Dave Hartmann just moved to Yonkers a few weeks ago. He lives a mere five-minute brisk walk away from Yonkers Brewing Co. where he’ll be spending a great deal of time. That’s a convenient commute for the brewery’s new brewmaster who’s eager to get to work creating and perfecting recipes in the now two-year old facility.
Hartmann, a graduate of the University of California Davis’ Master Brewers Program, comes to Yonkers Brewing with 25-plus years of brewing experience. He had a six-year stint at the Syracuse-based Empire Brewing Company when they were in their infancy stages, and until recently he was a brewer at Long Trail Brewing in Vermont, holding the title of brewmaster since 2011.
 John Rubbo (owner of Yonkers Brewing) and Dave Hartmann |
Taking the brewmaster reins at the smaller YBC is a lot different than Hartmann’s previous gig at the much larger Long Trail, a difference of around 130,000 barrels per year. At Yonkers, Hartmann sees it as a chance to experiment and perfect each recipe. “Our product development cycle is about two weeks,” he says. “We’ll think of an idea, order some grains, yeast, malts, hops, and we’ll brew it, put it on tap, and see what people think. We rely on a lot of feedback from our customers and the media.”
Some of Hartmann’s new brews that you may see very soon, if not already, are Sourpuss, a hoppy, slightly sour creation, and a great starter for those looking to get into this style; Wheat Noise, a session IPA that’s light, but still has some appreciated bitterness; 914, a roasty, not-so-hoppy Vienna lager; Hart of Gold, a Belgian strong that’s brewed with Belgian candi sugar that creates a sweeter beer to balance out the 7.8% ABV and the Brett hops; Mo’citra, an 8% double IPA that goes down easy with its juicy, tropical fruit characteristics; and Good Stuph, a smooth, but boozy American imperial stout with lots of coffee and dark chocolate notes and a sweet smell.
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Hartmann also mentioned that while he knows people will have their favorites, Yonkers Brewing will rotate beers in and out, even with crowd favorites like the Vanilla Stout. “People like that one,” he says. “But maybe after that we’ll put on an oatmeal stout, and in the summer most people don’t want to drink a dark, 10% ABV beer, so we might take a break with them (stouts).”
Coming up, Yonkers Brewing and Hartmann will continue to experiment and release different styles like more sours, porters, and even some smoked brews. They’re also focusing on upping their wholesale bottling output with flagship beers Yonkers IPA, Yonkers Lager, and Shower Time Pale Ale with the help of well-known contract brewer Two Roads Brewing Co. in Stratford, CT.
Keep a lookout on what’s to come from Yonkers Brewing Co. in future months, including an upcoming can release party. For more events at and involving YBC, or to see what’s on draft in their taproom, visit www.yonkersbrewing.com.
Yonkers Brewing Co.
92 Main St, Yonkers
914.226.8327; www.yonkersbrewing.com
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