Bitter & Esters

11/20/2025

Hey all, John here.
Hard to believe it’s been just over a year since Bitter & Esters closed. A lot has happened since then. After spending some time with family down in Southern Virginia, Carla and I made our way up to Germantown, NY, near Hudson. It’s absolutely beautiful up here, we are blessed.
I’m now working at in Claverack, a 160-acre brandy distillery, farm, and dining destination that focuses on soil-to-glass production using sustainable and regenerative practices. We’re making cognac and calvados-style brandies on an Alembic Charentais still, along with eau de vies and vermouth.
I give distillery tours and tastings now, which has been a real joy. The spirits are fantastic, the restaurant is excellent, and the view, you’ll just have to see it for yourself. If you’re ever near Hudson, please stop by and say hello, I’d love to see each and every one of you!

06/06/2025

It’s been 10 years since , head brewer of visited Bitter & Esters. How many of you were there? It was a wonderful night filled with education and a lot of excellent beer. It’s funny how fast a decade can go by. I now have this sign hanging in my bathroom in Virginia, I had to clean a ton of Malt dust off of it before putting it up! So many wonderful memories.

04/23/2025

Found this crumpled up in my backpack. What a year. We still thank you for all the support.

02/21/2025

It’s been 4 months since Bitter & Esters closed. Now that the dust is settling I can see more clearly what we accomplished in those 13 years. When you are so closely involved with something it can be difficult to get a wider perspective of what is happening. B&E was so much of my life and it was awesome, even though most of the time it felt like we were just trying to stay in business. Now that it is gone, and I am gone from Brooklyn, I see how special it was and how privileged and lucky I was to be a part of it. I miss the community, the camaraderie, I even miss answering questions about brewing. But life is always changing and we had to close. I just wanted to say thank you to each and every person that graced us with their presence for the past 13 years, I am forever grateful. -John

12/30/2024

The Washington Post article on B&E and the current state of homebrew has been shared by the The Spokesman-Review without the paywall.

Over the last few years, homebrew stores have shuttered across the country. The business closures reflect a steep decline in homebrewing interest in the United States.

12/29/2024

Great article by Courtney Iseman in the Washington Post on the closing of Bitter & Esters and the state of homebrew in the United States. Hopefully there is no paywall. It will be in print this Wednesday.

As homebrew supply shops shutter around the country, hobbyists worry about the loss of a creative community.

12/19/2024

Well, John and Carla are off to new adventures in Virginia. I just wanted to thank everybody for the past 13 years of Bitter & Esters. We met some of the most amazing people and were part of a really vibrant community. We will miss and love you all. Happy holidays!

12/05/2024

Hey all, John here. I am selling my converted wine fridge. Single tap, co2 regulator (no tank) and two ball lock kegs, 2.5 and 1 gallon. All hardware. It has a standard faucet but I’ll throw in a stout faucet too. Beers and cider not included. Super cheap, dm this account if interested. Thanks.

11/21/2024

Last night I went to what may have been my last Brewminaries meeting. For those who'd don't know, The Brewminaries are a home-brew club that started out of Bitter & Esters home-brew monthly swap. They've grown into a huge club that has been an awesome force in our community. It was so great to see so many people that I've met through the years, I will miss every one of you. I could also feel the people that were not there, friends who started and helped grow the Brewmies. Some who worked at B&E, who continued on to other things be it in beer or just life. I have been so fortunate to have been a part of the home-brew and craft beer community in NYC, it really hit me last night how great it has been. Thank you all.

10/31/2024

The keys have been surrendered. Thank you to all of our dear customers for a wonderful 13 years. Each and every one of you will always be in our hearts. Thank you so much to Claire for the amazing painting and friendship! And thank you to the many employees who graced our little shop on Washington ave, we couldn’t have done it without you. Happy Halloween everyone!

10/26/2024

The very last weekend for Bitter & Esters! We are cleaning the place out and have tons of homebrew supplies that we’re giving away! Come on by!

10/25/2024

This is our last weekend at Bitter & Esters. The dumpster is here. Come on by for stuff at super low prices and stuff we are giving away. Or just come by, we’ll be busy packing up but we’d love to see you!