East Williamsburg, Bushwick and Ridgewood

Best time: Wednesday to Sunday, because Eckhart is closed Monday and Tuesday. Saturday is easiest: Grimm, Eckhart and KCBC open at noon and Pine Box at 2pm, and Evil Twin pours until midnight. On weekdays start at Grimm after 5pm, when indoor seating opens up, and note that Evil Twin closes at 9pm Monday to Thursday. Opening hours change, so check each venue before you set off.

The stops

1. 

   Grimm Artisanal Ales

   990 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211 · Grand St or Morgan Av (L)

   Taproom inside the 7,000 sq ft production brewery and winery of Grimm, five times named New York State Brewery of the Year: 20 draft lines of double IPAs, imperial stouts, sours and lagers, with a view of the oak foeder and brewhouse. Upstairs, a rooftop bar and Lala's Apizza bake New Haven-style coal-fired pies. Taproom open 2pm to 10pm Monday to Thursday, noon to midnight Friday and Saturday and noon to 8pm Sunday; the rooftop and Lala's open Wednesday to Sunday.

   Open in Google Maps

2. 

   Pine Box Rock Shop

   12 Grattan Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206 · Morgan Av (L)

   Neighbourhood bar in a former casket factory, open since October 2010, with a long list of local craft beer on draft, creative cocktails, a music room and community events. Open daily from 4pm on weekdays and 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

   Open in Google Maps

3. 

   Eckhart Beer Co.

   545 Johnson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11237

   'NYC's lager brewery': a big Bushwick taproom focused on German and Czech brewing, from spritzy helles to a nutty Czech dark lager, served in traditional Czech pour styles, with an ambitious German kitchen (spätzle, roast chicken, pretzels). Open 4pm to 11pm Wednesday and Thursday, 2pm to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday and noon to 10pm Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

   Open in Google Maps

4. KCBC

   381 Troutman Street, Brooklyn, NY 11237 · Jefferson St (L)

   Opened in 2016 as the first production brewery in Bushwick in more than 40 years, KCBC pours its colourful, comic-labelled IPAs, lagers and sours (plus taproom-only beers) in a laid-back room near the Jefferson Street murals. Snacks and rotating food pop-ups; outside food and dogs welcome. Open 4pm to 11pm Monday to Thursday, 3pm to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday and 1pm to 10pm Sunday.

   Open in Google Maps

5. 

   Evil Twin Brewing NYC

   1616 George Street, Ridgewood, NY 11385 · Halsey St (L), about a block

   Brewery and taproom of Evil Twin, the Danish 'gypsy' brand that settled in Ridgewood, Queens, in 2019: 20 rotating taps of smoothie-style sours, oak-aged lagers, hazy IPAs and barrel-aged stouts with famously long names, poured in a bright greenhouse-style room with a heated patio. Natural wine, cocktails, New York State ciders and a food pop-up too. Open 4pm to 9pm Monday to Thursday, noon to midnight Friday and Saturday and noon to 10pm Sunday.

   Open in Google Maps

Getting there: every stop is a short walk from the L train (Grand St, Morgan Av, Jefferson St, Halsey St), about 20 minutes from Union Square.

Eckhart and KCBC are about 450 m apart, the shortest hop of any route in this guide.

KCBC to Evil Twin (about 2.6 km) is a long walk through Bushwick; the L from Jefferson St to Halsey St is three stops.

The streets around Jefferson St are covered in murals (the Bushwick Collective); daylight is the time to see them.

Five stops with plenty of strong IPAs and stouts is a lot. Grimm, Eckhart and KCBC alone make a good shorter crawl.

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Brooklyn NYC: 3-Hour Custom Walking Tour with Pizza and Beer

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