It’s been two and a half years since Evil Twin NYC broke ground on its brewery in Queens, and you can finally taste what they’ve been making — just not in their taproom. While that remains under construction, Evil Twin is opening a pop-up taproom inside Ridgewood bar Nowadays pouring eight varieties starting Jan. 25.
“[Nowadays] is such a cool place, cool guys — it was just an obvious match,” says Evil Twin founder Jeppe Jarnit-Bergso. “It was just an obvious thing to reach out to them and say, ‘Let’s work together and make Ridgewood the next big thing.’”
The new indoor draft bar shows off a wide range of what will come out of Evil Twin Brewing NYC, from pilsners to IPAs and stouts. The brewery has made 13 styles of beer so far and continues to experiment — starting in February, the Nowadays taproom will also feature several limited-run beers each week.
Jeppe says the brewing process has been “almost too easy” once they finally got to start up amount a month ago, and full production capacity will be 26 beers at a time. Pop into the pop-up taproom on Fridays 5-10 p.m., Saturdays noon-10 p.m. and Sundays noon-3 p.m., which will run until Evil Twin Brewing NYC finally opens.
Evil Twin Brewing founder Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso stands on the site of what will be Evil Twin Brewing NYC in Ridgewood, Queens. Credit: Provided
What to expect at Evil Twin NYC
The Evil Twin brewery was supposed to open at 1616 George St. in Ridgewood in Spring 2018, but coming up against local construction rules forced Jarnit-Bergso to make some design changes along the way. The ambitious space used to be a concert hall, and will have not just a taproom but a coffee bar and a stage for live entertainment and other events.
The Queens brewery is the first permanent home for Evil Twin, marking the end of its days as a purely gypsy brewer, which leases space from other breweries to make its beers. Jeppe and his wife have called the city home for six years and also own Greenpoint’s beloved beer bar Torst.
But even if you’re familiar with Evil Twin’s flavors, the beers made in Queens are different: new styles made on new equipment. Its cans carry a “New York City” stamp on the Evil Twin logo, with a new style of artwork. “The existing brand is worldwide; this is a local brand,” he says. “We only sell this in New York. We want to be part of the scene, give people something unique and a reason to come to Ridgewood.”
Want to take the new brews home? You can also stop by the brewery now to get a sneak peek at what’s to come and buy cans and merchandise — so you can say you knew them even before they were open.
Nowadays is located at 56-06 Cooper Ave. on the border of Ridgewood and Bushwick. We recommend sipping your Evil Twin brews inside their heated backyard yurt — and perhaps a session in their outdoor sauna.
