Elite Event at Heartland Brewery Taproom

Man, this event made for such an awesome Monday night! I’m rarely in Clinton Hill, but the commute wasn’t painful in the least and finding it after I got off the train was a breeze. Craft Beer is one of my favorite things ever and local breweries are my jam so I after a longish drought of getting to attend Elite events in Brooklyn, I was ecstatic that I got into this one in particular.
Heartland Brewery makes some really great brews. Their beer is my favorite thing to check out whenever I find myself at one of their restaurants (and their flight options make it super easy to do). My previous fave buy them is their Summertime Apricot Ale (a flavorful summer wheat ale with a light, fruity sweetness and a pleasant bouquet of fresh apricots — 5% ABV) but after this event, I think it might now be their Honey Saison… it was sweet, without being overwhelmingly so. The notes of honey come off at the end as more of a finish that as something that you taste throughout. It’s a clean saison though and I would session the hell out of it.
The folks at Heartland Brewery (HB) were all super friendly, informative and clearly passionate about their craft (*waves at Kelly*). I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that Kelso Brewing also brews beer at the same facility. TWO LOCAL BREWERIES IN ONE?! AWESOMEPANTS! I’ve been a fan of their beers as well, but didn’t know they operated out of the same place. Love it.
Aside from getting consume beer, meet new Unilocal Eliters and tour the grounds, they also had fun activities to engage in like board games (which I pointed out their Star Wars Trivial Pursuit to Star Wars luvin’ Ingrid S. she squealed), card games, a ginormous Jenga (I didn’t partake because I would have certainly required a ladder) and cornhole bean bag toss (which was probably spaced out more than cornhole regulation rules suggest) that I did engage with (I loooooove cornhole!) and was mercilessly destroyed by Ingrid’s bean bag tossing prowess. Seriously. It was like 10 to 20-​something. I felt like a Boston Red Sox (sock since I’m going for singular?) tossed to the sidelines after losing the last game of a World Series.
As a parting gift, HB lovingly shoved mason jars into beer cozies (I helped a little with this task so trust me, this was no easy feat!), screwed tops on em’ and let us lucky Unilocalers fill em’ up with our favorite brew TO GO. I opted for the (yep, you guessed it) HB Honey Saison and enjoyed it 2 days later while at the beach. It was still fantastic and nice & cold out of my fridge.
Many, many thanks to Peter D. for organizing one of the best Brooklyn events I’ve ever been to (easily in my top 3 at least), Heartland Brewery/​Kelso Brewing for being fantastic hosts and bestowing us with awesome parting gifts and to Unilocal… for existing :’). I can’t wait to be back!
Cheers! Prost! Salud! Slainte! Saluti! Skål! 喝采! 干杯! and Yoooooooooooooooooo!!!

Home is where the Heartland Brewery is.
Despite the heat, nothing is better than a fresh cold brew at the end of the day and Heartland provided that in style. With a rustic bar area right under the mixing ingredients they use to make some amazing brews, Heartland offers an enjoyable watering hole for you, your friends, and the new friends you’ll make! Heartland knew their crowd and offered up some great drinking games, surely played by the staff when they’re waiting for the ales to ferment and kept the night informative with a brief tour of the workshops and the large icebox that kept the audience cool at the end of the night.
They have set hours when they are open to the public and if you’re a craft master and enjoy taking a tour of local breweries, I would highly recommend making your way down to check out Heartland Brewery Taproom in Brooklyn.

It was a super, hot summer evening when I walked into the Heartland Brewery Taproom. But who cares about the heat when you are about to have a sampling of tasty beers and enjoy some noshes. It is always great to see Peter D’s smiling face when walking into Brooklyn events and it’s also a good sign that you are at the right place. Justine G., the new Unilocal intern is a sweetheart and remembered me and my reviews.
I taught her some vital Unilocal Elite tips… like check into the event asap instead of the business page. You have to go under the «Nearby» on the app, trust me, it’s hard to be the first to check in. You find your friends quick and then you know who’s all at the event.
My priorities were at this event were —-beer followed by food. I’m an IPA girl so that was an easy pick. Then it was a small plate of hummus, cheese and tons of veg. I was drawn into the raw zucchini and asparagus. Delicious. After I got my grub I parked this booty at the bar and started the mingling. There were tons of new faces and it was great hearing their «how they became Elite» stories. And it’s always great when it’s someone’s first event. Everyone remembers their first time… at an Elite Unilocal event.
Kevin, the bartender needs a shout out for sure! He kept the beers flowing. And even asked what my likes were to make sure he was making an educated suggestion for my next beverage. The saison was not up my alley with the honey taste but I definitely enjoyed the wit and the pilsner. I was happy that the beers were a little bit smaller. It was better for sampling.
Heartland/​Kelso beer + Snacks = über excited Unilocal Elite JENGA madness! That’s all I am going to say about that.
Thanks Heartland Brewery for having us and Peter D. for putting all together. Always killing it in the Unilocal party department.

Epic. Rock and roll. Party pow crazemo. We are corn hole champions. That’s all I’ll say.

at heartland not in the heartland. bk? okay.
warehouse not just for men, femmes.
summer heat sweat. don’t fret.
draft taps galore. no snores.
small eats. calorie cheat: all that guac. plenty o talk.
games n smiles. no hate. don’t rile.
brews not hard booze. never lose.
great evening in a warehouse: brewery + taproom.
Brooklynite/​knight extraordinaire Peter D. welcomed us all. scanned us in.
warehouse space with a small raised open-​space taproom area – seating + bar area.
there were 5 – 6 beers on tap. my go-to’s were the saison and eliminator (aka the boozy Doppelbock). definitely welcome chilled beverage on a sweaty nighttime event.
there were games galore in the taproom area like a tense game of giant Jenga set – which had the Elites ooo-​ing and aaaah-​ing as well as waiting for someone to get smashed by giant jenga pieces. schadenfreude! Mike S. and i defeated Peter D. and my twin Chuck C. in a heated game of cornhole aka beanbag toss/​beerdraanking. i was tempted many times to throw the beanbags at innocent bystanders watching the jenga game. Erin P.‘s squint kept me in check!
outside of the tasty brewwws, awesome Elites and guest in attendance, and all-​in-​good-​fun game competitions… there were lots of light tasty bites and a informative tour of the brewery by Heartlander Kelly. the best part of the tour was chilling in the brewery’s ginormous fridge as it was a welcome respite from the heat trapped in the warehouse.
the bathroom facilities are short walk upstairs. and there’s crazy barber chair up there. idky!
if you have the opportunity to check out Heartland’s Taproom, please do. i’d head there during cooler times though.
you can’t beat the rough space that’s smoothed out by chill drafts of pilsners, saisons, doppelbocks, ales, wit beers, etc. and the staff there are cool and friendly. applause to Peter D. for pulling off a chill event on a scorching day at a great new-​ish spot.
drops mic bc these beers are too tasty to not handle X 2.
i out.
zzz.

Kelly and Heartland Brewery amazing event and thank you for working with Peter and Unilocal to put it on.
I am a big fan of going to breweries and I am glad you showed this gem to me! I will definitely be coming back here with groups of friends for some great beer, buddies, and board games of course.
When I got to the brewery I was happy that it was an extremely short walk from the C train HUGE plus this way I didn’t have to wonder around getting there. Once getting there and seeing the the heartland and Kelso signs were very cool. Upon checking in and getting to the bar Kevin hooked me up with some beer and I just took a sip of my delicious beer and just took in the ambience. A beautifully made bar and a set up of tables surrounding it and the industrial feel of being in the brewery of where the magic of beer is made.
After some time of drinking the tour by Kelly was excellent going through how beer is made and the history of Heartland and Kelso beer was really what made the event special. Hearing from the brewmaster and getting an inside in-​depth view was really interesting.
And the beer just kept flowing! They were all delicious but this is how I would rate them :
1. KS IPA
2. HB Dr. Rudi pale ale
3. KS Pilsner
4. HB Honey Saison
5. KS Carrol Wit Garden
6. HB Eliminator Doppelbock
While drinking the beer, chatting with the other Unilocalers, watching excitement on everyone’s faces makes me believe that heartland will quickly outgrow this space and I hope it happens.

This week I had privilege of attending my 1^st Elite Event. I can’t think of a better way to get to know my fellow Unilocalers other than over a few nice cold brews, snacks, corn hole, and an enormous Jenga game.
The Heartland Brewery Taproom is nicely nestled on an unassuming street in Clinton Hill. Upon arriving I was kind of anxious to meet everyone but everyone was super inviting and we were all looking forward to the same thing… BEER! There were several beers on tap. My first and last choice was the Eliminator. It was so incredibly delicious that I couldn’t even convince myself to try anything else.
As I entered the space it was apparent that this was a real brewery with the endless tanks and barrels. We were able to have a tour and get tons of useful information about the development of the space.
The icing on the cake was the to-​go beers with the awesome Heartland Brewery cozies. I’d definitely love the chance to return to the taproom and try all the other beers!

Free beer, corn hole, an awesome new spot, and a great bunch of familiar smiling faces; what more could I ask for on a Monday night?! To be honest, the taproom was not at all what I was picturing. I imagined more of a lounge with couches, not sure why. Instead we found ourselves at a full on brewery that had a small bar thrown up front; nothing fancy here, simple bar, few small tables and bar stools… oh and access to some fine quality beers brewed a few feet away from where you’re sitting. Not bad.
After Pete D welcomed us in, we made our way to the bar and found quite the selection of beers for the trying (I’d say sampling, but the pours were so big that would be a lie):
* Pilsner (KelSo)
* Honey Saison (Hartland)
* Carrol Gaarden Whit (KelSo)
* Dr Rudi pale ale (Hartland)
* IPA (KelSo)
* Eliminator DobbleBock (Heartland)
Now I don’t know about you, but when time is limited and there are things to be done (namely, getting whooped at corn hole), I tend to order the strongest drink I can find to keep me going. It just so happens that the Eliminator at a gentleman’s 8.0% was both strong and delicious. I’m not knocking the Pilsner or the IPA, (they were both delightful) but it was tough to beat the doubblebock; strong, full bodied and yet still easy to drink. Win. The brew master, Kelly gave us a quick tour of the place; cool fact I picked up on is that KelSo beer is a mash up of his and his wives names (Kelly + Sonya), good stuff. Corn hole was played, giant Jenga was toppled, and loads of beer was drunk. Not a bad way to spend a Monday evening if you ask me.
Huge shout out to Pete D/​Yelp Brooklyn, and, of course to The Heartland Brewery Taproom for showing us a good time (the «to go» beers were an amazing send off, huge props for the best parting gift to date).

I am all for a tap room in a Brooklyn warehouse brewery, filled with awesome Unilocalers and a small spread of light finger foods like chips and hummus or veggies and dip. Throw in delicious free beers, corn hole, giant jenga blocks and a tour that includes a pit stop in a giant walk in fridge? You’ve sold me Unilocal.I’ll definitely be returning.
There were so many beers to choose from. I loves the Wit, Honey saison and pilsner for their refreshing smooth qualities. The alcohol heavy Doppelbock is always a crowd pleaser. It doesn’t hurt that the folks at Heartland/​Kelso Brewing were very welcoming. Kelly, the HBIC (that is the Head *Brewer* in charge), was the jack of all trades. He was bartender, tour leader, ingredient lister and from the way he spoke about his products, completely dedicated to the entire process.
Thanks to Peter D and the whole team for inviting us into their hot and humid brewery, quickly and efficiently putting cold brews in our hands and giving us another great Monday night to enjoy. I could never complain about a humid summer evening when there’s so much variety in beer to enjoy with such great people.

Brewery, Beers and Building Blocks. Pretty much sums up my awesome first Brooklyn YEE.
The Heartland/​Kelso Brewery was a great way to kick off my week. As soon as I walked in I saw cornhole and giant jenga. That alone warrants a party! But what made it even better were the assortment of brews on tap; my favorite being the Pilsner and the Honey Saison. There was also an assortment of bites like bell peppers, cheeses and pita with hummus.
Aside from the super intense jenga game which had everyone in the brewery watching every move, it was great just hanging out with some familiar faces and mingling with some new ones. I really enjoyed the mini tour that Kelly gave us. And the best part — going into the storage room that was a glorious 38 degrees cool. I could have hungout there all night. But jokes aside, Kelly went through the entire process and gave a thorough explanation of how this brewery churns out fantastic beer. (I had my eye on that pumpkin barrel, yesss Fall!)
And not to mention, they were kind enough to give us a mason jar with beer of choice nuzzled up in a beer cozy. Many thanks to the staff of Heartland Brewery, Kelly and especially Peter D. for a really fun event.

Had a great time at this event!
I love Brooklyn and I love beer therefore naturally I loved this place! This is something that I would had never heard about if it wasn’t for Unilocal and I’m glad that I did because I will now be telling everyone I know about this place.
Arrived and was immediately directed to grab a beer. The menu consisted of Pilsner, Doppelbock, IPA, Pale ale etc. It was a hot day so there was no better feeling than grabbing a cold beer! This is an authentic brewery that supplies your local taps. They do tastings during the week and I would highly recommend hitting their bar and tasting the taps. The beer is definitely strong because after only a couple I was feeling the buzz! The life size Jenga was definitely one of the highlights of the night as Jenga and booz is automatically a good time! Its always an inspiration to me to see businesses like this start from the ground up and even better the ground being Brooklyn born. Thank you so much Peter D and the kind people at Heartland Brewery for yet another great event!

You know I like going to a Unilocal elite event, a cold beer on a Monday night a pair of jeans that fit just right and the turn the party on. A really had a good time with Unilocalers, good cold beer and some fun games. What a fun night, from Mitch and others playing a good game of jenga, to Peter D, Chuck, Ruwan and others playing corn hole.
They had around 6 beers in tap that night, for me the best beers that I drank were, the pilsner, honey and eliminator. The staff did a great job keeping cups filled and refilling it. The bites that was there were a great addition to the events.
Kelly one of the owners gives us quick tours around the Brewery, the best part was the room that was 39 Degrees, it fell so good inside there.
Thanks Peter D, Justine G, Kelly and rest of the team of Unilocal and Heartland Brewery for this great event.

Awesome time. It was hot, sweaty and full of beer and danger. Literal danger — I took chunks of 2×4 to the face (I’m fine now).
Thanks to everyone and especially Heartland and Kelly for making it an awesome time. We played cornhole and giant Jenga and got good and tipsy. We even got mini growlers to bring home, but I don’t know how many of those made it — I know mine didn’t!

Beer — check.
Warehouse in random location — check.
Semi-​healthy eats to counter effects of said beer — check.
Board games/​games you only play in a bar when you’re drinking — check.
Altogether the makings of a good time. Yes it was hot and a little crowded, but who’s complaining when you get to hang with all your Unilocal friends? Definitely enjoyed the beers (Pilsner and Honey Saison were the only ones I tried and I liked them both). And the staff did a great job keeping cups filled and replenishing the tasty snacks all night. Cheese and fruit, guac and chips, hummus and pita, and veggies and dip were in ample supply. Some entertaining moments watching the Jenga game in breathless anticipation as it got more and more competitive. Also, the to-​go beer in a jar made for an awesome parting gift.
Many thanks to Heartland Brewery and Peter D. for a great event!

Taps. Lots of taps. It’s a tap house. Not tapping into my wallet. Tapping away at Jenga pieces… Slowly.
The Unilocal event at Heartland/​Kelso brewery was the perfect way to enjoy a Monday night, on my down time between two vacations.
Upon entering I looked up at the board and saw a wide selection of tasty brews on tap. The honey saison and pilsner were both really tasty. My favorites though were their wit beer and dopplebock. That dopplebock was a nice 8% ABV and tasted delicious.
They had a some small bites to eat. Chips and guacamole, pita and what appeared to be a sun dried tomato spread. Both were yummy but I limited it to only a few, I’m attempting to lose weight just so I could gain it all back in Austin.
The party really got started when the Jenga game started. I had challenged Peter D, but he was «busy». We got a four person game going on, and I didn’t expect it to get that big. All of a sudden everyone in the place was looking on. Watching our every move, tap, and flick. The pieces were getting so high, they were out of our reach. For the last three rounds I expected to lose, survived, thought there was no way it was coming back to me, groaned when it did, but finally prevailed. All while having a beer in my hand the whole time.
The best part of the night was the tour. Not because I learned anything (I had just gone on four beer tours in Nashville), but rather because we went into their freezer. At 38 degrees, it was very nice to just chill in there. Literally chill the sweat that my shirt had soaked up from the game of Jenga. Those flashbulbs were intense.
At the end of the evening we got a mason jar of a beer of our choice to go. I went with the wit.
Thank you to Heartland/​Kelso, you provided me with an entertaining evening, tasty beer in my belly, and a change to redeem my Jenga skills after losing every game I played in Nashville. Big thanks as always to Peter D, even though he was scared to play some Jenga and come out for a night cap.

I like beer and I love people so tonight was a win-​win for me. I got a chance to hang out with the Elites and drink free beer.
Free beer!
Fish grease… This warehouse was as hot as fish grease, so a cold one was right one time. Several cold ones gave me life and watching tipsy adults aggressively compete in a game of Jenga with blocks the size of standard building bricks made my night. Hilarious.
Yes it is a warehouse, a brewery with a bar, not your average lounge or bar… It’s a warehouse with personality, attitude, and a brewey in plain sight sitting in the cut of a pretentious street in Clinton Hill.
I like the variety of beer, the tour, and how the names of the beers were inspired by beer lovers was awesome. The staff was fun and friendly, the owner pleasantly entertained my one million and two questions. They even had a miniature Rheingold sign to pay homage to the last brewery to pack up and leave Bushwick. Okay history lesson… did you know the Bushwick section of Brooklyn was once a major manufacturer of beer in the United States? Yep.
My favorite beer of the night was the light and sweet Honey Saison and the dark, full bodied, and rich Dopplebock 8% ABV.
Thank you Heartland Brewery for a fun evening and the beer to go parting gifts were righteous. Thank you!
P. S. I’m begging Santa for a giant Jenga set for Christmas.

Beers and jenga. .. what a fun night!!! The Heartland brewery taproom was the place to be. Hidden away on a factory lined street, the brewery is a nice place to unwind. Thank you Peter for creating a great event. I had a great time. Thank you Kelly for graciously giving us a tour of the facility and letting us know the process on making beer. The brews were great. The list of beers on tap was extensive and I was able to try 2 of them, the HB honey saison and the Kelso Carroll Gaardens. They were both great brews. Once again I was able to mingle and meet new Unilocalers. Unilocal Brooklyn gave me the opportunity to join the event and it was a pleasure. Thanks Peter D. It was so much fun. Thank you again Heartland Brewery, Kelso Brewery and Unilocal for a great event. Check out the Heartland Brewery Taproom!!!

Gathering in a warehouse is so Brooklyn!
I had a good time with my fellow Unilocalers in this very traditional site for a heartland brewery. I’m surprised how intimate it is because I base my experience at heartland via the old now closed union square location.
We all braved the hot hot heatwave to hang with the barrels of brew, enjoy a few, and even take home a bit in a cute little jar!
I now will post photos of the suspenseful and successful Jenga move by Mitch E.

How do you keep a roomful of Elites captivated for 20 minutes? Give Jenga to some of the most competitive people around. Also, give them some awesome beers from Heartland Brewery and Kelso!
I’m pretty sure half the photos on this event listing are going to be Jenga (Mitch’s pull-​out game is strong), but let’s not overshadow the great and hospitable service we received as Heartland Brewery welcomed us into their home.
We sampled a ton of their awesome beers, including the HB Honey Saison, the KS Pilsner, and the HB Eliminator Doppelbock, among others. They served us all sorts of finger foods, like toast points with hummus, cheese & fruit, assorted crudite, and chips & guac.
In addition to Jenga, there was also cornhole and board games available. Really pulling out all the stops to make this place a cool place to hang.
Thanks so much to Heartland Brewery for hosting us, thanks to Pete for organizing, and it was great to see everyone I kinda know!

It was LOUD, HOT, and STICKY… and I LOVED it.
I remember, reading a review for an Elite event before I even started using Unilocal,and this was the type of event that I remember reading about.
Great people, that share multiple common interests. Mainly food, booze and writing, but mostly people. Everyone here was so nice, and it was fun to participate.
This place is a little off the beaten path, but worth the trip, and I’d love to bring out of town guests here. Thanks for new friends and old, and thanks for the Unilocal man, now an old timer. Peter D! Awesome!