When Threes Brewing opens its doors for its 11th anniversary celebration at its Gowanus flagship, it won’t just be marking another year in business — it will be celebrating more than a decade of neighborhood roots, evolving beer culture and a community that has grown alongside it.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Zach Smith, Threes Brewing’s vice president of hospitality, told Brooklyn Paper. “Beer is kind of in a weird place right now. Hospitality is also, depending on who you talk to, sort of in a weird place. So for us to hit 11, I feel like it’s no small feat and something that I think we’re all really, really proud of.”
Founded in 2014 in Gowanus, Threes Brewing helped set the tone for the neighborhood’s transformation into a hub for independent gathering spaces. While several breweries now operate nearby, Threes Brewing was among the first to position itself not just as a place to drink beer, but as a place to spend time.
“Threes — it’s more than just a brewery,” Smith said. “We make delicious beer. Approachable beer. Beer that we like to drink, that we like to share. But we also have this robust hospitality program.” Much of that beer, including fan-favorite Hazy IPA”Logical Conclusion,” pilsner “Vliet” and Strata IPA “Dare to Know,” is award-winning.
That program includes live music, comedy, private events and everyday moments that define a neighborhood spot: birthday parties, weddings, baby showers and casual afternoons that turn into late nights. The Gowanus location is also home to Ninth Street Espresso, which has shared the space with Threes since day one, creating a venue that opens early and stays lively well into the night.
“This is a space that someone potentially could be in here from, you know, like 16 or 18 hours a day,” Smith said. “It’s a nice thing to be a part of and a cool thing to be able to offer the community.”
For Smith, the anniversary holds a deeply personal significance. He first encountered Threes Brewing when it was still under construction, hosting barbecues in what was essentially a work site and inviting neighbors to try early batches of beer.
“They were barbecuing, giving away this first few batches of beer that they ever made, and just inviting the community to sort of just come out and hang out,” he recalled. “For me to see this place be built literally from whatever it was before to hitting 11 years is really, really special.”
Over the past decade, Threes has expanded beyond Gowanus, opening locations in Greenpoint, seasonally on Governors Island, a tasting room in Huntington, Long Island and a retail shop in Moynihan Station. Yet Smith said the heart of the brand remains rooted in Brooklyn.
“We’ve always made beers that we want to drink that we are proud of,” Smith said. “Lighter, crisper, more refreshing, lower alcohol beers. And the drinking trends are going that way.”
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At 5% ABV, “Eleventh Hour” is described with tasting notes of slate, citrus blossom, and star fruit. “It’s just a light, approachable and delicious beer,” Smith said, one that will debut during the anniversary party, which will feature kegs set up inside the brewery and a crowd of longtime supporters.
“You don’t make it to year 11 without some help from your friends and neighbors,” he added.
As Threes enters its second decade, Smith says the excitement lies in momentum and clarity.
“I think we’re finally kind of figuring it out, which is kind of a crazy thing to say in year 11,” he said. “I feel like we are in the best place that we’ve ever been in 11 years, which I think is kind of a cool thing to say.”
Despite its growth and even limited international distribution, the brewery remains largely local. Smith estimates about 95% of Threes’ business stays in New York City and nearby areas — a point of pride rather than limitation.
“Beer is meant to be drank fresh, enjoyed with people that you love and want to hang out with,” he said. “It’s cool that a lot of this stuff is enjoyed close to home, where it tastes best.”
