Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Uptown Beer Garden opens tonight

It’s kicking things off with a revamped food menu and five new, exclusive beers to celebrate its fifth season.

Uptown Beer Garden opens for the season tonight, May 16.
Uptown Beer Garden opens for the season tonight, May 16.Read moreUptown Beer Garden

Uptown Beer Garden debuts tonight, and it’s kicking things off with a revamped food menu and five new, exclusive beers to celebrate its fifth season.

Located in the courtyard of the BNY Mellon Building (1735 JFK Blvd.), Uptown opens for business starting at 5 p.m. today, and will keep things rolling until midnight. On Friday, the beer garden will operate from 4 p.m. to midnight before moving to regular hours next week.

Those regular hours are 5 to 10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, 2 p.m. to midnight Wednesday through Saturday, and closed Sunday. In a first for this year, Uptown’s kitchen will be open for lunch (with no bar service) from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

This season also brings five more exclusive beers that parent company Craft Concepts Group’s director of operations Alex Bokulich brewed in collaboration with area craft beer companies, plus the return of Uptown IPA. Last year’s list featured collaborations with breweries like 2SP, Evil Genius, and Pizza Boy, who all returned this year for another round.

Bokulich said the idea behind the brews is to “custom make six products that perfectly suit the drinking trends and proclivities of the Uptown customer” in partnership with some of Craft Concepts’ favorite local breweries. The beers, listed below, will be available on draft only at Uptown and their associated breweries’ taprooms this year:

  1. Lime City Lager A 4% ABV American lager brewed in collaboration with Love City Brewing, this brew targets “macro and Mexican lager drinkers,” so picture a craft version of beers like Corona, Tecate, and Modelo (plus a hit of lime), and you’re in the ballpark.

  2. Garden Weisse This Mainstay Independent collab is a 5.3% ABV hefeweizen-style brew that is described as an “uber-traditional German wheat beer” inspired by perennial popular styles at Craft Concepts’ BRU.

  3. Bay 6 Pils Sly Fox joined Craft Concepts for an unfiltered, 5.1% ABV keller pilsner, which features Saaz and Saphir hops on a base of German malt for a clean, mild brew that is among Uptown’s most traditional offerings.

  4. I Love You All…But You’re Terrible In case you couldn’t tell by the Bob’s Burgers reference, this beer was brewed in partnership with Evil Genius, and is described as a 5.6% ABV mango blonde ale that was “designed to please summer crowds.”

  5. Party Boy Delco’s 2SP Brewing Company helped out with this 5.5% ABV pale ale, which a release describes as “mildly hazy/juicy,” so if Uptown IPA is a little too much for you, but you still want some bitterness, give it a shot.

  6. Uptown IPA Speaking of, this Pizza Boy Brewing collab beer is a dank, hazy IPA created with a slew of Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo, and Falconer’s Flight hops on top of pilsner and pale ale malts for a piney, hoppy brew aimed at pleasing even the trendiest of haze bros.

In addition to the exclusive drafts, Uptown attendees can expect several canned craft beers, like Dogfish Head’s popular SeaQuench and Orbital Tilt from Captain Lawrence, plus craft cocktails like frozen margaritas and sangria.

Uptown will have daily happy hours from 5 to 6 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Deals include $4 drafts (down from the usual $7 price point) and $6 cocktails.

Food-wise, Uptown this year has a reworked food menu from executive chef Nathan Kilbride that focuses on “finger foods and approachable sandwiches.” Items this year include starters such as grilled peach guacamole, chicken satay, and fried oysters, plus sandwiches like pork belly banh mis and avocado BLTs. Also be on the lookout for a variety of tacos that include choices like chicken-bacon-ranch and BBQ pork.

Attendees can expect more special events on Saturdays throughout the season this year, including ones focused on BBQ and beer, cocktails, and speciality foods. Previously, Uptown hosted only a few per season, but not hopes to have “something different happening every other weekend,” Bokulich said.