By Matt Chaban 10/08/12 4:43pm

An Arena Grows in Brooklyn

When you're smilin', the whole borough smiles with you. (James Hamilton)

Brooklyn Brewery Founder Steve Hindy Still Loves the Barclays Center After All These Years

Even though the Barclays Center has yet to fully stock his beer, Brooklyn Brewery boss Steve Hindy still loves the project, as he makes plain in this email to The Observer, which we excerpted in the previous story. Even when people were hating on him for supporting the project, Mr. Hindy stood by it, and he believes prospered because of it. He covered a lot of territory in his note to us, so we figured why not post it in full. Read More

By Matt Chaban 10/05/12 6:49pm

An Arena Grows in Brooklyn

As James Murphy once sang, "I was there." (Matt Chaban)

Jigga Scam: No Brooklyn Booze But Plenty of Time to Run Up the Tab at the Barclays Center

The Barclays Center is open, and like Brooklyn’s favorite son who has been performing there all week, the arena lives up to the hype. It may not be universally loved, for its tortured past or rusticated design, but there is no question the Barclays Center is one of the most unique and interesting sports venues in the world. It is certainly the most exacting, with every inch of the place being burnished and detailed. It is like a Swiss watch—everything in its right place—albeit a Swiss watch with a discrete EmblemHealth logo on its face, the kind of thing handed out for a Christmas bonus. You eagerly wear it and just hope no one wants to see the thing up close.

One thing was out of place, though, when The Observer took in Wednesday night’s packed Jay-Z concert: drinks, drinks everywhere, but not a drop from Brooklyn. Read More

By Drew Grant 7/31/12 1:57pm

Music

Video

Sing a song about the G, get sent to Sweden! (Brooklyn Brewery)

Songs in the Key of G (Train)

The G train gets a bad rap sometimes. Residents of Brooklyn and Queens often grumble about the train’s sporadic service, long waits, lack of weekend service, and its general uselessness. But there’s at least one champion of the G out there (which will be extending its service thanks to the MTA’s new budget allotment), and they want you to show your love as well.

The Williamsburg beer factory/garden Brooklyn Brewery is holding a contest for songsmiths to pen a tune about their experience riding the green rails, which, as they point out, is statistically a pretty decent train. The winning band will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Sweden, where the hops palace has teamed up with Debaser to hold the first ever Brooklyn music festival in Stockholm. (Why? Who knows.) Read More

By Tom Acitelli 9/20/10 4:48pm

Drink

The Hophead: New York’s Great, Big Beer Hug

What: The Great American Beer Festival

Where: Denver, Colo.

Why: Because the Mile High City celebrates its craft beer culture in a way New York is just coming around to

The City of Denver, along with the trade group the Brewers Association, hosted a jolly bus tour of Denver’s more Read More

By Lisa Medchill 6/03/08 5:08pm

Rah-Rah! Campus Life Sweet at Williamsburg College

With that in mind, we thought we’d present this modest introduction to the neighborhood. It’s not much, but it will encourage your natural curiosity and soften the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune by directing you to the elements of Williamsburg life that will be the most comfortable to you and that have been developed Read More