(718) 260–2500 Brooklyn Paper’s essential guide to the Borough of Kings Sept. 27–Oct. 3, 2019
CIRCUS
Swing music
These performers are reaching new heights!
A group of freshly minted circus artists will
take to the skies this weekend, exhibiting their
experimental acrobatic and aerial routines at a
Bushwick big tent. The
Evolving Artist Showcase,
hosted by circus
school the Muse on Sept.
28, will feature eight
graduates of the company’s
pre-professional
intensive program, displaying
their skills with
trapeze, swinging hoops,
and a host of other highflying
circus tricks — often adding their own
personal twists to the techniques.
One Crown Heights artist plans to incorporate
singing into her aerial silks routines, turning
her death-defying debut into a theatrical
performance as much as a circus show.
“I’m 100 percent acting and embodying the
character I’m trying to portray,” said Christina
Schewedler, who will belt out “Endangered Species”
by Dianne Reeves during the Sept. 28 showcase.
Schewedler, who was trained as a vocalist,
started learning acrobatics in 2015 as a hobby,
and quickly grew to love the art.
“It’s the first active thing I found that made me
feel strong and beautiful at the same time,” she
said. “I’ve never had anything feel so right.”
The new performers choreographed their
own routines, working one-on-one with Muse
coaches.
“Evolving Artist Showcase” at the Muse 350
Moffat St. between Irving and Knickerbocker
avenues in Bushwick, (929) 400–1678, www.themusebrooklyn.
com. Sept. 28. at 8 pm. $20.
— Rose Adams
FILM
He poured his heart into his passion!
A new documentary follows a Sunset Park
lawyer who quits his job to become a master
beer brewer. “Brewmaster,” which screens at
the 12th annual Bushwick Film Festival on Oct.
5, shows how Drew Kostic takes a leap of faith,
leaving his steady job in favor of a wild passion
project — a bold step that intrigued the
film’s director.
“I like this journey of how hard he’s trying
and how hard he believes in it, it’s almost like
this blind faith,” said Doug Tirola.
Tirola shows his subject’s evolution with creating
beer, starting with brewing batches in his
apartment, then presenting his product at beer
events around the country, and eventually becoming
the head brewer at Circa Brewing Company
in Brooklyn’s Downtown.
Tirola hopes his film will appeal to anyone who
wants to take a risk and pursue their dreams.
“Anybody who dreams of doing something big
— whether it’s opening a restaurant or a brewery
— where the odds are so against you, will
see themselves in this story,” Tirola said.
The movie will join more than 100 films at
this year’s Bushwick Film Festival, taking place
all over the northern nabe and the surrounding
area, from Oct. 2-6.
“Brewmaster” at Chemistry Creative 305
Ten Eyck St. between Morgan Avenue and Waterbury
Street in Williamsburg, (347) 450–3464,
www.bushwickfilmfestival.com. Oct. 5 at 7:30
pm. $12. Festival runs Oct. 2–6 at various locations.
— Kevin Duggan
Dumbo goes Deutsch: Visitors wear their finest Bavarian outfits for Dumbo’s Oktoberfest Under the Archway party, happening this year on Oct. 4 and 5.
By Bill Roundy
Brooklyn Paper
It’s a prost-party celebration!
Brooklyn is ready for Oktoberfest,
the annual German celebration of beer,
bratwurst, and brass bands! The festival
debuted in Munich in October of 1810,
but Bavarian partiers later moved its
start date to September when they noticed
that October was too chilly for the
outdoor party.
Here in Kings County, the party lasts
as long as we want it to! So here are the
best places to break out your lederhosen
and hoist a stein of Deutsche beer this
season!
Das Boot
A beer hall by the sea kicks off the week
of indulgence with a special price on Warsteiner’s
Oktoberfest beer, served in a gigantic
boot-shaped mug that you can keep!
Get a full glass boot for $20; refills are $10;
and you can use it to wash down pretzels
and sausages from the kitchen.
Draft Barn Beach 3029 Stillwell Ave.
between Bowery Street and the Boardwalk
in Coney Island, (718) 484–0161,
www.draftbarnbeach.com. Sept. 27;
6–9 pm. Free.
Stein and the City
The Brooklyn Reserve series will transform
a courtyard in Industry City into
a Bavarian beer garden for two Saturday
afternoons this fall, with the Hungry
March band playing on Sept. 28 and
polka band Chris & Ronnie on Oct. 26.
You can just show up and purchase ale
and food from Kotti Berliner Döner Kebab;
but a $30 advance ticket will score
you reserved seats, a beer stein, two drink
tickets, and a t-shirt.
Industry City Courtyard 1-2 (238 36th
St. between Second and Third avenues in
Sunset Park, www.cityfarmpresents.com/
brooklynreserve). Sept. 28 and Oct. 26.
Noon–6 pm. Free with RSVP ($30 VIP).
Block party
Forget Munich — we live in the world’s
best beer city! Blocktoberfest, hosted by
the New York City Brewer’s Guild, will
feature 28 breweries from the five boroughs,
each pouring 4 oz. samples of
their best brews. Drink tickets will cost
$10 for four, or slightly less if you buy
in advance.
Blocktoberfest at the Well 272 Meserole
St. between Waterbury Street
and Bushwick Place in Bushwick, (347)
338–3612, www.thewellbr ooklyn.com.
Oct. 28; 1–5 pm. $20 ($14 in advance).
München munches
The Brooklyn Brewery celebrates
Oktoberfest with the party “Beer, Brats,
and Brass,” featuring live polka music,
bratwurst plates, $5 pints of the special
Oktoberfest beer, and a winner-takes-all
stein-hoisting contest. Pre-order your feast
for a discount.
Brooklyn Brewery (79 N. 11th St. between
Berry Street and Wythe Avenue
in Williamsburg, www.brooklynbrewery.
com). Oct. 1; 5–9 pm. Free.
Under bar
The space under the Manhattan Bridge
will become a giant beer hall for two days
during Oktoberfest Under the Archway.
The Dumbo Station will serve Sixpoint’s
DumboWeisse (and other brews), and you
can buy and munch on pretzels, brats, veggie
brats, and saurkraut while listening
to Smitty’s Polka Band on Friday night,
Street Beat Brass Brand on Saturday afternoon,
and BB and the Polkahaus on
Saturday evening.
Archway Under the Manhattan
Bridge (Water Street between Anchorage
Place and Adams Street in Dumbo,
www.dumbo.is). Oct. 4; 4–9 pm; Oct.
5; 1–9 pm. Free.
Haus party
Learn how to throw your own Oktoberfest
party with all the fixings! This cooking
class will teach you to make pretzels
from scratch, along with homemade mustard,
bratwurst, and saurkraut.
Cook Space 603 Bergen St., Suite
202, between Carlton and Vanderbilt
avenues in Prospect Heights, (718)
230–8400, www.cookspacebrooklyn.
com. Oct. 4 at 7 pm. $115.
Hall pass
Williamsburg beer spot Clinton Hall
will host two Oktoberfest events: a steinhosting
competition on Oct. 4, and a party
on Oct. 6 with music, games, and a chance
to win German hats and gear. And with
every stein or half-liter of beer you order
between now and Oct. 6, you will get
one raffle ticket for a party for you and
10 friends.
Clinton Hall Williamsburg (247 Metropolitan
Ave. at N. Third Street in
Williamsburg, www.clintonhallny.com).
Oct. 4; 8–11 pm; and Oct. 6; 2–5 pm.
Free.
Queens of the Fest
Few things can induce us to leave the
County of Kings, but the Queens Beer
Festival is one of them! The fourth annual
festival in Long Island City will feature
25 breweries from Queens, Brooklyn,
the Bronx, and upstate, each offering
unlimited pours of at least two beer types
apiece.
Your ticket gets you two hours of samples,
or you can splurge for an extra half
hour for just $10. And if you want food, the
Long Island Flea is right next door.
Queens Beer Festival (5-25 46th
Ave. at Fifth Street in Long Island City,
www.queensbeerfest.com). Oct. 5–6
at 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm. $49 ($59
early admission).
Holy daze
Party in the church! The Zion German
Evangelical Church celebrates German
culture with an Oktoberfest party, featuring
dancing to an oompah band, a feast
of brats, saurkraut, and potato salad, and
wee bit of beer.
Zion German Evangelical Lutheran
Church 125 Henry St. between Clark
and Pierrepont streets in Brooklyn
Heights, (718) 852–2453, www.facebook.
com/ziongelc. Oct. 5; 4–8 pm.
$25 ($20 seniors, $15 kids).
Forest feast
The German beer halls of Black Forest
Brooklyn will deliver a double-fisted set
of Oktoberfest parties this year!
First up is an evening beer bash at its
Fort Greene location on Oct. 7, where the
brass band Slavic Soul Party will bring
down the Haus. Then, on Oct. 12, its Smith
Street spot will host a pig roast with a full
Bavarian meal, a keg-tapping ceremony,
and a mug-holding competition.
Black Forest Fort Greene 733 Fulton
St. between S. Elliot Place and S. Portland
Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 935–0300,
www.blackforestbrooklyn.com. Oct. 7 at
9 pm. $10.
Black Forest Smith Street (181 Smith
St. between Warren and Wyckoff
streets in Boerum Hill, (718) 522–1806,
www.blackforestbrooklyn.com. Oct.
12 at 2 pm. $45.
Boy in brew
DINING
This space could be its own Little Italy!
An enormous new Italian restaurant in Williamsburg
offers its visitors four distinct dining
experiences. Ainslie Italian Wine Bar and
Beer Garden, which opened in a former warehouse
on Sept. 12, slices its space into a rustic
wine bar, an expansive beer hall, a cocktail
lounge, and a relaxing rooftop patio, which allows
people to see the eatery in multiple lights,
according one of its owners.
“Because of the size of the building, we felt
like we wanted to give people multiple experiences
— every room has a distinctly different
atmosphere,” said Sergio Riva (pictured, center,
with co-owners Mario Riva, left) and AJ
Bontempo).
The ground floor features the wine bar, an
open kitchen, and the beer hall, which includes
an outdoor beer garden. On the second floor,
above the kitchen, is an intimate cocktail lounge
that resembles a private club. Above the lounge,
past a final set of stairs, is a rooftop bar that will
be open during warm weather.
Each area offers the same food menu, which
focuses on wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and a variety
of pub foods.
Ainslie 76 Ainslie St. between Keap Street
and Union Avenue in Williamsburg, (347) 725–
3400, www.ainsliebk.com. Tue–Thu, 5 pm–2
am; Fri–Sat, 3 pm–3 am, Sun, 3 pm–2 am.
— Chandler Kidd
Brat pack
Your guide to Oktoberfest in Brooklyn
Noemie Wurtz
Georgia Cross
This festival is in tents: The Blocktoberfest party on Sept. 28 will feature 28
New York City breweries pouring samples of their best beers in the back yard
of the Well in Bushwick.
Thomas Laurance Sean Cooper
Room to Rome
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