EAST WILLIAMSBURG — An expansive beer garden with North Carolina-style whole hog barbecue is opening its doors Wednesday with a Bushwick-themed carnival — complete with free tattoos, live art and burlesque.
Arrogant Swine at 173 Morgan Ave. is a 3,000-square-feet beer garden adorned with rotating street art from Bushwick Collective.
The focus is the craft beer, but the name comes from owner Tyson Ho's other obsession: whole hog barbecue, in which the pig is slowly cooked outside for 15 to 18 hours, then chopped up and served with a vinegar-based sauce. Ho, 35, will also serve homemade sausages.
Wednesday's grand opening starts at 5 p.m. and will be "a Bushwick party," Ho said.
Bushwick Burlesque will be performing, as will musician and Bushwick resident Reverend Vince Anderson. Some artists who work with the Bushwick Collective will be on hand to finish up their murals. A representative from Founders Brewing Co. will be there with giveaways.
And an artist from Gnostic Tattoo, a parlor at 1089 Flushing Ave., will offer a free tattoo, featuring a pig, for those who are interested. There will be three options for the tattoos, which will range from "mild" to "slightly racy" to "oh my God," Ho said.
"I haven’t looked at them yet," he said. "I believe heavily in allowing artists to have full creative bandwidth."
The bar has 20 beers on taps and 20 bottled beers. Eventually, Ho wants to offer twice as many bottled beers. With an outdoor space filled with picnic tables and a 44-foot-long bar, the spot can fit some 200 people.
It will be open on Sundays through Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.
