The CIA’s Deal with Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn Brewery is currently the 11th largest craft brewery in the United States based on beer sales volume. Does their ‘arrangement’ with the CIA have anything to do with their success?
Founded in 1988, Brooklyn Brewery was one of the first-movers into the emerging craft beer scene. They made their home in Brooklyn, NY and have enjoyed a consistent ascent to the top of the beer rankings over the last 30 years through organic growth and strategic partnerships.
One of those partnerships is with the CIA.
The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is the world’s premier culinary college and has produced nearly 50,000 alumni since their inception in 1946. They are responsible for revolutionizing the hospitality industry through their unique teaching methods and focus on ever-changing food trends.
The CIA and Brooklyn Brewery collaborated in 2015 to create a small craft brewery on the CIA’s Hyde Park Campus (NY). It is a seven barrel brewing system meant for producing creative, small batch beers. Students can take a course called The Art of Science and Brewing that was designed by Brooklyn Brewmaster Garrett Oliver to learn how to brew beer, develop a restaurant beer list, create unique food and beer pairings, etc.
Juniors and seniors pursuing a concentration in Advanced Wine, Beverage, and Hospitality will staff the brewery and learn about fermentation and brewing techniques as well as the business aspects of running a small food and beverage operation. – CIAchef.edu
The partnership between the CIA and Brooklyn Brewery hopes to incite a flurry of new beers into the market that creatively pair with the constantly changing food vogue. So far, the Cleaver IPA, Cast Iron Stout and the Mise-en-Place Wit have all been brewed from student-driven recipes.
If you can’t make it all the way out to the CIA’s Hyde Park campus, it is very easy to take a tour of the brewery in Brooklyn while you’re visiting New York City.
Touring Brooklyn Brewery
Address: 79 N 11th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Hours: Mon-Thurs (6-9.30pm); Fri (6-11pm); Sat (12-8pm); Sun (12-6pm)
Tour Info: Tours are given every half hour and they are free! You just need to grab a ticket at the counter for a certain time. No ticket, no tour.
Drinking Tourist Tips
- Arrive early, especially on weekends. If you get there at 12pm on Saturday or Sunday, there will already be a line. For quick entry plan to get there around 11.30am.
- Food. They don’t serve food there, but you are allowed to bring outside food in, get something delivered and/or try one of the rotating food trucks they have.
- Beer tokens. In order to purchase a beer, you have to buy tokens at the front counter (separate from the bar). Tokens are $5 each or 5 for $20. The counter is located just to the left when you walk in.
- Children and dogs are welcome!
- Getting there. Parking is crazy in Brooklyn/Williamsburg, so you should either take the subway (L train to Brooklyn, exit first stop: Bedford Ave) or hop in a cab/Uber.
Brooklyn Brewery – Fun Facts:
- The Brooklyn Brewery logo was made by graphic designer Milton Glaser in return for shares of the company. He is best know for his work on the I Love New York campaign.
- Owners and founders of the brewery Steve Hindy and Tom Potter are insistent on giving back to the community. They annually give money, time and beer back to organizations like the Prospect Park Alliance and the High Line (NYC’s best free tourist attraction).
- Instead of selling to a large distributor (think Anheuser Busch/InBev), Brooklyn Brewery struck a deal with 21st Amendment (CA) and Funkwerks (CO) to collectively expand their distribution networks and remain independent. Full story here.
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