Fly Girl Eats: Evil Twin Brewery NYC Comes To Dumbo
I knew very little of Evil Twin Brewery NYC before last Sunday. I knew that the small-batch ice cream shop OddFellows in Dumbo sells a “Root Beer Beer” made by Evil Twin that I would sometimes order to compliment my ice cream (this is before my #hotgirlsummer fitness journey started). Root Beer Beer is a sour ale that sorta tastes like root beer with hints of caramel and spices, it’s nothing like Not Your Father’s Beer’s “Root Beer” -which is a sweet apple cider.
I enjoyed the“Root Beer Beer” and assumed it was a one-off collaboration with OddFellows. I had no idea that quirky beers are Evil Twin’s thing and that they do quirky beers so well.
Evil Twin Brewery has a cult following from their flagship brewery in Ridgewood, Queens, and from a handful of craft beer bars across the city. They’ve brought their beers to Dumbo with an all-day taproom and bar that just opened.
The space is unassuming and very Dumbo-esq- loft-like with an industrial feel. It’s bright and airy but not necessarily Instagrammable, which makes sense because the beers are the real characters, not the space.
The Dumbo taproom’s opening menu has 20 beers on tap and they are all unique and fun. This isn’t the taproom for those who truly believe that Miller Highlife is the champagne of beers. Evil Twin Dumbo is for the curious beer drinker, like me, who can sometimes go down a rabbit hole of trying out different beers during the holidays. Mad Elf by Tröegs is the beer to drink during Christmas, FYI.
You’ll find beers brewed with toasted coconut, habanero, and plum. “What Even Is Blue Raspberry Anyway?” tastes and looks just like the blue candy that is flavored as “blue raspberry” but as the beer’s name suggests what is a “blue raspberry”? It’s not a real fruit but a blue sour ale is real. And refreshing.
“Woody’s Orange Cream” is a soda-sour ale that tastes just like the classic orange cream soda, it’s summery and sweet. “Sey Even More” is a dry-coffee stout made in collaboration with Sey Coffee, a Brooklyn roaster. It’s like a spiked coffee without the sweetness of flavored creamer. The taproom will also serve Sey Coffee each morning via a walk-up window.
Other draft standouts include “Proone Joose”, a barrel-aged barleywine made with raisins, prunes, and dates. It’s a prune juice that will get you lit with an 11% alcohol content. “Fire Drink With Me- The Sequel” is a sour double IPA that combines the heat from habaneros to the sweetness of mangos, it’s spicy and sweet and a bit tangy. “Back In A New York State of Mind” is a dank, juicy IPA with a touch of bitterness.
You’ll also find frozen mezcal and vodka cocktail slushies courtesy of Selma’s Bar, a 24-seat speakeasy located behind Evil Twin’s Ridgewood’s location. Selma opened just two-weeks before the lockdown last year and never really took off; it's still closed but two frozen drinks have made their way to Dumbo. “Mama Tired” is an Instagrammable frozen mango, mezcal margarita topped with black volcanic salt and Tajín.
The beers aren’t made in Dumbo as all of the brewery’s production happens in Ridgewood but the new taproom brings the fun beers closer to fans in Manhattan and Brooklyn. I wish there was an outdoor space to enjoy the beers but it’s still a welcoming addition to Dumbo. The bartenders are knowledgeable and helpful.
Evil Twin is open Monday to Wednesday from noon to 11 p.m., Thursday from noon to midnight, Friday from noon to 1 a.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m to 11 p.m.
Evil Twin Dumbo, 45 Main Street, Brooklyn.
