Summer Brewery Tours

Ignazio's Pizza

I'm going to back track a little since I forgot to blog about the FAB Brooklyn pizza I enjoyed while in New York. Obviously being from Philadelphia, I know good pizza and have had some really great pizza while going to graduate school in Manhattan. That being said, I was pretty excited to try some Brooklyn-style pizza for the first time.  

Before walking over the Brooklyn Bridge, my friend Chris and I lunched on a fabulous pie at Ignazio's. Just around the corner from the famous "Under the Brooklyn Bridge" Grimaldi's and a lot less crowded, it was the perfect spot before our short trek over the East River. We enjoyed "The Pizza" with half roasted red peppers and one of my favorite parts, beside the delicious pie, was the cool metal glasses and old fashioned Diet Coke bottles they used for drinks. 

Brooklyn Brewery

After walking over the Brooklyn Bridge and since we were in Brooklyn, we decided to hit up what else, but the Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg. Yes, I used the word Brooklyn three times in that sentence, which is a total pet peeve of mine!

The tasting area was pretty hoppin' with all of the tables filled. While enjoying a cold beverage, we caught the last tour of the day to learn about the history of the small brewery. I thought it was really neat and courageous that an Associated Press correspondent - Steve Hindy - and banker - Tom Potter - decided to quit their careers and open this brewery back in the late 80s. I think they must have really LOVED beer!And, it obviously worked out since the brewery is currently one of America's top 40 breweries. The Brooklyn lager soon became one of my favorites back home in Philly.

They ran out of Summer Ale, I was extremely upset! I settled for the Pale Ale instead.

I loved the "B" on the exterior facade!

BREWED AND BOTTLED IN THE

CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE

The Brooklyn Brewery tour was relatively short compared to the Yards Brewing Company, 901 N. Delaware Avenue, tour a few weeks later. Also jam packed, I was excited to tour the facility and learn about the space's short history, how to make beer and little did I know, even enter the cooler area. Although it was a super hot day and the brewing area was quite warm, I felt like I learned a lot about how to brew beer (although I've never done it before!) and how they bottle beer. One fun fact: Beer is actually made cold and then shipped so unless it undergoes extreme temperatures, it will not skunk. The beers the three of us tasted included the Brawler, Philadelphia Pale Ale and the hot Love Stout, which is seductively smooth!

Until my next brewery tour...