Other Half Brewing

Following on dangelop and Hirshi's comments, I felt a very friendly and welcoming vibe at the Other Half that I haven't found anywhere elsewhere across the entire country. Maybe it's because it's so small and - kind of - exclusive... meaning it's people who've intended to go there very specifically - it's not like you'd just pass it on the street; it's not just people who want to have a few beers and are OK with Buschenshank or some other place; or even beer "tourists" who visit breweries that are easier to get to.

As to the beer, I haven't tried it, but now that I know it's a bit carbed I'll chill it in the fridge for a while. And it was expensive, but it's unique. I was at Fairway Market later on that night and I passed on Brooklyn Cuvée Noire because it was $25 but after I left I though "Geez, I spent almost that for a smaller bottle!".

 

this is the news I wanted to hear

 

In other words, they don't like you unless you're wearing an ironic t-shirt, super tight girl's jeans, and a wool hat? Sounds like Tired Hands; they're about 10 minutes from my house and I haven't been there for a year. If not, I don't understand what you mean by "exclusive" and "not for beer tourists".

 

I guess he means the fact that it's fucking tiny, and other people there are unlikely to have stumbled in as it's on a fairly dilapidated block behind a gas station - i.e. the people there went there for a reason




Nice unsolicited generalizations though

 

There are probably thousands of breweries that look just like that, housed in a warehouse, unceremonious looking. I doubt that's what he meant by "They're cool because they're, like, exclusive, maaaan"

 

It's not like that at all. I see all sorts of people in the tasting room. It's probably one of the LEAST pretentious beer spots I've ever visited.

I believe he is saying that unlike the Brooklyn Brewery, which is smack dab in the hottest part of Williamsburg and across from one of the most popular hotels in Brooklyn, Other Half is a tiny hole in a wall in an industrial area of Brooklyn near one of the most polluted waterways in America aka The Gowanus canal.

I wouldn't take his comment so to heart. All I can suggest is to try their beers and visit there one day and make up your own mind.

 

Whoa - you are inferring way, way too much from this. I get to Other Half fairly regularly, and completely agree with what @NeroFiddled is saying, which has no resemblance whatsoever with your interpretation. Perhaps some of the misunderstanding is because you are unfamiliar with New York City? Other Half's location (nevermind the tiny warehouse digs, like many other brewers) is very out of the way - as in, basically no one is ever going to be conveniently passing by them on the way to/home from work. Moreover, the block itself is shady/gross, bordering on an area that's also shady and gross. Yes, the nice parts of Carroll Gardens are just a couple blocks away, but Other Half is situated in a uniquely unpleasant place. And lastly, the only trains near it are the F and G train, which as any New Yorker will tell you, basically only run when Jupiter is aligned with Mars.

So all @NeroFiddled is saying is that if you're at OH, you clearly have gone out of your way and devoted some time to check it out, and the proprietors seem to very much appreciate that. There's a super welcoming vibe, which seems exclusive only in the sense that when you walk in there, the size and friendliness makes it seem like everyone already knows everyone's name, even though that's of course not the case. But hang out there for any longer than 5 minutes, and your (forced) close proximity to the rest of the visitors will inevitably lead to conversation, which then feeds back into the vibe for the next person to arrive.

This was a bit long winded, but your interpretation of the kind of place OH is was so far off I felt the need to clarify at length

 

Fair enough, the IPAs look good but $24 for an IPA growler fill is steep. I'm tempted to write more but I admit I have to try their stuff before I go overboard. I think seeing the $20 375ml "wine barrel aged imperial stout" on my news feed last week turned me off too.

 

Actually most of their growlers are $16. Only their triple IPAs and the rarer stuff are more pricey.

 

Other Half IPA is actually $14/64oz. Hop Showers and Citra are $16 (and well worth it). Biggest surprise to me was Cool Summer Bro being $25/64oz (if I remember correctly).

 

I'm about to crack open my growler of Citra in a few minutes!

Yeah I noticed too that the Cool Summer was pricey. Small batch run I'm guessing. I see on beermenus it's only served at about 10 bars throughout the city. (And someone needs to tell Covenhoven not to advertise it as a "12oz. Bottle")

 

I brought back a growler of Cool Summer when I stopped by to pick up the bottles, and man was it stinky. Probably the stinkiest brett aromaI've ever gotten. Flavor was cleaner but the aroma (or dare i say, odor) was off-putting.

And I agree with the others here in saying OH tasting room is a great place, with a very diverse crowd. I was actually surprised at the diversity of those standing in line for the bottle release. I was expecting a lot handlebar mustaches and ironic t-shirts.

 

Ok just cracked open my bottle.

Highly carbonated. Big head, but small bubbles. Red wine aroma is the first thing you smell, but the stout aroma does break through - almost a cola like smell. Taste wise - very dry, chocolatey, slight fruit flavor from the wine. A hint of alcohol astringent on the back end.

Speaking as a non-stout fan - I am enjoying this.

 

Stinkier than the Lembeek 86?

You must have got that same stink that @jbarone got.

I guess I got a light brett batch because, as I posted before, the brett in the glass I had was barely noticeable.

 

Or, like me, you love that smell, and find it alluring and hardly offensive. I found the aroma I got when I tried it at the tap room was wonderful and delicious. Taste was the best brett IPA I have had since Super Friends and Bitter Monk.

 

Haven't got much to add except I loved Cool Summer

 

i've had funky beers before but this one (or at least the batch i got) took the cake. still refreshing though!

 

My glass of Cool Summer Bro had the most off-putting cheese smell I've ever encountered... and I've had their Lembeek.

 

Interesting... I've never really thought of Brett as "cheese". Is there some stinky in-between-the-toes going on? I didn't get that, but I definitely got the Brett. I found it more leathery, wet-straw like, barnyard, and perhaps earthy.

 

Folks often equate the brett smell of barnyard/horseblanket, which gets its aroma from analogs of the chemicals in body odor, to cheese I have noticed. Personally I love that smell in beer, but it's easy to understand some folks don't.