So if we step into the way-back machine, you’ll remember the article I wrote about when Holly Kay and I found out that Mikkeller was going to be brewing two stadium beers for the New York Metropolitans at Citifield. At the time, I was excited to see more Craft Beer in my favorite stadium, which also happens to be 15 minutes from our apartment (too bad), and I should have known that something bigger was coming, but I’m not very good at math, so I didn’t, as the kids say, “put two and two together.”
A few months later, the news broke that Mikkeller was going to open a brewery AT CITIFIELD and call themselves Mikkeller NYC. Thanks to my buddy Justin Mendes, member of the 7 Line Army (the group of absolute madmen who go to every game possible, including away games), I found out a little bit sooner than I would have, and, being the hard-hitting journalist that I am (I’m tooting my own horn. Beep beep!), wrote this article about the announcement! HARD HITTING JOURNALISM.
That was July of last year, and here we are today. Mikkeller NYC on March 25, just a few weeks before Opening Day at Citifield. Almost 3 months before that, they released their first beer under the Mikkeller NYC monicker, a collaboration with Thin Man Brewing in Buffalo, called Filthy Flow. This was a super tropical Northeast Style IPA (#hazebros #juicebomb and you know, all those other #hashtags) that was brewed to be released in conjunction with the Winter Classic at Citifield, an outdoor hockey game between the NY Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres. Through Beer, all things are united. Even hockey rivalries.
Mikkeller NYC x Thin Man Brewery Filthy Flow, with amazing can art by Keith Shore, Mikkeller’s resident artist.
Holly Kay and I met up with our dear friend Brad (you know Brad? He’s great!) on Opening Night at the Brewery! We were lucky enough to get there on our way home from Long Island on Opening Day, so we arrived to the Brewery around 8pm (they were open until 9pm). I read a number of complaints about people being there for hours and having to wait a long time for Beer, but I don’t know what people were expecting on the Opening Day of a brewery for one of the world’s most popular craft beer brands (oh yeah, Mikkeller has over a dozen bars around the country and two other breweries, one in Copenhagen, Denmark, and one in San Diego, California). What were they expecting? I’m glad they had such a successful opening day (and they’ve since changed their policy and now only offer full pours, no tastings, which makes sense because they’re at a baseball stadium and game days are always busy).
There were still quite a few people when we arrived, but there was no wait to be served. The staff was (and in my few visits there since opening day, has remained) friendly and knowledgeable. Working in retail, I’ve come to master the art of being firm-but-nice, and these folks behind the bar have that down to a T.
I’m pretty sure this is a Tired Hands Alien Church IIPA in the stemmed glass, and a Mikkeller SD Lilla Regn in the taster (which Holly Kay and I picked up a bottle of a few weeks back when we visited Mikkeller SD)
The absolutely gorgeous brewhouse and seating area.
I’m sure you’ve seen other articles about the tap and bottle list, so I won’t go on about that here (it included bottles from Cantillon, probably the most highly sought after Lambic brewery in Belgium, and guest drafts from the likes of Hill Farmstead, Tired Hands, Brouwerij Boon, and many more). They’ve got 60 taps, and I’ll admit, even as a craft beer connoisseur (and a HUMBLE one at that), even I was overwhelmed. Holly Kay, Brad and I all got about 5 different small pours (I’m sad they’re not doing them anymore, but again, totally understandable), and tasted and shared everything. There were plenty of beers from Mikkeller EU and Mikkeller SD as well.
Holly and Brad can attest, it’s been nothing but wonderful each time we’ve visited. We spoke with Mikkeller NYC’s Retail Shop Manager (I forget the gentleman’s name, so dude, if you read this, reach out to me on Instagram and give me a virtual smack), as they had been wiped out of all the merch they had available (again, bummer, but of course they did! And good for them!), but he said they learned from their opportunities on Opening Day (behind the bar, at the retail shop, etc.) and would be ordering more merchandise for the future.
I love Mikkeller NYC so much (can you tell?), and have been back a few times since then. The first time I went back was on a day off from my Big Boy job, and I was riding high from being recognized at the Queens Zoo (which is right across the LIE, BTW) for Benedict Beer Blog, when Jim Raras, Executive VP of Mikkeller NYC approached me and said “Hey, don’t you have a beer blog?” I was a bit flabbergasted, and flattered (again, aren’t I so #HUMBLE??), that he even recognized me in the first place, and that he took time out of his busy day to thank me for my support. It was above and beyond, in my opinion. Oh, I was also thrilled to see my favorite neighborhood restaurant, Unidentified Flying Chickens, on the menu! I had two Korean-style empanadas with my Beer, which were a delight.
Our next visit was after a Target run (wait, did I tell you that Mikkeller NYC is 15 minutes from our apartment? I did. But, did you also know, that Mikkeller NYC is also 5 minutes from our favorite Target? Yeah, yeah, it is. It’s really too bad.) and we had just bought a beer fridge, because Holly Kay loves me so much/was fed up with our fridge being filled up with Beer. Sorry Holly/I love you so much! We shared a Pat LaFrieda Burger and some tater tots. Oh yeah, they have tater tots. Too bad, huh?
Our next next visit was our first Mets game of the season, we had an outing with the fine folks from Big aLICe Brewing, and it was also the aforementioned Master Justin Roger Mendes’ birthday, so we all celebrated with a bottle of Side Project Brewing Saison Du Fermier, a Missouri Oak Foudre aged saison, which was outrageous, and you should be jealous about that.
Have I mentioned that the brewery is outrageously gorgeous? Imma stop gushing now, but I’ll end with a few more pictures for your eyeholes. Enjoy, drink them in with your EYES.
Until next time!
Cheers!