Super Bowl Sunday marked the end of an era for the Bronx Brewery’s Port Morris bar, which has served the community since 2013.
Guests packed the tap room and event floor for the Feb. 8 ticketed Super Bowl event, which marked a major moment of Puerto Rican and Latino pride as Bad Bunny took to the stage for the much-anticipated halftime show.
On the brewery’s event floor, a DJ and dancers kept the party mood going as the Seattle Seahawks took on and eventually defeated the New England Patriots. A parked BMW stacked with giant speakers sat amid the crowd, several of whom wore Bad Bunny merch, and the ceiling was draped with a giant Puerto Rican flag.
But with news that the South Bronx location was set to close after the Super Bowl, the weekend took on a different feel.
The news seemed to boost the numbers who flocked to the brewery on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and several people said they made a point to visit for one last hurrah after learning of the closure.
After the Bronx Times broke the news on Feb. 5, brewery management posted on Instagram that the South Bronx location would close “for now” and suggested a potential pivot in the future.
“Times are weird. The hospitality industry is hard. This was not our plan and this isn’t what we want,” the post said. “This is still our home and we’re doing everything we can to see you in the backyard this summer.”
End of an era
Bronx Brewery guests were thrilled with the halftime show but disappointed to lose what many viewed as a significant Bronx cultural hub.
Over the years, the brewery has hosted countless events, including salsa dancing, wrestling, makers’ markets, dog playdates, poetry and spoken word, a watch party during Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rican residency tour, and much more.
The brewery has also hosted a wide range of DJs and music artists, from emo and punk to hard rock to bachata to a festival of Black fiddlers. It was also known for the Y-Series, a monthly rotating set of specialty beers made in collaboration with some of the borough’s most beloved creatives, with accompanying special events at each new release.
Among those who came to honor the brewery’s final day was Daniel Marrero of Kingsbridge, co-founder of the “Bad Business” podcast, described on Spotify as “a weekly comedy show where every topic is on the table,” hosted by “two scoundrels from the Bronx.” Marrero and his team collaborated with the brewery on a Y-Series beer last year.
“It kinda hurts to hear that they’re closing,” he said. For all kinds of local creatives, “It’s been a home.”
“Hopefully this space remains in some kind of capacity and they continue to keep doing things for the Bronx and putting out for us,” Marrero said.
Estephanie Lopez said she loved Bad Bunny’s performance — “It was honestly everything” — but was “extremely sad” to know that the event seems to be the brewery’s last.
After the halftime show, Lopez and her friend Maria Carrasquillo ordered some empanadas and one last burger from Empanology, the brewery’s in-house food truck, and clinked the burger halves together in tribute to the Bronx Brewery.
“This is a place that has such a place in my heart, so many memories, people that you meet here,” Lopez said. “This is a place for the community, for artistic people to come here to express their art. So seeing that the Bronx is gonna lose that is just heartbreaking.”
Carrasquillo, who wore a sweatshirt with “Boricua” printed on it, said BXB has been a center of cultural pride and just a great place to hang out after work.
“Throughout the years, we came here to decompress,” she said, adding that she and Lopez both have multiple tattoos from various brewery events.
“It’s part of our era. It’s part of our growing up too, because we met a bunch of people here — different ages, different cultures,” Carrasquillo said. “Today is a celebration, but it’s also sad.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
