Equilibrium Brewery

Thanks a ton! Is the taproom different from the "Grille"? I'm assuming the Taproom hours correspond to the growler hours rather than the restaurant hours that are posted on their page?

 

Yes, the Grille is the upstairs restaurant. Growlers are filled in the taproom (main floor).

 

Hate to spread the hype but dhop5 is off the charts, and the keg of their pilot batch maple stout they tapped is beyond delicious. We are so lucky to have these guys in the area!

 

Ssshhhhhhh....

 

Ah man, I'm sorry I missed it! Glad you were able to partake.

 

Will be Heading to NYC from Dec 22 to the 28th. I will be staying on the upper east side. I was told it is about an hours drive to EQ. How far in advance do they announce can releases? Also does anyone think they will do an release on the Sat before christmas. I have no problem renting a car and going up there. My dilemma is to go to OH or to EQ.

Cheers.

 

I dont know how often they do releases or how much notice they give but I can tell you that driving anywhere in/out/around NYC during the holiday season will absolutely increase your travel time, so plan for that.

 

Have you been to OH before?

 

Thank you,,, I am going to this city with literally no plans. I have a cousin that is Priest (Dominican Friar) on the upper east side and he wants me to take him to places he would not normally go for some good beer. I figured we would make a day trip of it to EQ. Even if its a weekday.

 

Yes i was there last year the Friday before Christmas for the 3pm can release. Since then I have been an OH junky and in those trades I have recieved some EQ, LIC, Sand City and others.
My goal is to hit as many as I can in the 8 days I am in the city.

 

Gotcha - your post seemed to indicate that it’s a choice of OH or Equilibrium. No commentary on the quality of either brewery here, but unless you’ve spent tons of time at OH and want a change, it’s the no-brainer option from a time/money perspective. That’s not saying that a return trip from UES to Gowanus on the F train is a pleasurable experience by any stretch

 

They release almost every week on Saturday mornings but there's no way to know at this point if there will be a release Christmas weekend. They usually announce what they're releasing by Wednesday (so 3-4 days in advance) on instagram, facebook and twitter although someone might repost the info here as well.

 

gonna head up to these guys tomorrow night, do they have a core of cans avail or is it just when these are posted and sell out?

 

It's just whatever they post until they sell out. Sometimes the cans last into the week. DHop5 had a huge crowd and it sold out, but they might have cans of Fractal left. Check out their twitter for availability - https://twitter.com/eqbrewery

 

Something to keep in mind is that the drive up to Equilibrium will also take you past District 96, Industrial Arts and Rushing Duck.

 

Original plan was rushing duck and equal, but saw that RD is not open today so we changed it to district 96 to hit up on the way home. Heard good things about them. Habe had people bring me back equilibrium stuff, but have yet to have any district 96

 

Not everyone on line Sat. got cans. Should be some bottles of their wilds/sours in the tap room , but can't guarantee. They do fill growlers.

 

Ideally OH will have a release on Friday, although think it's been pretty much been on Saturday. Only been there a couple times so others would know better. Depending on what it is, would think you could even hit both. OH is usually 10 in the morning? EQ at 11 or 12.

 

@FrankenMiller , the drive to EQ is an hour twenty, and the drive back will be longer (likely 1:45+ because of traffic). Much better atmosphere there (less a small handful of really drunk regulars), MUCH better customer service, and the beer is better. Once you get your ticket you can hang with the sharing crowd in the designated area, sleep in your car, or sit in the cozy taproom and enjoy delicious pours/get fills. It's definitely a larger allotment of time, but much more pleasant than OH. Besides, you can always shoot down to OH when you are back for fills and leftover cans with no lines in the afternoon.

 

@MakersNeat Also never been to EQ. This is interesting - so you stand in line to get a ticket and then from there they eventually start calling out ticket numbers? Do these tickets just represent a full allocation of the beer that is available that day?

I have heard nothing but great things about the atmosphere there. Can't wait to make the trip out there from Boston.