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OUR

story

story

founded in 2013

Like any other great idea, Yonkers Brewing Co. was thought

of with a beer in hand.  From a young age, John Rubbo

and Nick Califano tirelessly helped their grandfathers make

homemade wine.  As the two exchanged stories about

crushing grapes, they cracked open a cold beer.

 

As John & nick cracked open a cold beer, the cap fell off,

the light bulb went on, “Why not just make the sweet

nectar we enjoy so much more?” they asked. The

generations-old tradition of winemaking sparked a fire and

they brewed up a recipe that is now known as their

flagship, Yonkers 914 Vienna Lager.

 

The two Yonkers natives, John and Nick, spent one summer

in the backyard of John’s parents’ home – yes, in Yonkers – studying the depth and breadth of the brewing process and trying their hand at creating a recipe they enjoyed.

 

Now that they had a delicious beer, they drafted a business plan we began to build Yonkers Brewing Co.

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Located in downtown Yonkers, they want the brewery environment and culture to reflect how they see their hometown and they want it to be a place where the community can come together in a lively environment to celebrate what this city has to offer – culture, entertainment, history and now good beer.

 

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

                                                   William Shakespeare once asked, “What’s in a name? That

                                                   which we call a beer. By any other brew would smell as                                                             sweet.”  Or something along those lines.

 

                                                    Why the name Yonkers Brewing Co.? Yonkers is the city                                                             where John and Nick were raised and the city they call their  

                                                    hometown. The two want the brewery name and image to                                                          reflect how they see their hometown.  A diverse city                                                                    with so much to offer.  

 

With a growing beer culture, an array of top notch restaurants and a rich history, Yonkers has all the components of a great beer city.  John and Nick have planted the roots of the brewery here and are excited to be part of a long list of exciting things happening in Yonkers.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

   Visit the Yonkers brewing to see all of the historic photos

   of Yonkers that hang on the walls!

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  • Yonkers” is directly derived from Adriaen van der Donck, a lawyer, scholar, and author who had emerged as a leader of the New Netherland colony and was known locally as the Jonkheer or Jonker​​.

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  • The Yonkers Marathon is a marathon race held

      annually in Yonkers, New York. Founded in 1907,

      it is the second oldest marathon in the United States,

      after the Boston Marathon. It is held on the third

      Sunday in October.

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  • In 1853, Elisha Otis invented the first safety

      elevator and the first elevator factory in the world,

      Otis Elevator Company, in Yonkers.

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  • Bakelite, the first completely synthetic plastic, was invented in Yonkers circa 1906 by Leo Baekeland.

 

  • In 1888, Scottish-born John Reid founded the first golf course, with just three holes, in the United States, St. Andrew’s Golf Club, in Yonkers.

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  • Kawasaki assembly plant opened in 1986 producing the new cars for the New York City Subway and PATH trains.

 

  • In 1940, Yonkers resident Edwin Howard Armstrong transmitted the first FM radio broadcast from the Yonkers home of C.R. Runyon, a co-experimenter.

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  • Yonkers hosts one of the nation’s oldest St. Patrick’s Day parades.

Founder, John Rubbo as a young lad
Yonkers Brewing Co. 1930's

John at 4 years old

Yonkers Marathon

Yonkers Marathon Starting line

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