What to Drink

Crossroads Brewing Sells First Beer in Park Slope

With camera-toting bloggers and an ever-churning gossip mill, it’s rare that any morsel of fresh intelligence isn’t instantly chewed up and spat onto the Internet. But unless you frequent Park Slope sandwich shop Press 195, you likely missed the recent unveiling of New York State’s newest brewery.

Crossroads Brewing is the brainchild of Kenny Landin, who’s transforming an Athens, New York, opera house into a brewpub and eventually a music hall. While Landin (a contractor and passionate beer fan) and company are hammering the venue into shape for a hopeful summer opening, he’s not hesitating to release his first elixir, Crossroads IPA, which is temporarily being made by Pearl River, New York’s Defiant Brewing.

Landin personally chauffeurs each Crossroads keg to Press 195, New York City’s sole outlet for the beer. (Landin is a longtime customer of Press’s Bayside, Queens, branch and pals with owner Brian Karp.) Since tapping the suds several weeks ago, Karp has quickly blown through several kegs. “It’s selling faster than any other beer on tap,” Karp says. We see why: The hazy, orange-hued Crossroads — made from a blend of five barleys and a trio of assertive hops — has a pronounced grapefruit aroma, with a restrained bitterness and touch of sweetness that make it dangerously, deliciously drinkable.

Crossroads Brewing Sells First Beer in Park Slope