When visiting a brewery for the first time, I like to have a theme through which I drink and discuss their beer. For Left Hand Brewing in Colorado that theme was their stouts; Including their Nitro Milk Stout that made this style of beer more well known in America, and limited edition Imperial Stouts brewed to celebrate their twenty-fifth and thirtieth anniversaries. The use of local fruit across a fairly diverse range of beers was the unifying theme for Angel City Brewing in Los Angeles. This included a creamy kölsch finished on hass avocados, a tart gose brewed with salt and strawberries, and a Belgian-style tripel infused with Chardonnay must and aged in California wine casks for half a year.

For Other Half Brewing Company, a brewery started in Brooklyn that has since expanded across the Northeastern United States, the theme was iconic New York City food. I previously had a beer that they made in collaboration with Tripping Animals Brewing Company using Anchovy hops called Bodega Glizzy that led me to associate the company with hot dogs and pizza.

Naturally, they do have a beer called Hot Dog that is double dry hopped with Luminosa, Mosaic, Riwaka, and Strata leading to fruity notes of fermented mango, strawberry, papaya, and peach. Incidentally, it pairs well with hot dogs due to the fact that sausage, sauerkraut, and hops simply go well together, and also because the fruity notes found in this beer are reminiscent of the tropical smoothies sold at iconic hot dog places like Papaya King and Gray’s Papaya.

Hot Dog DDH IPA at Other Half Rockefeller Center

Hot Dog is part of the Munchies series alongside others like Bagel & Schmear, Jumbo Slice, and Rabe, which is named for a bitter green vegetable often served on Italian subs and chicken cutlet sandwiches. The flagship beer in the Munchies series is Broccoli, which is double dry hopped with a blend of six hops that bring notes of mango, pineapple, and white wine to a relatively dry, bright beer. Space Broccoli is similar but it includes Galaxy hops, while Triple Broccoli is stronger and more intense. Broccoli World uses citra hops across the entire production process, from fermentation to dry hopping, for intense notes of lemon-lime and grapefruit. Mouteka and Galaxy add to the bright citrus notes, but also brings some lychee, cherry, and peach to the beer.

Other Half Brewing Company Broccoli World

Dollar Slice, a beer that pays tribute to the iconic and affordable cheese pizza slices that now actually cost a dollar and fifty cents also uses Citra and Galaxy, but it is much drier with a lot of fresh grapefruit flavor and aroma. There are also hints of fresh orange juice and zest alongside the general symphony of slightly fermented tropical fruit found in most double dry hopped India pale ales from Other Half.

Other Half Brewing Company Dollar Slice


The IPAs that take the most direct inspiration from an iconic New York City food are the two limited edition beers brewed in collaboration with Junior’s. Established as a diner in Brooklyn almost one hundred years ago, Junior’s has become synonymous with New York-style cheesecake, which they ship across the country and serve by the slice at their many restaurants across the city. The Key Lime Cheesecake IPA combines citra hops with lime juice, milk sugar, and graham crackers in a beer packed with key lime pie character. It’s reminiscent of Islamorada Brewing Company’s Nested Reel, which is also dry hopped, and made with key lime juice. The combination of milk sugar, graham cracker, and sour citrus juice also brings to mind a lemon merengue-inspired beer from Woven Water Brewing Company in Tampa called Cattivo. A key lime pie beer that brings to mind beer from Florida breweries is a sign of a job well done.

Strawberry Dream takes a different approach to cheesecake, bringing together Strata and Cryo hops with strawberry puree in a beer redolent with fresh fruit flavour, and tasteful amounts of tartness and tanginess. Both of these India Pale Ales highlight different elements of cheesecake flavor with different ingredients, and they manage to capture the decadence of the dessert without coming across as different varieties of the same beer. Just as a pumpkin pie porter makes an excellent digestif after a Thanksgiving dinner, these beers are both ideal after a corned beef or pastrami on rye, whether from Junior’s or any other New York City delis that serves this savory sandwich.

Other Half Brewing x Junior’s Strawberry Dream and Key Lime Cheesecake IPA

Black and White Cream Ale pays tribute to the black and white cookie, a soft sugar cookie topped with frosting that is sold at many stores in New York City alongside other baked goods strongly associated with the city, like bagels and babka. It is also an homage to Genesee Cream Ale, one of New York state’s most iconic beers that Other Half has previously paid tribute to. This beer remains well within the definition of what a cream ale is supposed to be; light and refreshing, with a creamy mouthfeel that is complimented by the added cocoa and vanilla.

Other Half x Junior’s Black and White Cookie Cream Ale

The final beer in this series is a milk stout that pays tribute to a soda fountain beverage made with carbonated water, chocolate syrup, and milk, known as the egg cream. Less creamy than the typical milk stout, this beer manages to get the carbonation level just right so that each sip is reminiscent of an actual egg cream. The characteristic flavor of Fox’s U-Bet is also present, although mostly in aroma. This is the syrup used in most authentic egg creams, and also referenced on the can’s artwork. This beer is very similar to an actual egg cream in terms of flavor and mouthfeel, and also in the sense that it is rewarding, refreshing, but never too rich.

Other Half Brewing x Junior’s Egg Cream Milk Stout

For any fan of intensely hopped India Pale Ales, Other Half Brewing would easily be on their list of top attractions in New York City. For anyone else, their taprooms in Domino Park and Rockefeller Center are ideally located for a quick stop when exploring Manhattan or Williamsburg, and their beers definitely pair well with hot dogs and pizza.