Getting busted with fake IDs opened the way for the opening of Manhattan's only production brewery.
Joe Correia and John Dantzler had their fake credentials confiscated at an East Village bar about 15 years ago, so the teenagers decided to make their own beer. The result: the founding of the Torch & Crown Brewing Company, release of their first beer Almost Famous two years ago and the opening of a brewery and restaurant in Lower Manhattan three months ago.
"Torch & Crown Brewing Company exists to embody the ambition, vibrancy, diversity and progress that defines New York City," says Correia, who grew up outside Manhattan in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, and, besides cofounder, is the head brewer. "We are here to bring New York City closer to beer than it’s ever been before."
The brewery's portfolio "is focused on creativity, quality, and progress," Correia says. "We can always be a little better — much like the city itself. We want our beers to be well-balanced and finish dry enough to warrant having more than one. A lot of today's craft beer has moved to extremes — more hops, more of a flavor or an ingredient. We really appreciate the brewers who can bring nuance back into the conversation."
Almost Famous pokes fun at Correia and Dantzler, the brewery's CEO.
"It took us a long time to get there," Correia quips. “The beer has become our flagship IPA and overall best seller. It's a New England-style IPA that we ferment a little drier for a more refreshing finish. It has a deep straw color and a hazy, bright appearance. We use citra, mosaic, and Chinook hops to create a bright, tropical fruit flavor profile that is well-balanced and not overly bitter. We use a German pilsner malt base, a bunch of wheat and oats and a small percentage of speciality malts to round it out."
Torch & Crown has produced more than 50 other beers since it released Almost Famous. Besides that IPA, some other beers currently available are Tenement Pils, a 4.9% ABV pilsner; Verve, a 6.4% ABV fruited sour; King Elizabeth, an 11.4% barleywine, and There Goes The Neighborhood, an 11.5% bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout.
Correia and Dantzler spent two years searching for an appropriate site for their brewery before finally choosing their quarters on Vandam Street on Manhattan's west side.
"We looked at over 250 different places, sent 79 letters of intent and had three leases close to the finish line that fell apart for various reasons," Dantzler recalls. "I can confidently say I’ve been in most basements in Lower Manhattan, but the Vandam location was perfect for what we wanted."
Breweries are factories that have "a lot of engineering constraints," he says. "Electrical, gas and water service must be sufficient to power our equipment, and the building must be structurally capable of holding tanks that are 10,000 pounds when full. The Vandam location was a former manufacturing plant that had the engineering capabilities to handle our use. It also had so many other amazing features like arched 30-foot-high ceilings and a 3,000-square-foot outdoor space that we knew we could use to create an incredibly unique experience for our guests."
The brewery and restaurant were originally scheduled to open last spring, but the pandemic caused construction delays.
"Once we were finally able to complete construction and get ready to open, any sort of opening bash or large launch event wasn’t feasible," Dantzler says. "So we’ve tried to create that same first-time excitement with an enhanced level of hospitality from our team members."
Indoor and outdoor dining began in late October, but, because of the pandemic, dining is now only in a heated tent or elsewhere outdoors. The brewery also has an "instant delivery" service to Lower Manhattan and same-day delivery throughout the city.
The Torch & Crown website sums up the influence of New York City on Correia and Dantzler.
"We all came to New York City for its undefinable energy, its unity of ambition, its diversity, creativity and that edge you can't find anywhere else in the world,” the website says. “It drives us forward."
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