Flagship Brewing is part of a series of tidbits from the chapters of my book Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, published by Rizzoli. You can order it from Powell’s, Amazon, Rizzoli, and Barnes & Noble. Signed prints of all the bars in the book are available here.

It’s the biggest little neighborhood bar on Staten Island, about 4,000 square feet, with another 10,000 in back, where prep is done. That prep is brewing beer, and Flagship Brewing brought it back half a century after the last of the big old SI macrobrewers closed up shop. And those guys didn’t even have live local bands on the weekends.

The first time we went to Flagship Brewing Company’s tasting room, we were driven out by a bunch of little kids. I didn’t see that coming.

Seriously. We showed up at Flagship mid-afternoon on a Sunday, opened the front doors and were blown away by a gale force military-style drum solo. Turns out a group of young drummers had an event there that day, a “drum student roundup,” and they were really banging it out. I mean LOUD. After the initial shock, I realized, hey, this is actually pretty cool. Here’s a brewery with a dedicated space that the folks of Staten Island can use as a sort of community center, but better, because there’s plenty of fresh beer for Mom and Dad as they smile, drink, socialize, and video their kids beating the living hell out of those drums.

What to Drink at Flagship Brewing

Start with a flight and choose four 5-ounce pours of the seven or eight beers they have on tap at the time. Co-owner Jay Sykes says, “To really get a good idea of what our brewery is all about, try our IPA, lager, and the Kill Van Kölsch,” so you might want to work those three into your four picks. Enjoy your flight, and then…. Get a full pint of your favorite.

Flagship Brewing Company
40 Minthorne Street (at Bay Street)
Tompkinsville, Staten Island
flagshipbrewery.nyc
718-448-5284