8 OCTOBER 2 0 1 7
BY ANGELA MATUA
@ANGELAMATUA
Photo
Though it’s been a long journey for the founders of Fifth Hammer Brewing Company, the duo is finally
opening their brewery to the public in early October.
Chris Cuzme and David Scharfstein
started searching for the perfect spot to
operate their 15-barrel brewery in 2015 and
two years later are finally ready to welcome
beer lovers into their brewery and taproom
at 10-28 46th Ave. in Long Island City.
“As long a road and as frustrating as
these hurdles have been, they were
probably good and important for us to
do this right,” Cuzme said.
Cuzme began home brewing in 2001,
served as the president of the New York
City Home Brewers Guild and worked
at breweries in Massachusetts and New
York before deciding to partner up with
Scharfstein to create their own concoctions.
They decided to open Fifth Hammer
in Long Island City not only because
of the tight-knit community of young
people but also the growing number of
breweries in the area. Although they may
compete with each other, Cuzme said,
all the brewers are friends and share
ingredients like hops and yeast.
“We love the community here and
it’s just a great place with lots of young
professionals,” Scharfstein said.
Patrons will be able to order a variety
of beers including an IPA, Farmhouse Ale,
Stout, rye IPA aged in bourbon barrels,
a pilsner, kettle sour blended with fruits
and a New England IPA.
“I’m an adventurous drinker and therefore
an adventurous brewer,” Cuzme said.
The duo will “slowly roll into” serving food
but will not cook anything on site. Instead,
they will highlight local vendors and invite
food trucks to serve their goods in front of
the brewery. Patrons will be able to snack
on nuts, cheese, crackers and pickles and
will also be encouraged to order out.
Cuzme and Scharfstein said they are
also proud of the brewery’s interior and
the 2,000-square-foot taproom.
“The taproom is very important to
us,” Cuzme said. “We want a place
to celebrate life and community and
individuality of people in here.”
Cuzme’s piano makes an appearance
at the brewery along with a bar made
of New York blue stone and a variety of
vintage hammers, some of which act as
tap handles.
The name for the brewery comes
from a folk tale that explains how
Pythagoras discovered the mathematical
relationships between music notes.
After walking into a blacksmith shop,
Pythagoras heard five hammers, four of
which were making harmonious sounds.
The fifth one was discordant.
The owners said the story represented
their “unconventional story.”
“We didn’t grow up wanting to be
brewers,” Cuzme said. “It just ended up
this way.”
FOOD + DRINK
It’s Hammer Time
Photo courtesy of Fifth Harmony Brewing Company