Fifth Hammer Brewing

 

Came in last night ‘cause we should all be with friends on 911. Parked a sweet slander spot like, right off out front (it’s one of my 17 special skills). Woulda been super convenient for muling in empty kegs as I do from time to time but not tonight. Seems there’s some commotion out front. Oh, I see. Z showed up. And 19 trombonists…

Doublewide industrial space; the brewery occupies one side and the bar the other side. Cinderblock & brick pillar walls, concrete floors, and a corrugated ceiling with a center skylight, giant spinnys, ductwork, & pear filament bulbs strung. Ceiling height I-beams lining the near & far walls running the length of the room. Panel roll up door wall forward to the street with a bar counter space below with stoolings for a half dozen or so. Blackboard wall to the rear for the smack talk writing on; storage above and a drop projection screen fronting. ‘BREWERY’ etched into the I-beam over the rear entrance to the space behind the brewery proper. Box framed malt sacks hanging on the far wall and a framed paneled mirror to the rear. Self serve (go get your own damn) water down past the bar. Properly hydrate, fool! And a can & bottle to-go cooler up front.

‘C’ shaped slate slab topped bar with a zig-zag diagonal alt colored wood base and slight foot lip. Seating on high backed chairs for a dozen split 6 & 6 with firkins & barrels in between to carve out a center ordering area. Barback holds a loooooong counter space with glassware, a center slushy machine, a crowl crimper, and the music play on the end. 3 window cuts on the cinderblock barback wall with caging to keep the breweryings contained (yeast can be a funny thing). Hammers hanging on the center one should we need to defend against zombies or bridge & tunnelers. Crowls, bottles, glassware, awards, pics, & pieces lining the sills. Mounted on the wall below, a pair of phat piping pieces with 9 non-descript black knob handles each, including Lukrs and Nitros, ID’d by small hanging tags. On center between the windows, a pair of vertical steel panels listing draft, cask, & canned selections (beer, ABV, & style). Glassware & storage below + cooler action. Books & merch (glassware, hats) shelving on the front end of the barback (you know you need a Cuzme koozie!) lined with faux hop vines, and shirts & onesies a-hung there, too. A single handpump in the front corner of the bar.

Upwards of a dozen tables, picnics on the far wall and barrel stand arounds fronting the racked barrels in between and clustered to the rear. We do second Wednesdays at that table there (me, pointing). I’ve seen a few tables fronting the brewery equipment off the up front cut through, although I’m not sure if they’re always there. That goes for curbside seating, as well.

Sometimes music happens to the rear, sometimes it happens in the front on the brewery side (Foeders and forklift and racking with pallets… these are some of my favorite things), and sometimes if you leave the door open, things spill out onto the sidewalk, the street, or beyond.

16 taps up (Pentatonic Pils, Pilsner, 4.8%; Posaune Pils, NZ Pils, collab with KCBC, 5%; Hammerfest, Festbier Lager, 6%; Of Rice & Zen, Rice Lager, 4.3%; Love & Hades, Smoked Helles Lager, 5.6%; Zipline Zealot, Cream Ale, 5%; Ask for Dorothy, Kolsch Style Ale, 5.2%; Markhauser, Altbier, 5.2%; Little Sally, Saison, 5.2%; Short and Stout, Stout, 3.2%; Spacewhip, Sour Ale w/Orange & Lactose, 5%; Barb Wire, Sour Ale w/Rhubarb, Blackberry, & Lime, 5%; Eastern Teabird, NYS Pale Ale, w/Chrysanthemum, Jasmine, & Green Teas, 6%; Sonic Architecture: Wave 18, Hazy IPA, 6.6%; Porpoise Aficionado, Hazy IPA, 7.5%; Fire & Rainbows, Imperial IPA, 9%) + a cask offering (Leo Never Lenny, Proper Ale, 4.1%).

It’s a good mix of styles from one end to the other, and most of it sessiony or just above. Full pours and then played shortys for a few. Ask for Dorothy Kolsch, light fruity esters, crisp, clean, an easy drinker; Short and Stout, light bodied, some roast, solid small Stout; Leo Never Lenny Proper Ale, no corners, light bite, good malt, proper, a nice cask beer; Posaune Pilsner, NZ Pilsner, collab with KCBC, really damn nice, excellent bite; Zipline Zealot Cream Ale, light, smooth, another easy drinker; Little Sally Saison, light Belgianiness, floral, spritzy, very nice. I’m thinking Posaune Pilsner, Zipline Zealot, Ask for Dorothy Kolsch, & Little Sally Saison for the WINS.

Good crowd tonight. Friendly dog friendly. Still waiting to get to brew a beer here (as was the arrangement, btw). You know, I’m really glad we didn’t kill off Cuzme at BCTC that year. he's a good cat and a most gracious host. Yes, he did introduce me to people questionably that one time at the Navy Yard, but he is always genuinely happy to see me, and you, and everyone else, and their little dogs too. Not sure, but I think he may have opened a brewery just so he’s got a place to blow the devil’s horn all day.

 

 

 

Once was good, but has been unable to maintain consistency as they've grown. Staff has become incredibly rude and you're guaranteed to wait on a line to get in on the weekend. Given the competition in the area (Finback, Rockaway, Icon, Singlecut.. the list goes on...), the rudeness of the staff, and the lines to get in, recommend avoiding this place considering the quality of the beer.

Great neighborhood spot with fair variety of brews and airy indoor seating area. There’s usually 2-3 to go beers in 4 packs and another 5 or so crowler options to go.
Dogs are welcome and almost every night there’s a food vendor on site.

High ceilinged warehouse space with tasting room partitioned in front of brewhouse. Long bar perpendicular to entry seats about 15, with table packed into remainder of space. Two large garage doors open to street. 12 beers on tap, the one I had was very good. Lively crowd.

 

 

 

Yet another quality spot for super tasty brew in BKLYN/Queens NY...what a great area for beer!

Industrial/garage kinda space, nicely renovated and quite comfortable to have some of their high quality offerings at the granite stone topped bar or at one of several tables or benches...chill music, not too loud make this place a fine place to stop in for a few beers and/or to bring food into...(sometimes they have a food truck, but they offer no food of their own)

Mary and Chris are great owners/brewers/visionaries and hosts...really enjoyed our first visit and def will be back...if I was a local I would be a regular, and I always think that is high praise....

 

 

 

this is not one of the big name new york breweries that we came here to visit this week. it was sort of a random stop for us, but after touring around the last few days, i can confidently declare this place to be one of the best operations in the city. the beer list is diverse as can be, nuanced lagers, funky saison types, fruited sour beer, barrel aged bretty stuff, hazy hops, they do it all, and we drank through a fair bit of the list, and there isnt a dud among them. the space is rad too, high ceilings in an old warehouse looking industrial space, but the christmas lights draped over the pile of barrels and the video of a fire burning on their projection screen gave it a cozy holiday feel nevertheless. they have done a lot with a little here, its mellow, with a long bar and minimal seating, and the brewery on the other side of the building but visible from the walk to the restrooms. they had a huge list of beers and a ton of cool stuff. norwegian saison with juniper branches was for me the winner, but we had killer beer from top to bottom here, including a nicely done pils type, a salted plum sour, and basically everything in between. they really are making some impressive beers here. service was cool, gal behind the bar was friendly and stoked, and the dude making the beers took the time to chat with us, really kind young dude who doesnt seem to be letting it go to his head. loved the beers in here, ill make a point to visit them again when i am back in the city. dont overlook this place, its as good as any of the hyped up beer destinations here...

 

 

 

 

 

Great new brewery located in LIC New York. Friendly and laid back vibe with excellent service. Live music on Wednesdays. Tasty and drinkable beer representing a variety of styles. Cool vibe and setup. Highly recommended.