Brewing Up House Tours

New York City. The Big Apple. If you can make homebrew there, you can make it anywhere. And that’s exactly what Josh Bernstein thought in 2009 when he started his tour, named, quite simply, the “New York City Homebrew Tour.” The tour, which Bernstein assumed was a one-time event for the organizers of New York City Craft Beer, has since evolved into a regular series, with attendees clamoring for more.

“I thought it would be fun to give people a peek into [the brewers’] world, to let tour-takers try these beers and learn what makes the brewers tick and decide to brew in these tiny, tiny apartments,” Bernstein says. “And honestly, I never thought about doing a second tour. But people were like, ‘When’s the next tour?’ I said, ‘Next tour? This was it.’ But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the tour had legs, especially with the groundswell of brewers in New York.”

Although New York is typically considered to be on the cutting edge of just about everything, the trend of homebrewing and craft beer has taken a lot longer to reach the Big Apple than other parts of the country. But Bernstein says New Yorkers are more than making up for lost time.

“Five years ago, homebrewing in New York City was more of a challenge,” he says. “There were no homebrew-supply shops in town, and you had to order most of your grains and hops online. Nowadays, there are three dedicated homebrew-supply shops in Brooklyn, and even Whole Foods sells grains. I’ve watched homebrewing grow from an against-all-odds endeavor to a hobby that’s been embraced by the mainstream.”

The tours are held on weekends, and no more than 25 people can attend the sell-out events, which cost $25 per person. Bernstein says his first tours visited homebrewing setups that belonged to friends, but as word has spread and homebrewing has become more prevalent, he has the luxury of more brewers to choose from.

“Sometimes the brewers fit a certain geographic route—say, three brewers in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Ideally, I try to demonstrate a progression of brewers: a beginner brewer, an intermediate brewer and someone on their way to becoming a professional brewer, or perhaps harboring aspirations,” Bernstein says. “All the brewers need to do is open their doors, open their mouths to chat and pour some beers. We’re in their homes for 45 minutes to an hour, then we’re gone. I have attendees clean up all their cups, and everyone is super-respectful.”

The beer tasting is the main component, of course, says Bernstein, but there’s also a fascination among the tour-takers about the sheer logistics of homebrewing in very small spaces—spiced up with a touch of friendly nosiness.

“Where do you find space to store your grains? Where do you put your carboys? How do you keep temperatures constant, especially when your radiator is spitting out Hades levels of heat? That alone, combined with our constant weather swings—and, by and large, lack of central air—means that brewers are constantly fighting the fermentation battle. Also, say you live on a fifth-floor walkup with no elevator. Hefting a 55-pound sack of grain upstairs is a pain in the rear end. And the back. And knees,” Bernstein says. “An equally important, if less acknowledged, lure is the voyeuristic thrill of entering a stranger’s home. There’s their toothbrush, their laundry basket, their cigarette-stained couch.”

Taking a tour with 20 some-odd strangers is weird at first, Bernstein says, but after the first few samples of homebrew, the group starts to warm up to each other. “What I’ve found really interesting is how the last stop on the tour usually devolves into a house party that stretches into the early evening,” Bernstein says. “Beer, in the best way possible, enables conversation and brings people together.”

Tour-takers are mostly from New York City, but have also hailed from across the US and as far away as Britain. No matter where they call home, they will have to wait for the next homebrew tour while Bernstein travels the country promoting his new book, Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the Craft Beer Revolution. When the tours return, he expects there will be even more homebrewers willing to open up their homes, their cigarette-stained couches and, most importantly, their hearts, to beer fans. Find out more at joshuambernstein.com. ■