Brooklyn’s brewing scene in 2010 was a different animal. The borough had a handful of production breweries, a few brewpubs, and a growing reputation as a craft beer destination. Fast forward to today, and the landscape is almost unrecognizable: more breweries, more styles, more money, and a lot more competition. This article is for drinkers and industry professionals who want to understand what actually changed, what got better, what got worse, and what it means for the next decade of beer in Kings County.
I’m Charlie Hargrove, and I’ve been drinking, writing about, and occasionally working in Brooklyn beer since before the first wave of taprooms opened. I’ve seen breweries open with a bang and close with a whimper. I’ve watched styles go from obscure to ubiquitous to tired. And I’ve learned that the best way to understand a beer scene is to look at the economics, the logistics, and the people behind the tanks—not just the liquid in the glass.
The 2010 Baseline: A Borough on the Verge
In 2010, Brooklyn Brewery was the undisputed heavyweight. Founded in 1988, it had already become a national brand, but its Williamsburg brewery was still a local landmark. Sixpoint, founded in 2004, was making waves with its can-focused approach and aggressive distribution. Kelso of Brooklyn, Greenpoint Beer Works, and a few others rounded out the production scene. The Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Lager was the default “local beer” at bars across the city, and Sixpoint’s Sweet Action was the cool kid’s choice.
But the real story was the brewpubs. Places like Spuyten Duyvil, Barcade, and The Diamond were pouring Belgian imports, rare American sours, and the occasional cask ale. They were the incubators of Brooklyn’s beer culture, teaching drinkers that beer could be funky, sour, barrel-aged, or just plain weird. The average Brooklyn drinker in 2010 knew more about lambics than the average drinker in most American cities, and that knowledge would shape the next decade.
The Taproom Boom: From Industrial to Experiential
The biggest visible change since 2010 is the taproom. In 2010, most Brooklyn breweries were production facilities with a small tasting room attached, if they had one at all. You went to a bar to drink local beer; you didn’t go to the brewery. That started to shift around 2012, when a wave of new breweries opened with taprooms designed as destinations, not afterthoughts.
Other Half Brewing, which opened in 2014 in Gowanus, was the turning point. Its taproom was a cramped, loud, standing-room-only space that felt more like a rock club than a brewery. People lined up for can releases, traded beers in the parking lot, and posted hazy IPA photos on Instagram. Other Half didn’t invent the hazy IPA, but it made the style the centerpiece of Brooklyn’s identity. By 2016, every new brewery in the borough was chasing that model: small-batch, taproom-first, direct-to-consumer, and heavy on the haze.
This shift had real economic consequences. Taproom sales are higher margin than distribution, so breweries could survive on smaller volumes. But it also meant that the taproom became the product. Breweries invested in design, food programs, event calendars, and merchandise. The result is a more polished, more expensive, and more crowded beer scene. Whether that’s an improvement depends on what you want from a brewery.
The Hazy IPA Era: A Double-Edged Sword
I’ll be honest: I was skeptical of hazy IPAs when they first showed up. They looked like orange juice, tasted like fruit salad, and had none of the bitterness I associated with the style. But I was wrong. A well-made hazy IPA is a beautiful thing—soft, aromatic, and dangerously drinkable. The problem is that the style became a crutch. Too many breweries stopped making anything else, and too many drinkers stopped asking for anything else.
By 2019, the backlash was real. Sour beers, lagers, and even classic West Coast IPAs started to reappear on tap lists. The best breweries in Brooklyn today are the ones that can do both: a killer hazy IPA and a crisp pilsner, a funky saison and a barrel-aged stout. The ones that only do haze are starting to look one-dimensional.
The Real Estate Squeeze: Brewing in a Post-Industrial Borough
Brooklyn’s brewing boom was built on cheap industrial space. In 2010, you could rent a warehouse in Gowanus, Bushwick, or Red Hook for a fraction of what it costs today. That’s why so many breweries opened in those neighborhoods. But the same forces that made Brooklyn attractive to brewers—proximity to Manhattan, cultural cachet, and a young, affluent population—also made it attractive to developers.
By 2015, the real estate market was squeezing breweries from every direction. Rents doubled, then tripled. Landlords realized that a brewery taproom could anchor a development, but they also realized they could charge more for a tech office or a luxury condo. Some breweries moved to larger spaces in industrial parks further out; others closed entirely. The ones that survived did so by owning their buildings, signing long-term leases early, or building a brand strong enough to justify the rent.
This is the part of the story that doesn’t get told enough. The beer might be great, but if the rent is too high, the brewery dies. I’ve seen it happen more times than I care to count. The next time you’re drinking a pint in a Brooklyn taproom, look around. The building you’re standing in is probably worth more than the beer being brewed in it.
Distribution, Consolidation, and the Fight for Shelf Space
In 2010, getting your beer on a shelf in Brooklyn meant working with a distributor and fighting for space against Brooklyn Brewery, Sixpoint, and a hundred imports. Today, the fight is even harder. The number of breweries in New York State has more than tripled since 2010, and the number of SKUs on a typical shelf has exploded. The result is a distribution system that favors big brands and punishes small ones.
Some Brooklyn breweries have responded by going hyper-local. They sell most of their beer in their own taproom, a few neighborhood bars, and maybe a farmers market. Others have embraced self-distribution, which is legal in New York for small breweries. But self-distribution is a logistical nightmare: you need a van, a driver, a salesperson, and a lot of patience. The breweries that do it well are the ones that treat distribution as a core part of the business, not an afterthought.
Consolidation has also changed the game. In 2010, the idea of a Brooklyn brewery selling to a multinational was almost unthinkable. Today, it’s a regular occurrence. Brooklyn Brewery sold a minority stake to Kirin in 2016, and while it remains independent in spirit, the deal gave it access to global distribution and capital. Other local breweries have taken similar paths. The result is a two-tier system: a handful of well-funded breweries with national reach, and a long tail of small, scrappy operations fighting for local taps.
The People Behind the Tanks: Who’s Brewing Now?
The demographics of Brooklyn brewing have changed since 2010, and mostly for the better. The early scene was overwhelmingly white and male. Today, you’ll find more women, more people of color, and more queer brewers in Brooklyn than ever before. That’s not to say the industry is fixed—it’s not—but the change is real and worth celebrating.
Breweries like BierWax, Harlem Brewing Company, and Rockaway Brewing Company have brought new perspectives to the borough’s beer culture. BierWax, in particular, has become a hub for hip-hop and craft beer, proving that the two worlds can coexist and thrive. The next decade of Brooklyn beer will be shaped by these voices, and that’s a good thing.
But there’s a catch. The cost of entry is higher than ever. A used brewhouse that cost $50,000 in 2010 might cost $150,000 today. Rents are higher, permits are harder to get, and the competition is fiercer. The result is that the people who can afford to open a brewery in Brooklyn are increasingly those with access to capital—family money, investors, or a successful career in another field. That’s not a criticism; it’s just the reality of a maturing industry.
What Got Better, What Got Worse
Let’s be honest about the tradeoffs. The beer in Brooklyn today is, on average, better than it was in 2010. The technical quality is higher, the range of styles is broader, and the access to fresh, local beer is unprecedented. You can walk into almost any bar in the borough and find a decent IPA, a solid lager, and maybe a sour or two. That was not true in 2010.
But something has been lost. The sense of discovery, the feeling that you were part of a small, weird community, is mostly gone. The taprooms are crowded, the can releases are stressful, and the prices are high. A pint of hazy IPA in a Brooklyn taproom now costs $9 or $10, and a four-pack of cans can run $20 or more. That’s not a problem for the affluent drinkers who make up the core audience, but it does exclude a lot of people who used to be part of the scene.
I’m not nostalgic for the old days. I like being able to get a great beer without driving to Vermont. But I do think we should be honest about what the boom has cost. The Brooklyn beer scene is more professional, more polished, and more expensive. Whether that’s a good trade depends on what you value.
What the Next Decade Might Look Like
If I had to bet on the next ten years, I’d say this: the number of breweries in Brooklyn will shrink, but the ones that survive will be stronger. The taproom-first model will continue to dominate, but we’ll see more breweries experimenting with food, coffee, and other revenue streams. The hazy IPA will not go away, but it will become one style among many, not the only style that matters.
I also expect to see more collaboration between breweries and other local businesses. A brewery that shares a space with a coffee roaster, a bakery, or a restaurant is more resilient than one that only sells beer. The most interesting breweries in Brooklyn today are the ones that treat beer as part of a larger hospitality experience, not the whole experience.
Finally, I think we’ll see a reckoning with the real estate problem. The breweries that own their buildings will have a huge advantage. The ones that don’t will have to get creative—moving to cheaper neighborhoods, sharing production space, or shifting to a contract brewing model. The days of cheap warehouse space in Gowanus are over, and they’re not coming back.
FAQ: Brooklyn Brewing Since 2010
What was the biggest change in Brooklyn’s beer scene since 2010?
The shift from production breweries with limited taprooms to taproom-first destinations. This changed the economics, the culture, and the types of beer being brewed. It also made the taproom experience central to the brewery’s identity.
Why did hazy IPAs become so dominant in Brooklyn?
Other Half Brewing popularized the style locally starting in 2014, and its success created a template that other breweries followed. Hazy IPAs are also well-suited to taproom sales: they’re best fresh, they photograph well, and they appeal to a broad audience. The style’s dominance is now fading as drinkers seek more variety.
Is it harder to open a brewery in Brooklyn now than in 2010?
Yes, significantly. Real estate costs, equipment costs, and competition have all increased. The regulatory environment is also more complex. While more diverse founders are entering the industry, the financial barriers are higher than they were a decade ago.
What happened to the older Brooklyn breweries like Kelso and Greenpoint Beer Works?
Some closed, some were absorbed, and some pivoted to contract brewing. The real estate squeeze and increased competition made it difficult for older, distribution-focused breweries to survive without a strong taproom presence. Their stories are a reminder that longevity is not guaranteed in this industry.
Charlie Hargrove is a Brooklyn-based beer writer and former brewery worker. He has been covering the borough’s beer scene since 2009 and is the founder of bkbeerfest.com.