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All the United States New York State New York City Brooklyn Brooklyn Brewery Barrel Room
Gastro Obscura

Brooklyn Brewery Barrel Room

2,000 barrels of aging beer hidden in a warehouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Brooklyn, New York

Added By
Lew Blank
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Beer barrels at Brooklyn Brewery bunker   Rudy Giron for Atlas Obscura
Beer barrels at Brooklyn Brewery bunker   Rudy Giron for Atlas Obscura
Beer barrels at Brooklyn Brewery bunker   Rudy Giron for Atlas Obscura
Brooklyn Brewery beers   Rudy Giron for Atlas Obscura
Brooklyn Brewery beer   Rudy Giron for Atlas Obscura
Brooklyn Brewery beer   Rudy Giron for Atlas Obscura
Beer barrels at Brooklyn Brewery bunker   Rudy Giron for Atlas Obscura
Beer barrels at Brooklyn Brewery bunker   Rudy Giron for Atlas Obscura
Beer barrels at Brooklyn Brewery bunker   Rudy Giron for Atlas Obscura
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About

Tucked among the sea of warehouses strewn across the Brooklyn Navy Yard is an unsuspecting, secret beer aging bunker lined with thousands of barrels of experimental varieties of beer. Located in the shipyard's Building 269, home of the historic and quirky Agger Fish warehouse, this is Brooklyn Brewery's Barrel Room, the most delicious of R&D spaces.

This hidden testing and tasting facility stores up to 2,000 barrels of aging beer, busy seeping in the flavors of the wood and the different spirits that were previously kept in the barrels—mezcal, cognac, bourbon, red wine, and so on. Bourbon barrels have long been the go-to medium for aging beer, but more unique spirits are becoming increasingly popular: A mezcal barrel might infuse a smoky flavor into the beer, while a wine barrel may lend a fruity taste. 

Aging is vital to the beer-making process. As the brew ferments, its sugar and yeast interact to produce CO2 and alcohol as byproducts. But this alcoholic blend is unpalatably flat, and requires weeks or months of aging for the brew to absorb the carbon dioxide, giving the beer its fizz. At any given time a variety of one-off special project beers are being aged. At the end of the process, brewery staff tests the beer and decides which will go on to become special releases, and which will never officially see the light of day.

Related Tags

Beer Alcohol Food Secret Bunkers Science

Know Before You Go

The Brooklyn Brewery Barrel Room is only open to the public during special events.

Community Contributors

Added By

lewblank

Edited By

Meg

  • Meg

Published

May 9, 2017

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Sources
  • http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-fish-king-of-brooklyn-debate-night
  • http://blog.beeriety.com/2009/07/06/how-beer-is-made/
  • http://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/brewery-expansion/barrel-room-interview-2/
  • http://www.atlasobscura.com/events/brewers-tour-navy-yard-barrels
Brooklyn Brewery Barrel Room
2nd St and Dock Ave
Building 269 at Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn, New York
United States
40.701668, -73.976805
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Commandant's House

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Vinegar Hill

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miles away

The Brooklyn Navy Yard

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brooklyn

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Stories 46

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Stories 46

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