What Father’s Day gift do you get for a self-professed serial hobbyist? A home-brewing craft beer kit.
That’s the Father’s Day gift Chris Gandsy’s wife and three kids decided to gift him ten years ago. Now, he is the owner of Daleview Biscuits and Beer, the only Black-owned brewery in New York State that brews its beer in-house.
It’s an unusual career choice for someone who admits that at the time he wasn’t much of a beer drinker. He was partial to whiskey, bourbon, and wine. But as he tinkered with the new kit, Gandsy was hooked. He started doing research on how to produce beer on a smaller scale. It wasn’t long before his newfound hobby turned into a passion.
“My first beer was an IPA,” Gandsy recalled of his first foray into brewing. “It was on from there. I kept researching, and kept buying equipment that I could afford and also fit in my apartment. From there I started making beer for family gatherings and barbecues.”
Eventually he added biscuits to the rotation and started hosting pop-ups at his house. When family and friends starting paying for his craft beer and comfort food, Gandsy realized he might have a viable business on his hands. He opened Daleview Biscuits and Beer, which serves craft beer and gluten-free biscuits at its location in the historically Black Lefferts Garden, Brooklyn neighborhood.
The name is a nod to the residential area where he grew up playing a variety of sports and building go-karts in Columbia, South Carolina. Gandsy has positive memories of his Southern upbringing, and he wants to bring that same warm energy to his establishment.
“I try to make people feel like they’re at home and feel comfortable when they come to Daleview. You can talk about anything, you can relax, and eat. Our goal is to be a neighborhood spot. We want it to really be a safe place.”
The menu includes a variety of sweet and savory breakfast and lunch biscuits, inspired by his grandmother. There are six beers on tap and four in cans. Gandsy tends not to brew the same beer more than once and doesn’t have a favorite, though if he did, he admits it would be kept under wraps.
“I wouldn’t want the other beers to be jealous,” he joked.
To say that there is a vast diversity gap in the brewing industry would be an understatement. There are over 8000 breweries in the country, of which only about 60 are Black-owned.
Gandsy brews his beer onsite, which differentiates him from the other two Black-owned contract breweries in New York State, both located in Harlem. The 44-year-old is one of the few who have broken through the barrier, and he has plans to conquer other areas in the beverage industry.
“I have dreams of opening a distillery as well. Why not? It would be great to expand the brewery portfolio.”
For more information visit Daleview Biscuits and Beer or follow them on Instagram.