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Bronx Brewery to Start Making Beer in Its Home Borough

By Eddie Small | June 4, 2014 2:28pm
 The Bronx Brewery plans to start making its beer in the Bronx in July.
The Bronx Brewery plans to start making its beer in the Bronx in July.
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Alan Gastelum

PORT MORRIS — The Bronx Brewery is bringing its beer-making operations home.

The company hopes to start making its beer in the borough in July and wants to open up the operation for a grand opening and tours beginning the next month, according to co-founder Chris Gallant.

Bronx Brewery had always planned on making its beer in The Bronx, but the company needed to wait until it had enough money to take that step, Gallant said.

"It was really just a matter of us being in business long enough so we were able to pull the funds together to do so," he said. "Building a brewery, it's not cheap."

The company currently brews its beer in Wisconsin and Connecticut and although it will have to continue doing some of its brewing off-site, it plans to move most of the operation to The Bronx, as reported by the Daily News.

The brewery also plans to start making new types of beer once it gets going in the borough, including a Rye Pale Ale and a Summer Pale Ale. There will be a beer garden at the brewery as well.

Gallant, who started the brewery in 2011 with partner Damian Brown, said he hopes the location at 856 E. 136th St. helps bring more people into the neighborhood and helps them learn more about the South Bronx.

"There’s a lot of business here, but there’s not a whole lot of recreational stuff to do," he said.

He described the neighborhood as "pretty safe" and wanted the brewery to help give people a better impression of the South Bronx.

"There are a lot of cool changes that are happening," he said. "We're looking to be a part of that."

The Bronx Brewery has a team of seven people, but the company plans to expand in the coming months. Cedric Loftin, district manager of Bronx Community Board 1, was excited about the chance for more jobs to come to the borough.

"Anything that will bring positive employment opportunities for people in the borough and the district I believe is good," he said, "and it provides an opportunity for people to learn a different skill set that they may have not been able to learn previously."

Community Board 1 member Michael Brady was pleased with the development as well.

"The brewery’s location in Mott Haven Port Morris is a signal that not only are we creating smarter, better jobs for Bronxites, but a signal that the Bronx is ready and open for business," he said.