Bronx Brewery's Lightning in a Bottle
Denim. Beer. October. Sounds about right...
You can really taste the corn.
That’s my first thought upon tasting “Cortes” on the homey, art-adorned patio of Bronx Brewery. A Mexican lager brewed with Texas blue corn, the beer feels appropriate for an early September day that’s August hot, the high sun clinging to the last of summer. It’s also key to understanding what makes the brewery tick.
With a label designed by New York native Danny Cortes (hence the name), the eponymous lager is one of the most recent entries in the Y-Series—the brewery’s run of limited-release collaborations with local artists and community organizations.
“There’s 10,000 breweries in the U.S. and they’re all making great beer,” says cofounder Damian Brown. “For us, it’s important to be able to stand out, not just for the beer, but for what’s driving the purpose behind the beer.”
For Brown and his team, that purpose revolves around three core pillars: creativity, community, and inclusivity.
“Bronx is in the name,” Brown says. “So the most important thing for us is having the brewery reflect the neighborhood.”
That’s where creative director Jose Ruiz comes in. Before joining Bronx Brewery, he curated art shows and pop-ups around the city. Now he draws on his deep rolodex to curate the Y-Series—and facilitate opportunities between the brewery and the community at large.
“The amazing, authentic people that come out of the Bronx are unmatched,” he says. “The creative energy that comes in through the brewery, through the backyard, it just ends up kind of leaking into our beer.”
Speaking of which: This month, we’re proud to partner with Bronx Brewery to launch our new SILVER Denim Jacket. Like the best beer, it’s a perfect blend of art and science, pairing rugged twill cotton with anti-odor Ionic+® silver (a technology that just so happens to be used in the brewing process as well).
“Denim is a natural fit for a brewery,” Brown says, referencing all the cleaning involved. “It’s tough. It’s durable. It’s a fabric that carries its history with it.”
It’s also ideal for, say, drinking a crisp pilsner in the backyard of your favorite brewery on a clear October afternoon.
In addition to the jacket launch, we worked together with Ruiz to design a limited-edition SILVER tee—spotlighting one of their beers with our custom “World Gone SILVER” label. (You can find the beer at participating locations, while supplies last.)
This kind of exchange feels natural for a brewery that prides itself on bringing people together.
“We want to make the best beer we can,” Brown says. “But at the end of the day, it’s like, what can we do with the beer? How can we use it to have an impact on our community? The beer is a platform, more than the end product.”
We’ll drink to that.
—Sam Eichner