Heartland Brewing: an Oasis for Beer in the Heart of New York's Times Square

By Jean De Ieso

Springtime in Manhattan, walks in Times Square, a musical on Broadway, flowering dogwood in Central Park, dinner in Little Italy, yes these are the things movies are made of. With all of that going on, I guess I was surprised to see a local brewery so close to Times Square, but who could argue with fate. A local, employee-owned brewery right smack dab in Midtown, Heartland Brewery , located at 625 8th Ave. at 41st St. was a welcome sight, a great place to rest the dogs and enjoy a handcrafted lager or ale.

My choice was the sessionable 3.9% ABV Indian River Light which offered a hint of fresh orange and coriander. This zesty and clean low-carb witbier went down far too easy.  My companion ordered the Cornhusker Lager, crisp and smooth, crafted with Midwestern malts and flaked sweet corn, this beer is an American light lager similar to Amstel and Budweiser, and is Heartland’s best selling brew.

Refreshing doesn’t begin to tell the story about the brews at Heartland.  It was evident that this was a favorite watering hole for many Midtowners, workers, professionals, and a few theater types as well.

I found it interesting that Heartland’s fact sheet notes that the brewmaster, Kelly Taylor grew up in Mukilteo WA, having worked for Flying Pig Brewery in Everett and was brewmaster at Whidbey Island Brewing Company of Langley WA. In the mid 90’s he was the special events coordinator for Pyramid Brewing before moving to the Big Apple. I guess you could say that the Northwest’s loss has been the Big Apple’s gain.

Yes, New York does have it all, now they even have Tim Tebow too! Oh, but I did I mention, Yankees Suck!

Check out more of Brewpublic’s New York craft brew reviews here.