Beer in Brooklyn’s Heartland

Brooklyn is booming with beer. In fact, all of NYC is bursting at the seams with brewpubs, beer bars, and taplists full of quality products from all over. Who knows if that would've been possible without the pioneering role Heartland Brewery played in this city's craft beer movement? Since they opened their first brewpub in Union Square back in 1995, Heartland has consistently produced some of New York's finest and freshest beers, and they've established themselves as a New York institution. Recently, they opened a Taproom in their headquarters, and last night the brewmaster Kelly Taylor and Co. invited in the best of Brooklyn Yelp out for a few brews, some good times, and to see where all the magic happens. Check out the reviews and the photos from the event here, and read on for more fun.

Some of NYC's finest yelpers braved a sweaty commute for the festivities, and it was definitely worth it. Steph C says, "Yes it was hot and a little crowded, but who's complaining when you get to hang with all your Yelp friends?" Plus, there was beer. 

After all, it wouldn't be a taproom without taps, and Heartland certainly never disappoints when it comes to the brew. Ingrid S insists that her "favorite of the night was between the sweet and light Saison and the intense delicious Doppelbock, clocking in at 8% ABV." Although I don't need anything beyond beer, the fine folks at Heartland supplied snacks from the Heartland eateries (seriously, go check out one of the restaurants!).

All the beer geeks among us were happy to hear the brewmaster himself talk about the brewing process (and some just needed to cool down in the walk in). Jennifer S can attest that "Kelly was great about answering [her] 9672 beer related questions," so if you're lucky enough to catch him over there, say hi. 

If you're more into drinking beer than learning about it, that's understandable…especially with brews this tasty. However, the Taproom also sports plenty of interesting activities like Giant Jenga, which can get heated. Kenny C notes that "there was also cornhole and board games available." The folks here are "really pulling out all the stops to make this place a cool place to hang." And they succeeded!

A huge thanks to Kelly, Lauren, Sydney and the rest of the amazing Heartland staff for welcoming us in for an awesome night. I can't wait to see you all over there for more of that dopplebock and Jenga! When you head out though, make sure to take a road soda; Andrew B was ecstatic: "We even got mini growlers to bring home, but I don't know how many of those made it – I know mine didn't!" 

Cheers,
Peter D & The Yelp Brooklyn Team