Talea Beer Taproom

Talea warrants a trip to Williamsburg, late-stage gentrification be damned. NYC's first exclusively women-founded brewery opened in 2021. Other locations have opened in Cobble Hill, The West Village, and Bryant Park, but Williamsburg is where it all started and where we’re focusing here. The taproom is beautiful, devoid of shadowy corners and grime–this isn’t one of those beardo, backward baseball cap, chef’s knife tattoo on the forearm brewpubs. No, no, no. Someone thought carefully about every surface, with high windows letting in lots of daylight, white walls and a bar running most of the length of the room. But this is still a brewery and their brews are, in a word, delicious. Their signature leans toward fruit-forward and sour styles, but Talea offers something for everyone. And the lineup is wide enough to reward repeat visits. These aren't one-note beers that begin and end in the same register. There’s real depth in the subtleties and aromas. If you’re not a beer person, you can still have a good time here–they offer cocktails, wine, snacks, and coffee, which makes it well-suited to an afternoon of remote work or a stolen hour with a book. The bartenders fit the space to a T–friendly and gentle but confident, guiding you without making you feel on the spot. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating, beer to go, and a space free of the gatekeeping and swaggering self-seriousness that can make other, less considered taprooms a drag.