Gastro Traveling

Brooklyn Brew Shop Kit

Think you can’t afford to enjoy a glass of fresh brewed beer?  Think again!  Even with zero knowledge, you can brew your own beer thanks to Brooklyn Brew Shop’s starter kit priced at $40. Once you’ve got the supplies, all you need is a stove, a stockpot, a strainer, bottles with swing-top caps, and a total of six weeks (four for fermentation and two to get conditioned i.e. bubbly).

First off, this place is founded on risk taking and unconventionality.  Stephen Valand, 23, and Erica Shea, 25, just decided to quit their day jobs last summer and set up shop without investors.  They pooled their own money together to begin selling these gallon-size beer-brewing kits, just the right size for New York City apartments.  That meant scaling back like forgoing dinners out.  But before jumping into business together, they went on a seven-week backpacking trip to Europe to see if they were compatible.  Apparently, the outcome was positive because they went ahead with their plans even in the face of friends all around them getting laid off and the economy continuing its downward spiral. 

It also helped that Valand had a head start because one of his dad’s past hobbies included home-brewing and he got all his old equipment.  Another plus is they only sell online and at flea markets on weekends reducing their overhead to about $100 a day for stall space. 

So what are you waiting for?  You have 3 buying options:  1.  Saturdays at the Brooklyn Flea, 176 Lafayette Ave between Clermont and Vanderbilt Aves, Fort Greene, Brooklyn,  2.  Sundays at the Brooklyn Bridge Flea, New Dock St at Water St, Dumbo, Brooklyn, or 3.  brooklynbrewshop.com