BREWERY TOUR in New York: Focal Point Beer Company

The city is constantly changing. It’s one of the most exciting and also heartbreaking things about it. Long Island City is one of the neighborhoods that is always in flux. And it’s very obvious in the local beer scene.

I used to give beer tours in this Queens community before COVID and it’s very different now. Some breweries have opened, some have closed, and others have completely re-branded and re-invented.

That is the case with Focal Point Beer Co., which used to be known as ICONYC Brewing Company. I first discovered the breweries’ beers when writing an article for Gothamist and encountered their bottled farmhouse ales. Since then, they opened up a tasting room and growing brewery in LIC. It became a very popular hang-out but just about a year ago they completely changed their name and re-did the tasting room. ICONYC (which was a cheeky pun that many might have missed) is now Focal Point Beer Co.

I won’t comment too much on the name (which I’m not crazy about), but instead will focus (focal point) on my recent experience here one beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Once I made my way past the pedestrian plaza on 12th Street, I came to a bustling tap room with families and friends enjoying the afternoon. This what a local brewery should look like and I was pleased to be a part of it.

No flight here, but they offer small enough pours that I could build my own and upon suggestions from the bartender, I has a nice array of samples to enjoy on the breezy outside patio.

I was intrigued by a beer named Sushi Grade so I was excited the bartender recommended it. While this did not contain any seaweed or fish, there was a focus on rice – jasmine rice to be precise. The clear, crisp lager would have paired very nicely with some sushi rolls. It had a light body with some floral jasmine notes. Not so far removed from big named light beers, but with much more complexity. Great for a warm day drinking outside.

For maybe a slightly breezier day, the Breaking Ground is a light copper altbier. While I detected very little on the nose, I got toasty cereals and a nice big roasted profile upon my first sip. It had a slight bitterness balanced by a mellow sweetness and a very clean drinkability.

Of course, a hazy IPA had to be on the docket of beers to try here. The bartender recommended the Chronyc, which has been on the menu since before the re-branding (you can tell because of the cheeky spelling of chronic). The color glowed hazy yellow and the nose had a huge bouquet of sweet grapefruit and other tropical fruits. The tasty bitter backbone is mellowed by a creamy smooth fruit flavor – most notably pineapple and bananas.

Among the hop profile for this special beer is hemp, which I don’t know if I’ve tried in a beer before. As the Chronyc warmed up a bit, I really tasted the dank notes of the hemp. It got more bitter and funky, which might not be to everybody’s liking. This is a beer to drink fresh and cold, for sure.

Just when I thought I was rounding down my tasting, the bartender treated me to one more tasting since he had a few extra pours of one of their sours. The cleverly named Improper Berrial is a berry sour made with the most popular of the berries: blue, rasp, straw, and black.

The pale ruby opaque sour immediately gave off aromas of a berry patch. While it finished with a sour punch, the first few sips reveal a blend of real fruit. I went through the experience of tasting all four of the types of berries. It was fresh and tasty with a true sour finish.

Focal Point Beer is both new and familiar, which is a nice way to experience all the changes in this ever-changing city. It’s a true destination – maybe even more so than it ever was before.

Is Focal Point Beer Co. the best brewery in NY? On this particular weekend day, it was a very comfortable place to be with good crowds and some really nice beers. I do always appreciate a flight, but smaller pours is good enough for me. It’s surrounded by exciting activity and while there is no official brewery tour, they have a fun knowledgeable staff that is willing to talk beer all day if you’d like. 8.5 out of10.

Is Focal Point Beer Co’s Sushi Grade the best beer in NY? It gets a 7.5 out of 10 for being a very refreshing, low ABV sipper that is great for a summer day or pairing with some light seafood.

Is Focal Point Beer Co’s Breaking Ground  the best beer in NY? Sweet, clean, and crisp, this altbier has a nice roasted complexity and can work for most occasions. 8 out of 10.

Is Focal Point Beer Co’s Chronyc Hazy IPA the best beer in NY? I really loved the big aromas and tropical fruit notes. It’s chewy and complex with lots of balanced bitterness. I give it an 8.5 out of 10, but unless you like earthy, funky notes be careful not to let it warm up too much because you’ll really get the unique flavors of hemp.

Is Focal Point Beer Co’s Improper Berrial the best beer in NY? This is a fruit beer through and through. I really appreciated all of the diverse berry notes so it gets a solid 8 out of 10, but it finished with a huge sour punch that also is reminiscent of Halloween candy.