BREWERY REVIEW: Kings County Brewers Collective

My search for the best beer in New York continues….

I’ve been telling the story of beer in Brooklyn for years now. On the Brewed in Brooklyn tour (which I’ve been leading since I became a tour guide almost eight years ago), we walk through East Williamsburg and talk about the beer history in places like Bushwick.

It’s a mostly forgotten history that brings the finally emerging NYC craft beer movement into context. There was once close to 50 breweries in Brooklyn – today we are closer than ever to that at just around 15 breweries (more than double if you count the entire city) but there is still a long way to go.

One brewery that is keeping that history in mind (whether they realize it or not) is Kings County Brewers Collective. They were the first brewery to open in Bushwick since Prohibition. And just like those old German neighborhood breweries, they are keeping their tap room and social aspect very much front and center.

Since they debuted, I’ve been transfixed by the cool artwork on their cans (it’s done by comic artist Earl Holloway) and have tried a few of their beers. But I didn’t have a chance to spend time at the brewery until I was hired to give a tour that ended here.

First off, I have to give them credit for having the tap room opened every day of the week. Up until now, most tap rooms in the city are only open on the weekends. You can come to KCBC (as it’s more commonly known) on a Monday evening and see the brewers working and get your fill of their eclectic beer.

The origin of the brewery is that three home brewers came together and decided to collaborate on a space and all make their distinct beer. From what I understand, it’s not as clear as that anymore and they have mostly become one cohesive beer company rather than three separate ones. But you can still see on their menu descriptions things like “Zack’s brew” or “Pete’s brew”.

You can also see from their menu that there is no real theme here but they make a range of different styles.

Of course I did the flight and chose four beers that sounded the most unique. When people ask me what kind of beer I like, I usually say “ones that I have never tried before.” So while I’m sure their Kolsch and IPA are great, I was more interested in some less common styles.

Case in point: the Morbid Hour is a pitch black pilsner. I’ve had black IPAs and of course black stouts, but not sure I’ve ever encountered a black pilsner. It was made in collaboration with Saint Vitus, a local heavy metal bar, for a show called The Six Most Metal Breweries. I’m not a big heavy metal fan, but I completely get why this was made with that in mind. It was a hard core beer.

It smelled like slightly burnt coffee and had a light roasty flavor. I’m not sure I would have guessed it was a pilsner since it had a bit more complexity. That being said, it was easy drinking (not quite like heavy metal) and had a subtle dry finish. It definitely went against the expected and the norms, which I would imagine most heavy metal bands pride themselves on.

It was interesting to start the tasting with the darkest colored beer. Times have changed a bit. The next one was still very light and clean in body but had a stronger smoked flavor. The Helles Kitchen is a great summer beer and would be great to pair at a BBQ (as the menu suggests). It has a bready flavor with a subtle smoky backbone along with a bracing effervescence. I would have liked a bit more smoke (I love my smoke flavor) but it’s approachable and a unique spin on an all-day sipper (it’s only 4.7%).

The Supersonic Rocket was also pretty light in color with a stronger head and was one of two Double IPA’s on the menu. This one was incredibly juicy with grassy hop notes throughout. Sweet tropical fruits lingered and the creamy body made it go down too easy. This one can be quite dangerous at almost 9%.

And the final beer I tasted was the most striking. The Bushwick Zombie was a new addition, made as a collaboration with nearby Roberta’s. It glowed pink and had a hazy opaque tint. Unfortunately, it looked a little like medicine. Thankfully, it tasted better than that. It smelled like fresh raspberries – it was so fresh I felt like I could smell the seeds. After sipping it, I think I screamed out “Yes!” It was great.

It’s an excellent fruit beer tasting of juicy fresh ripe fruits (raspberry is the main player, but peach lingers back there somewhere as well) and finishing with a mild sourness. Wonderfully balanced. I also appreciate that it was made for the ACLU’s PeoplePowerBeer program and a percentage of the sales go to their efforts. One more reason to order it.

I know for a fact the original German breweries in this neighborhood were not making fruit or sour beers, but they would have been creating a comfortable environment for neighborhood folks to come and drink freshly made brews. And they probably would have been open every day of the week, much like KCBC.

Is Kings County Brewers Collective the best brewery in NY? Just like the old days in Bushwick, this is a great neighborhood spot to hang out and drink fresh beer. The beers themselves are strong and varied and they get even extra points for being open 7 days a week. There are no usual tours, but events and collaborations push this further, so they get a solid 9 out of 10.

Is Kings County Brewers Collective’s Morbid Hour the best beer in NY? It certainly looks the most metal and gives that dark roasty flavor but allows you to drink a dry pilsner all night long.  8 out of10..

Is Kings County Brewers Collective’s Helles Kitchen the best beer in NY? I give it an 8 out of 10 because I think it could be more smoky, but I like the subtleness and the strong bubbliness. It should be your next summer obsession.

Is Kings County Brewers Collective’s Supersonic Rocket the best beer in NY? It’s a nice big bold juicy west coast IPA that goes down smoothly with grassy hops and tropical fruits. It gets another 8 out of 10.

Is Kings County Brewers Collective’s Bushwick Zombie the best beer in NY? It might be the most colorful or Instagram-worthy but it also drinks incredibly fresh with impossibly ripe fruit juice and a subtle sourness. My favorite of the night and so I give it a 9 out of 10.