On May 3, Beer Sessions Radio (TM) was able to sit down with Brooklyn Brewery founder and local beer historian Steve Hindy. To say that Steve is an interesting fellow would be a gross understatement. He’s Brooklyn’s own International Man of Mystery and we’re pretty sure he could take the Dos Equis guy down in under 5 seconds.How and when did beer and brewing history become a part of your life?
When I worked for Associated Press in the Middle East, I met American diplomats who had worked in Saudi Arabia, where there is Islamic law—no alcoholic beverages. These guys all made their own beer at home. It was delicious, and I took up homebrewing when I returned to NYC. We settled in Brooklyn, and I went to work for Newsday. Being an editor was not the same as reporting from the field. I felt a little antsy. I started reading about these microbreweries that were starting up, mostly on the West Coast. I was jogging in Prospect Park one day when I saw another runner with a sweaty old t-shirt that said: BREWERIES OF BROOKLYN. I stopped him and asked where he got the shirt. It was Will Anderson, author of an out-of-print book about the history of brewing in Brooklyn. I read the book and became an expert on the history of brewing in Brooklyn.
How does one make the switch from journalism to beer?
Most journalists love beer. I had been a beer drinker since high school. The idea of starting a brewery was like a magical quest to me. And I enlisted my downstairs neighbor, Tom Potter, a banker with an MBA, to help me get started.
Knowing what you know now, would you choose to start a brewery in Brooklyn today? How would that venture be the same/different today than 20 years ago?
There are two other breweries in Brooklyn today, and more on the way. I think it is much easier to get started today mainly because all wholesalers, including the best, are now very eagerly courting craft breweries. When I started, they wouldn’t give us the time of day. That is why we distributed our own beer, and a great line-up of U.S., Belgian, British and German beers, for 17 years.
So many small brewers today are facing questions of expansion both of their output and geographic reach. What factors played a part in the decision to go ahead with your recent expansion project and what lessons have you learned along the way?
We brew our draft ales and specialty beers in Brooklyn. That part of our business has been growing rapidly. We looked for more space to expand for five years, unsuccessfully. There was a residential real estate boom in Brooklyn that raised property values beyond our reach. When the economy crashed, we were able to find more space adjacent to our current brewery. We moved quickly to expand our operations and have no regrets. Are sales are up more than 40% in the first quarter of this year.
To hear more from Steve Hindy, tune in to Episode 62 of Beer Sessions Radio (TM) on the Heritage Radio Network.
What could be better than great food, delicious, beer and an afternoon on NYC’s island getaway? How about two afternoons?!