Gun Hill Brewing Company came about through a collaboration of Kieran Farrell and Dave Lopez who met in 2004 while playing semi-pro baseball. Ten years later they decided to join forces and make craft beer, which was a passion for both individuals. Since both were from the Bronx, they decided to start their brewery in the Gun Hill section of the Bronx. Why is the area called Gun Hill?
Gun Hill named as such after a pivotal Revolutionary War battle that took place in the general area where the brewery is located. The battle took place on January 25, 1777 and according to the Van Cortlandt Park webpage of the New York City Parks Department website:
Gun Hill Road, then known as Kingsbridge Road, was an important east-west thoroughfare, which the British and the Americans fought fiercely to control. During the battle, the British were chasing the Patriots east towards the river. While in retreat, a group of soldiers, led by Captain Bryant of the artillery, dragged a cannon atop a nearby hill and fired upon the charging Brits. That strategic position, which then became known as “Gun Hill,” forced the Brits to retreat west to Kingsbridge, allowing the Patriots to escape.Brewing in New York City was present as early as the Dutch colonial era of the New Amsterdam colony. By the early 1800's New York City, along with Philadelphia were two of the biggest beer brewing cities on the East Coast. 100 years later, the Volstead Act, formally National Prohibition Act more commonly known as Prohibition put a dent in brewing not only nationally but also locally. Only a handful of New York City's breweries were able to survive through Prohibition. Those that did survive were unable to withstand the rise of the mass market beer companies in the 1950's and 1960's.
Originally, a Native American trail ran along the path of Gun Hill Road, which is just south of the meadow. It was known as Kingsbridge Road by early settlers because it led to the King’s Bridge and the Kingsbridge settlement. The route was a vital path for the Patriots because it was one of the only crossings to Manhattan at the time. It became known as Gun Hill Road around 1875 to commemorate Captain Bryant’s exploits. The actual Gun Hill is located in what is now Woodlawn Cemetery.
It wasn't until the 1980's and 1990's that the craft brewing revolution started where small breweries started making in local markets including Brooklyn with the advent of Brooklyn Lager. The Bronx hadn't had a beer brewer since the 1960's and with the birth of Gun Hill Brewing Company, beer was once again being made in the Bronx. Enough with the history lesson, back to the beer.
The brewery has a number of stills where beer is made on the premises and it smells of beer through and through. There are a number of communal benches in addition to the bar where there are 12 taps of delicious brews.
Beers are also available for purchase to go in the form of cans and I believe they sell growlers.
And speaking of brews, I decided to rest my feet for a bit and had three different beers.I decided to keep it safe and ordered an Amber, a Pilsner and a Bierfest.
For my next post, I'll talk about the three beers that I had at Gun Hill Brewing Company.
Until Then Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla
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