It was a beautiful Tuesday in Long Island City (LIC), walking down 43rd Road toward Big aLICe Brewing Company. You kind of need to know where you’re going or you might walk right by it. That isn’t a problem for this popular spot in the brewery hotbed that is LIC. People find their way to the brewery from opening to close. I was going to interview Kyle Hurst, a co-founder of Big aLICe, for an upcoming Queens Chamber of Commerce event. This article is not about that event. It’s about my awesome experience.
Our meeting was set for 4 pm, but I showed up a bit early, well before opening time. I gave a knock on the door and, to my luck, Big aLICe employees were hard at work. They were brewing up a new staple to their beer lineup, the BQX, a hazy IPA named after the proposed street-car line between Queens and Brooklyn. The whole Big aLICe team was super welcoming. That includes the head brewer, Jon, the assistant brewer, Dominic, and the taproom manager, Orlando. They were all also forgiving of my nerdy and novice brewing questions.
It wasn’t long before Kyle showed up. He was on a supplies run for donuts that were to be incorporated into an upcoming batch of beer. We sat down at the bar of the taproom, each grabbed a beer and the conversation ensued. Even though I’m an amateur interviewer, Kyle was very easy to talk to. It’s his mid-western demeanor, as he is originally from Wisconsin, that puts others at ease. We chatted about the brewery industry, Big aLICe’s beginnings, and the brewery’s future.
The story of Big aLICe starts in 1998 with a 5-gallon homebrewing kit that Kyle received from his wife for Father’s Day. She didn’t know the fire that this gift would ignite. From the start, Kyle used a diverse set of ingredients in his beer recipes. This was due to his curiosity and also because homebrew supply shops were scarce at the time. He made due with what he had. This creative spirit lives on through Big aLICe, where the brewery serves up beers like a Sweet Potato Farmhouse Saison. You’ll often see new styles and twists on traditional styles on tap each week/month.
Big aLICe was named after the Ravenswood Generating Station that has become known as “Big Allis”. The brewery, wanting to associate with LIC, decided on the name Big aLICe. The name isn’t where local ends. Big aLICe’s mission is to support other local small businesses whenever possible. This includes sourcing beer ingredients from Queens businesses, like the honey from Wilk Apiary, jalapenos peppers from Hell Gate Farm, and coffee beans from Native Coffee Roasters. In addition to supporting the local community, Big aLICe end up with truly unique beers by doing this.
The brewery opened in 2013, starting out with making beer only for subscribers. Shortly after opening, based on overwhelming demand, Big aLICe increased its production capacity. They opened the current LIC taproom. Since then, the brewery has received a number of awards. This includes a 2019 gold medal in the National Honey Beers Beer Competition and a silver medal in the 2018 New York State Craft Beer Competition. Based on a growing reputation, Big aLICe recently added another taproom in Industry City, Brooklyn. It uses that space as a barrel-aging facility.
You’d think it might be time to take a rest, no? Well, Kyle has no plans of slowing down and has big ideas and ambitions for the future of his business. It’s invigorating to speak with people like that, a little like how I feel after listening to Eye of the Tiger . Know what I mean?
2 hours of conversation passed by in a blink of an eye, and I felt like I knew Kyle very well by the end of it. He is how I view many people in the industry: open, welcoming, and genuine. It’s what makes the industry great. Where competitors in other industries often seek to undermine each other, Kyle sticks to the mantra, “A rising tide lifts all ships”. In that vein, he walked me throughout the brewery, the front and back, and explained the purpose of each location and gadget in masterful detail. I can’t wait for my next visit.