The Bronx Brewery — the borough’s only craft beer maker following the closure of Gun Hill Brewing Co. in May — is merging with Westchester-based Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, which the owners say will help both companies thrive amid an industry downturn.
The Bronx Brewery has operated a production facility, tap room and event space in the South Bronx since 2013, plus newer, smaller locations in the East Village and Hudson Yards. The company also distributes throughout New York, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts and Connecticut and even to a few countries abroad.
Beer enthusiasts often made a point to visit the Port Morris location because it offered a glimpse into how the brews are made. On weekends, with the production area open, guests could see the massive metal tanks, sacks of grain, the canning and labeling line and foam bubbling out of hoses from the fermentation process.
But under the merger, day-to-day operations in the South Bronx will look quite different. The large equipment for brewing, canning and labeling will be gone — as will the existing team of six full-time beermakers, who have been offered jobs at Captain Lawrence’s larger brewhouse in Elmsford, Westchester, where Bronx Brewery beer will be made going forward.
Bronx Brewery Founder and President Damian Brown said his brand will remain distinct and offered few details about changes ahead. Many specifics remain in the works as the two breweries go “from ‘us and them’ to ‘we,” he said.
But the company will remain true to the vision he started with in 2011, said Brown.
“This place isn’t going anywhere,” he said. “Company and brand values won’t change.”
Scott Vaccaro, who founded Captain Lawrence in 2005, called the Bronx Brewery a “close neighbor in the beer community” and said he aims to “not get in the way” of what works for it. Captain Lawrence already began making some of Bronx Brewery beer earlier this year, and it only makes sense to continue combining forces, he said.
With Elmsford more than 20 miles from the South Bronx, not everyone is prepared to take a job there — but two have accepted, and two more indicated they would accept if they can work out transportation, according to Brown and Zaccaro. Those who declined the offer received severance.
“We want the people who have been making our beer to keep making our beer,” said Brown.
Industry downturn
While leadership has touted the benefits of the merger, the news appears to be met with skepticism and disappointment among some staff and customers concerned with the integrity of the familiar Bronx brand. Uncertainty around the change remains high, and several production team members and customers contacted by the Bronx Times did not respond to set up interviews or declined to speak on the record in time for publication.
After staff were notified of the merger in early September, word began to spread among regular customers and in the close-knit industry. While some believe that the integrity of the brand can and will carry on, others view it as a move away from its commitment to the Bronx community.
Evidence of how the merger was received was clear from a Sept. 7 photo obtained by the Bronx Times, where someone had written, “F — this company, f — Damian” on a bathroom ceiling. Another photo of restroom graffiti said, “Damian is a sell-out and a b—h.”
Brown called the images “upsetting and frustrating” and said he has made efforts to handle the change in a respectful way.
But some salaried employees said they expect and even embrace concerns about the company maintaining its identity — especially when it comes from Bronxites.
“I hope you do put up your guard and try to defend what you truly love,” said Jose Ruiz, a resident of Throggs Neck who handles merch, local artist collaboration brews and more as the company’s creative director. “People protect it, and I f—ing love it.”
Dan Greenwood, director of sales and the longest-standing employee with six years in the company, similarly said that if employees and guests are upset about change, that means they liked and were committed to the way things were.
“It means you gave a f—k,” he said. “If you love a job, there’s no way you’re not gonna feel that.”
The merger came as an unpleasant surprise to many staff — and both owners also said they never imagined being in this position.
The change comes amid a downturn in the industry, as the brewery bubble shows signs of bursting. Data from the Brewers Association shows the number of breweries nationwide more than doubled between 2015 and 2023, and New York went from 95 breweries in 2012 to 535 in 2023, according to the New York State Brewers Association.
In recent years, more young adults have turned away from alcohol altogether. While older age groups have slightly increased their consumption, only 38% of American adults age 18 to 34 are now considered “regular” drinkers (defined by having an alcoholic beverage within the past seven days), according to long-term research by Gallup.
And even among those who do drink, beer is on the decline. Last year saw the lowest beer consumption numbers in a generation, as reported by NBC News.
These realities are hitting beermakers hard — even the oldest brewery in the country, Anchor Brewing based in San Francisco, which closed in 2023 after 127 years. In a tight market with high costs, “Running a brewery taproom is more challenging than it has ever been,” said industry professional Aaron Gore in a blog post for the Brewers Association.
Challenges for breweries have started to hit close to home. In Queens, Bridge and Tunnel Brewery recently launched a fundraiser just to help the company stay afloat. And Manhattan-based Torch and Crown recently laid off its production team without notice, according to Bronx Brewery employees and a craft beer discussion post on Reddit. Torch and Crown did not respond to request for comment.
Without combining forces, the future for Bronx Brewery and Captain Lawrence looked dim for both companies, their owners said. Vaccaro said he hopes staff and customers will understand the merger in the context of the struggling industry.
“It’s not something either of us take lightly,” he said.
The flag incident
After the merger was announced, some staff in the Bronx said they quickly began seeing Captain Lawrence employees walking around the Port Morris location — and a recent incident appears to have fueled suspicions about where company culture is headed.
When the production team came to work on Sept. 10, they found flags they had hung to represent their respective heritages in a trash bag in the dumpster, and some were ripped. The team had displayed the flags last spring, high on the wall in their workspace and visible to the public, representing the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, LGBTQ+ advocacy and more, and a Palestinian flag was added following the outbreak of war between Israel and Gaza.
Brown said it was his decision to take down the flags — with the ripping accidental — because of the Palestinian flag, which was hung without his awareness or any prior discussion. Given the sensitivity around the war, it is “inappropriate for people to use the brewery for their private, political messages,” he said.
Brown and Vaccaro said the removal of the flags had nothing to do with the merger. But some staff said the timing felt suspect.
“Those flags were there for months,” said Roberto Morales, a bartender since 2023. To him, the incident felt like “an attack on all of us.”
A photo of the flags spilling out of a trash bag circulated on social media and among industry group chats. The text reads, “Y’a’ll still f—k wit Bronx Brewery? Shout out to the brewery for firing production, then disrespecting us by ripping down all the flags of our heritages.”
Brown said he offered to have a conversation among staff about whether or not to re-hang the flags, but no one has asked for it yet. To some staff, the incident was perceived as a troublesome sign of Captain Lawrence intruding on what happens in the Bronx — though they know that leadership said otherwise.
“It’s hard not to think they’ll plug their own brand in and make it known this is their space as well,” said former bartender Claudia Rodriguez.
‘The people’s brewery’
Over the years, the Port Morris location, with its large backyard facing East 135th Street, has hosted numerous public and private events including salsa concerts, comedy shows, DJs, orchestras, pop-up markets, weddings and even wrestling matches. In May, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used the brewery production floor to rally supporters ahead of the primary election.
With few other bar or nightlife options in the area, the brewery attracts an eclectic customer base of Bronx locals, Yankee Stadium visitors, sports teams finishing games at Randall’s Island and workers leaving the recycling plant and the many nearby artist studios.
Morris Heights native Manny Zahonet, who has held a variety of roles within the company since 2022, said he is optimistic about the merger but sad for employees, friends of his, whose lives have been “upended” by the change.
Zahonet’s trajectory within the Bronx Brewery has been unusual, starting as a bartender at the South Bronx location, then spending about a year on the production team before becoming general manager of the East Village location. He still spends time at the Port Morris location and is close with many staff members across all three locations.
“It’s hard because the change is hurting people,” Zahonet told the Bronx Times.
Jose Ruiz, creative director, said at first he was “really nervous” about the merger. With few details discussed early on, “It honestly did feel like it was being sugarcoated,” he told the Bronx Times.
But after meeting with Vaccaro and others, he and Zahonet felt assured that Captain Lawrence aimed to support, not take over. Both also said they take it upon themselves to safeguard the identity of “the people’s brewery,” as Ruiz called it.
Both agreed that the merger can help the business function more productively. Much of the beermaking equipment is on its last legs, and the two most recent head brewers raised concerns that the equipment was outdated and very costly to replace, according to Zahonet.
Ruiz said making the beer offsite should also eliminate longstanding tensions between production and hospitality teams, who often clashed over maintaining shared spaces. The building was originally designed for beermaking only, not for seating a lot of customers or hosting events, he said. “Things weren’t logistically designed to be performing at that level.”
With the large equipment gone, Zahonet and Ruiz both said they are excited about the potential to use the brew floor for big concerts, long-term art shows, workshops, etc. And there are benefits to working with a larger and more experienced company, said Zahonet. As someone who learned entirely on the job, he said he looks forward to learning from Captain Lawrence staff who can offer a “brand new perspective.”
The merger will provide “more tools in the tool shed,” said Zahonet.
He and Ruiz both said that regardless of who’s at the top, people like them are entrusted to carry the meaning of the brand forward — and that they are committed to doing so.
“It’s really the people on the front lines who determine what this place is,” Zahonet said. “The direction is really left to us and what we do with it.”
“I’m not going to allow for BXB to lose its identity,” said Ruiz.
‘Hurtful to the space’
That trust and loyalty will be put to the test among those who remain skeptical about how the merger will benefit the Bronx.
Claudia Rodriguez, a Bronx native, started in November 2022 as a Hudson Yards bartender after years as a regular customer in the South Bronx. She later split her time between the two sites.
Rodriguez resigned on Sept. 8 to take a job in the nonprofit sector, a decision she said was unrelated to the merger. Still, the news “came as a shock to all of us,” she said. “We didn’t think things would happen so quickly.”
According to Rodriguez, the production team layoffs were a huge blow to morale — and she remains doubtful that the merger will help turn things around. Despite some clashes, many on staff consider each other good friends, and production team members often hung out at the bar after their shifts and on weekends.
“I think it’s taking away a lot of the magic,” Rodriguez said.
In the industry, she has seen signs of a slowdown. This summer was slower than usual, and customers didn’t seem to tip as much, she said. But “I don’t think [the merger] will revive that feeling or energy,” she said, describing it as “hurtful to the space.”
Rodriguez said people come to the brewery to see familiar staff, and with people on edge, customers will also be unhappy. She also said the hospitality staff had no early interaction with the Captain Lawrence crew and felt they were left in the dark about what changes might come, if any.
Rodriguez said if she continues to visit her old workplace, it will be to see people she has built relationships with. “It won’t be for the vibes or the beer,” she said.
Roberto Morales, a Kingsbridge native who has been a bartender at the South Bronx location since August 2023, said he is unhappy about the merger and is looking for another job.
When he first heard the news, Morales said he was “optimistic” about a potential change in company leadership. But when production staff were cut, “The whole spirit left,” he said in an interview with the Bronx Times.
“Nobody felt comfortable there. It didn’t feel like BXB anymore,” said Morales.
He said he started feeling less connected to the company when last winter, a longtime bartender who had been promoted to manager was fired, which prompted another management team member to resign. Both were women from the Bronx. Since then, things haven’t been the same — and the flag incident made everything worse, Morales said.
He viewed the brewery as much more than a place to drink — which, like many young adults, he rarely does anyway. Morales said he saw it as a “hub for Bronx culture.”
“[Alcohol] wasn’t all we had to offer. They’re showing up because they care about the space, the events,” said Morales.
He said hiring more Bronxites is critical to helping the Port Morris location thrive. As for what happens under the merger, “I want to find out from the outside.”
Making it last
Dan Greenwood, director of sales who is frequently seen at all three locations, acknowledged the merger is not good news for all. Production staff are “the most important people on my side that I need to be making good beer,” he said.
But since the merger is based solely on production, Greenwood said it makes sense because Captain Lawrence offered resources that the Bronx Brewery desperately needed. It is a respected business with “pretty much unlimited [brewing] capacity” and probably the best brewhouse within 100 miles, he said.
For Greenwood, the breweries that last in a challenging market are those that think beyond the beer. The Bronx Brewery has attracted many loyal customers and event partners over the years, he said. People expect more than just good beer — and under the merger, the company will be able to focus more on providing that.
“The generation that is not drinking also loves a story about the brand,” said Greenwood. “If it’s just about the hops and malt right now, I think those are the brands that are losing.”
NOTE: Emily Swanson was a bartender at the Bronx Brewery one shift per week from Sept. 2022 to Jan. 2024 and was previously acquainted with people interviewed for this story.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
