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ArticleBrooklyn Brewery has run into some roadblocks on their way to a new facility. Twelve years ago, the company moved into their current residence on North 11th Street. At that time, the community was nowhere near the emerging hot spot it is now. The beer makers were hailed as pioneers but now that success has come back in a twist of irony.
Brooklyn is currently looking for a new building to expand operations but are having trouble finding a suitable location. The company is looking to spend $15 million on a new building that would include a beer garden, which would most likely make Brooklyn a top destination for craft beer lovers across the country. The main problem is the lack of manufacturing space available in area. The majority of property owners in Brooklyn that have properties suitable for manufacturing are holding onto the hopes that re-zoning will make the property eligible for residential, which has a much higher profit margin. The beer company has been outsourcing some of its production to Utica, where the
F.X. Matt Brewing Company (makers of Saranac) have been bottling Brooklyn beer. Hindy says that a new facility would help him double his current payroll of 35. Another problem is the fact that entreprenuers are willing to pay almost triple the rent that Hindy would, which is ironic because the brewery is largely credited for helping make the area attractive to incoming businesses. Leah Archibald, the executive director of the East Williamsburg Valley Industrial Development Corporation has said that her organization would do what it takes to keep the beer makers in Brooklyn, but HIndy and his people still feel mis-treated.
