Autumn in New York is a magical time, and as the temperatures start to dip, warm up with a hearty NYC brew! Visiting the local breweries is a great way to spend your day in NYC, especially with October quickly approaching. October is synonymous with seasonal beers and festivities. All breweries offer locally brewed ales as well as delicious menus, and you can extend your day with an NYC Pub Crawl at night! Here are just a few of the NYC breweries to visit on your New York City vacation:

Brooklyn Brewery: The Brooklyn brewery is located right in Brooklyn (79 N 11^th St.) and opened its doors in 1988. The brewery is among America's top 40 breweries featuring Brooklyn Lager as its top draft beer of New York City. There are tours offered throughout the week from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for only $8 per person, however, space is limited during the week and the tours are by reservation only. 

The brewery has a long list of their own brews to enjoy, which include Brooklyn Brown Ale, East India Pale Ale, Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55, Brooklyn Pilsner, Brooklyner Weisse, Summer Ale, Post Road Pumpkin Ale, Winter Ale, Black Chocolate Stout, Intensified Coffee Stout, Cuvee De Cardoz, and Blunderbuss Old Ale.

The Chelsea Brewing Company: The Chelsea Brewery is Manhattan’s largest microbrewery, bottling 100,000 cases for offsite consumption each year. This waterfront brewery (located on Chelsea Pier, Pier 59 in New York City) serves 20 hand-crafted premium beers and features a restaurant, cigar lounge, and outdoor café, as well as a high-tech golf driving range. It’s a destination that’s a favorite amongst New York City visitors (and natives)! The Chelsea Brewing Company offers a variety of brews such as Checker Cab Blonde Ale and Sunset Red Ale.

La Birreria: Located on Fifth Ave & 23^rd Street, this brewery is situated on the rooftop and includes a restaurant as well. La Birreria brews unfiltered, unpasteurized, naturally carbonated Cask Ales just a few feet away from your seat! They are open daily: Sun-Wed: 11:30 a.m.-1:00 a.m., Thurs-Sat: 11:30 a.m.-2:00 a.m. They also feature live music every Sunday night starting at 10:00 p.m., making it a great place to unwind after a long day of New York City sightseeing. LaBirreria also has several other locations; however, the roof top brewery is only at the Fifth Ave & 23^rd St. location.

Heartland Brewery: Heartland has several locations throughout New York City which include:

• Times Square- 127 West 43^rd St.
• Midtown West- 625 8^th Ave at 41^st St.
• Union Square- 35 Union Square West
• Radio City- 1285 6^th Ave at 51^st St.
• The Seaport- South St. at Fulton St.
• Empire State- 350 5^th Ave
• HB Burger- 127 W. 43^rd St.

Each location offers a different food menu; however all offer their own brews such as Indian River Light, Corn Husker Lager, Farmer Jon's Oatmeal Stout, Bavarian Black Lager, Mother's Milk Maibock, Smiling Pumpkin Ale, Summertime Apricot Ale, Full Moon Barley Wine, Not Tonight Honey Porter, and Empire Premium Beer.

Heartland also offers “The Beer Goddess”, a 3-liter (a whopping 6.3 pints or 8.5 cans of beer) hand-blown pilsner glass with your choice of a Heartland brew. It’s a local favorite for good food and good drinks, so be sure to check it out if you’re interested in getting a taste of some of the Big Apple’s best brews.

Visiting one or all of these breweries will introduce you to so many different local beers and is sure to be a great experience. Which one do you plan on visiting, and once the sun starts to set, which of our NYC pub crawls will you be joining us on – our East Village Pub Crawl, Hell’s Kitchen Pub Crawl, or our West Village Pub Crawl? Bottoms up!