NYC’s Only Woman-Founded Brewery Taproom Opens In Williamsburg

Here we are in 2021 and New York City’s brewery scene (along with many others) is still overwhelmingly white, straight, and cis-male. There are of course some teams working to change the perception of the city’s beer and brewery culture, like Black-owned brewery, Harlem Hops, who also runs a scholarship initiative for local Harlem highschool students attending historically Black colleges and universities, and Gay Beer, an LGBTQI-centered brand that launched in 2019 and now distributes cans all over New York State, as well as in Georgia and Tennessee.

But on March 12th, NYC saw its first-ever woman and veteran founded brewery open. Meet Talea.

photo credit: Sydney Butler

Talea has been selling beer online and in select stores (like Whole Foods) since 2019. But now they just opened their first official taproom on Richardson Street right by McCarren Park in Williamsburg.

The founders, LeAnn Darland and Tara Hankinson, are both former homebrewers that connected while working at now-defunct craft beer start-up, Hopsy. Talea’s goal is to make delicious, drinkable beer targeted toward people who feel excluded from the marketing efforts behind most industrial-aestheticized, skull-and-crossbone-having craft cans. Or even people who don’t drink beer at all.

Many of Talea’s beers prioritize fruit flavors over hoppy bitterness, like a 5.2% ABV gose brewed with pink Himalayan sea salt, blackberries, and coriander. This doesn’t necessarily mean Talea is over IPAs - they also sell a hazy IPA made with lactose, pineapple, and a “soft, marshmallowy character.” You can also find a higher-ABV sour IPA brewed with peaches and raspberries called “Raspberry Peach Tart Deco.”

photo credit: Sydney Butler

The taproom space in Williamsburg won’t be limited to evening hangs. Their Richardson Street space is set to open every day starting at 8am, with a menu of coffee, tea, and pastries from Bien Cuit. If you’re looking for other non-beer options, Talea’s taproom will also carry wine and liquor that are exclusively produced in New York State.

The team has also installed a bunch of outlets in hopes that (eventually) people from the neighborhood will want to spend time hanging out with their laptops. Remember this fact when you’re looking for daytime work spots in Brooklyn in the future.

You can check out Talea’s taproom in Williamsburg for indoor dining, as well as outdoor service on their patio. And if you want to take your beer to go, stop by for a takeout four-pack from their to-go window or check out local delivery options on their website.

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