 3 hours and starts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
