When the NHL Winter Classic skates into Citi Field for its annual outdoor game this New Year’s Day, chilly hockey fans can get a taste of a unique beer collaboration before experiencing an all-new brewery at the ballpark after baseball returns in 2018.
Mikkeller Brewing NYC, which will open a year-round 10,000-square-foot brewery and restaurant at Citi Field in 2018, has teamed up with Buffalo’s Thin Man Brewery to launch the limited edition Filthy Flow IPA, paying homage to the two teams playing at Citi Field on Jan. 1, the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres.
Brewed with simcoe, mosaic and galaxy hops, Filthy Flow’s label was designed by Mikkeller art director Keith Shore and the brew will be available before, during and after the game, on sale for take-home consumption in 16-ounce cans at the stadium throughout the day.
As for the brewery at Citi Field, Mikkeller’s founder Mikkel Borg Bjergsø recently announced the decision to choose Flushing as the East Coast landing spot for the West Coast brewery.
“Since launching Henry and Sally at Citi Field in April, the Mikkeller team and I have come to appreciate how baseball fans in Flushing are quite similar to Mikkeller fans around the world. Devotees like The 7 Line Army are fanatical about the quality and performance of their team and their community,” said Bjergsø. “They invest time, effort and emotion into supporting the orange and blue and we look forward to sharing this passion when they visit Mikkeller Brewing NYC. Our new location at Citi Field provides convenient year-round access for craft beer and food fans from the five boroughs and beyond. We are thrilled to be associated with this wonderful fan base, the Flushing and Willets Points neighborhoods and New York City.”
The brewery’s production area includes a 20-barrel brewhouse, lots of single batch fermenters and a canning line to provide varied offerings to customers on a weekly basis. The customer experience is anchored by 60 taps in the bar-restaurant area, a merchandise and beer shop for take home purchases, and public tours of the brewing operations. Mikkeller NYC will be Mikkeller’s first location connected to a professional sports venue anywhere.
The premium beer experience will be complemented by a high-quality food program executed by Mikkeller NYC’s in-house kitchen and including items from year-round partners Fuku and Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors and Claus Meyer’s Great Northern Food Hall. Additionally, customers will have the opportunity to enjoy special event menus throughout the year as Mikkeller NYC partners with some of New York’s finest culinary and beverage minds.
