I was first introduced to tasty beer from Bronx Brewery at a super fun event called The Brew Hop 5K (you can read about it here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/the-brew-hop-5k/). At that time, we were encouraged to visit the brewery by our friend. It has been a several months since then, but we eventually got there! It was situated in a middle of nowhere, and not very easy to get to. It was kind of strange or surprising to find a brewery at this kind of, well, isolated spot.
Since it was during the holiday season, the first thing we saw when we walked in was this festive Christmas tree. To the right of the tree was a nook with large table for a large group. It was decorated with some lights but kind of dark spot, since it was away from any window there.
To the left of the tree was a bar with more seating. It was much brighter thanks to lots of windows. They had several seating at the bar, few seating with barrel tables, and some more seating by the window. It is not a big space, maybe up to 20 seats or less total in this are. We went on Sunday, around 1pm. It was not so busy, maybe around 6-8 people there, drinking, relaxing, chilling with family and friends.
The reason for our weekend visit was because they offer free brewery tours on the weekends. We tried to make it before their first scheduled tour time at 1:30pm. However, there were no one else there wanting a tour other than us, so the female staff told us that she can just take us back there and give us a tour whenever we are ready. We decided to get settled first and try few of their beer offerings prior to the tour. But, before we could decide on which beer to order, we wanted to taste some of their beer. We kept asking for a sample after another, and the staff was really nice (and patient) enough to give us many samples. After tasting 6 different samples, we finally ordered Rye Ale ($6), which is a crisp golden pale ale with bold rye and piney hops. It was recommended by one of their patrons sitting at the bar. It was light and easy to drink, but had a very good flavor.
After finished with the rye ale, we got our special, private tour (since there was still no one else there wanting the tour). It was big and clean, bright and well organized. They had a machine for filling their beer cans. At that point, we discovered that they only do beer (or tap), but no glass. I heard that beer breweries are going away from glass, but going more towards cans only. The staff gave us the background of Bronx Brewery. There was no brewery in Bronx since sometime in 1960. They started making beer in 2011, but had some hardship thanks to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. They haven’t really started using this facility until 2014, after recovering from the hurricane damage. Their philosophy is to do one thing and do it right. What is that one thing? Pale Ale! They are there to push the limits of what a pale ale can be.
They had some more seating inside the brewing area, which was interesting. The staff told us that they do some private events there. That must be some fun event! But, it didn’t look like much seating for a good sized event… Then she told us that there is an outdoor space also, but currently closed due to cold season.
She was nice enough to take us to the outdoor seating out back just so that we can see what it is like. They had many picnic tables and sunbrellas at the corner of the lot. It must be awesome during the Summer here. Speaking of awesome, they had really nice, vibrant mural on the wall facing the outdoor seating area. Super cool!
After the more of laid back tour, we went back to the bar area and ordered some snacks and beer. They have limited offerings when it comes to food, but I say its enough for beer accompaniment. We ordered Prosciutto ($10), Toketti ($6), Soft Pretzel ($5), and two more beers. The pretzels had a choice of Cheese, Japapeno Cheddar, and Pretzel Bites. Not really understanding how they are going to look like, I went with Cheese. When the pretzel came out, I was a bit disappointed, as it was not in a shape nor the size we expected. I think if you get the original kind (Pretzel Bites?), then you get the standard shaped soft pretzel. It came with two kinds of The Bronx Hot Sauce, and some mustard packets. The pretzel are made to order, so it tool maybe 15 min for it to come out. It was nice and hot, but we still preferred the original pretzel.
Prosciutto is from La Quercial Meats, non-GMO, organic, and thinly sliced. I thought the price tag was kind of high, but they were high quality. The packet looked small, but it was packed in there. We got more than we thought. The Toketti was a surprising hit. It was a Sardinian fried flatbread, century old recipe. It was crunchy and flavorful, and most of all, it went great with beer.
Prosciutto came with a knife and cutting board. It also came with a small bottle of jam, apple and cranberry flavor. It was pretty nice, it went nicely with the prosciutto if you wanted some added flavor or sweetness to it. Prosciutto was certainly of high quality, tasty and good, firm texture.
For the beers, we ordered Winter Pale Ale ($6), a spiced pale ale with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, and Bog Smash ($6), a seasonal pale ale with cranberries for a subtle tart finish. They had a really nice flavor, the Winter Pale Ale had just a hint of ginger, not strong. Goes down smooth. The Bog Smash had nice maroon color, from cranberries I assume. It had a bit of fruity flavor and yes, a subtle tart finish.
We had a really fun, chilling, nice experience here. I am glad we made the trip all the way up to Bronx! We liked all of their beers (that we sampled). The staff was accommodating and helpful, and the people (patrons) there were really nice too. If you like beer, especially Pale Ale is your go-to beer, head over to Bronx Brewery! And if you don’t like their snack offerings, not to worry, you are allowed to bring in your own food, or even get delivery from local restaurants!
The Bronx Brewery – 856 E 136th St, Bronx, NY 10454