After a decade on President Street, Strong Rope Brewery is calling last call at its Gowanus taproom at the end of March, consolidating everything at its larger Red Hook location. The President Street space will not stay dry for long, though. Forever Homebrewing is set to move in, rebrand as Forever Brewing, and layer in on-site brewing to its existing Crown Heights retail shop. Strong Rope says Red Hook will stay the flagship, while the new tenant readies the bar for an April opening and Strong Rope throws one final goodbye party on March 28.
Owners consolidate operations in Red Hook
According to Strong Rope, the Gowanus taproom is listed as open "through Saturday, March 28, 2026," with the owners planning to focus entirely on the Red Hook waterfront spot. The Gowanus page thanks neighbors for a decade of support and notes that President Street served as the company’s original brewery. Red Hook already handles all production and offers a bigger tap list and more event programming than the cozier Gowanus room, so the move is less a dramatic pivot and more a final handoff.
Forever Homebrewing will move in
According to Brooklyn Paper, Forever Homebrewing founders Matt Land and Rob Jenkins are taking over the President Street address and rebranding as Forever Brewing. The outlet reports the pair have already locked in some of the necessary licenses and tapped an Indiegogo campaign to help fund the move. Strong Rope communications lead Caitlin Gallagher told the paper that all Gowanus staffers will keep their jobs and shift over to Red Hook.
Brooklyn Paper also reports that Forever is scheduled to officially take over the space on April 1 and is aiming to open the bar for customers on April 11, with a more robust brew program rolling out in early May.
What the new spot will offer
Forever Homebrewing highlights that its Crown Heights shop already stocks malts, hops, yeast, and homebrewing equipment, and that it runs classes alongside retail service out of its Dean Street location. The founders say they plan to keep selling homebrew supplies while pouring small-batch beers, rare styles, and nonalcoholic options at the new Gowanus bar, and they intend to launch a coffee program there as well.
They add that the hybrid setup will let them experiment with less-common recipes and run truly small batches that bigger breweries often skip, giving the neighborhood something a little different than a typical taproom.
Gowanus' beer scene and what changes
Strong Rope, opened by Christina Quintero and Jason Sahler in late 2015, helped turn President Street into a key stop on Brooklyn’s brewery corridor, so its departure is less a disappearance and more of a reshuffle for local beer fans. Brooklyn Paper reports that Strong Rope opened the larger Red Hook taproom in 2021 and moved all brewing operations there in 2023, leaving Gowanus as a ten-tap neighborhood hangout.
The brewery is known for emphasizing beer made with New York ingredients, and the owners say consolidating everything at the waterfront will let them tighten up production and focus their events and programming in one place.
Parting party and next steps
Before the lights go out on President Street, Strong Rope is hosting a goodbye celebration on March 28 at the Gowanus taproom. After that, all roads lead to Red Hook, where the company says it will continue daily service and a steady calendar of events. For current hours and the flagship tap list, check Strong Rope.
Meanwhile, the founders of Forever are keeping their Crown Heights operation running as they prep the new space for its April and May rollouts. Updated Dean Street hours and details on the move are listed on Forever Homebrewing as they get ready to welcome Gowanus regulars and curious homebrewers alike.
