Something new is brewing in the People’s Playground.
The Coney Island Brewery celebrated its new location in a style befitting its namesake on Aug. 7, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring snake charmers, sword swallowers, juggling stilt walkers, and of course, beer.
“We are thrilled to have a physical space in the heart of Coney to brew, drink and share new beers, and toast to all of the fun and revelry that Coney Island has to offer,” said Chris Adams, the brewery’s manager and master of ceremonies.
Superstorm Sandy wiped out the original Coney Island Brewery, a tiny operation that may have been the world’s smallest brewery at 175 square feet. The original owner, San Francisco’s Schmaltz Brewing Company, sold the brand to craft-beer producer Alchemy, a Sam Adams subsidiary. Now Alchemy is bringing the brewery back — with a lot more space.
The new facility is 1,500 square feet, or about one third the size of a basketball court, and is located on the ground floor of MCU Park on Surf Avenue, with an outdoor beer garden that will seat about 65 people. Customers will be able to take tours and tastings every hour, and the brewery will also offer growler refills.
The company brews its beer in Clifton Park, a facility that will continue to produce most of the product. Some of the company’s beer will be brewed in Coney Island — including all the beer offered to visitors — but Adams said the new location will function primarily as a research and development facility. The company currently offers seven different varieties, but hopes at least to double that number by the end of 2016.
“We’re just going to let our brewer have a blast here,” Adams said. “We’ll be trying all sorts of recipes and ingredients. Hopefully what we create are new specialty beers that pay homage to Coney’s past.”
The brewery and beer garden are slated to open on Sept. 4.
