TALEA Beer Co - Williamsburg — Restaurant in New York

I have been to Talea many times and usually always enjoy my time -the large windows and relaxed working atmosphere made it a place where I would both work and meet with friends.

However I went with my partner on Weds, April 23rd and had an incredibly disheartening experience that will result in me not returning. My partner and I arrived at Talea in the morning, where they had a virtual meeting they needed to hop on immediately upon arriving so they went and found a table in the taproom.

I ordered a coffee and met them at the table, where they had already once been approached by the manager Shannon about ordering something. Shannon then continued to come back multiple times, making accusatory presumptive remarks about my partner using the Wi-Fi and questioning their intent to order. She loudly made accusations with an inflammatory and patronizing tone. My partner was clearly trying to finish a time sensitive task on their computer, yet instead kept getting questioned by this manager in a way that made them feel singled out, especially as the only Black woman there.

It felt so invasive and uncomfortable, to the point where my partner and I left to go to a different cafe to finish their work. No other patrons would have been treated that way- making them feel demeaned and targeted. Regardless of intent, it was incredibly sobering and disappointing to have the manager of a woman owned business make others feel unwelcome in this way.

After my partner’s meeting was finished, we both returned to Talea to order a tea and speak with the manager and let her know how her actions translated- regardless of intention. Instead of acknowledging how her actions made my partner feel- Shannon instead greeted us back to Talea with a condescending “Welcome back, you two,” in a tone that felt mocking. My partner tried to address their concerns, but the manager turned her back and walked away mid sentence.

This experience displayed a complete lack of professionalism and respect. All patrons should be treated with dignity and respect, and with best intentions. Overall, this was a very disheartening experience that has left my partner feeling singled out and hurt. We will not be returning, and want to let others know of...

I went into Talea last Sunday and had an unpleasant experience that I think will be useful to write out here, in case any managers etc from Talea read it. First of all, when I went in, the brewery was virtually empty. There were a few parents with their kids, but many many open tables. As the host was seating me, I asked if it was cool if I had my laptop out. She said yes, but that if they got super busy she might have to ask me to move along. This struck me as very reasonable, since I know it’s annoying when someone camps out with their laptop all day. But, given the fact that the place was nearly empty, I didn’t think it would be an issue. I ordered a beer and my beer arrived and then I pulled out my laptop to do some work. Almost immediately after, a different woman (not sure if she was another host or a manager), came over and asked me to put the laptop away. Not trying to needlessly nitpick here, but this woman had just the worst faux-cheerful-but-actually-super-hostile thing going on. When I explained that a different woman had said it was okay, she repeated herself, like a broken record. I said okay and put my stuff away. After a minute I realized that I felt frustrated that I’d bought a $10 beer operating under the assumption that I’d be allowed to sit and do some work, and which was now not the case. I went and found the second woman and explained this to her. I was really level about it; im not some person who screams at people that work in service/hospitality. But the woman backed away from me like I was, which I found irritating. She refunded the drink, which I appreciated, but the whole interaction was just filled with this awful passive aggression and barely-suppressed confrontation. It didn’t have to be this way, since, in the first place, I think an exception could have been made for me sitting on my computer in a nearly empty brewery. The whole interaction struck me as following rules just for the sake of it, without using actual...

TL;DR: It's a lovely space but it's a really bad beer drinking experience.

Checked it out on a whim on Easter Sunday and figured I would just sit at the bar and order a quick flight to get a feel for their brews. What stuck out right away was that you can't make your own flight but have to pick one of similar beer styles. I picked the Hazy and Hoppy style and was surprised to see the bartender pour from cans and not the taps. When the flight was served, the bartender didn't label them or tell me which was which beer. Tasting them, it I noticed that they weren't cold enough and that at least one of them was likely old enough that it changed the flavor. I hate to be cynical but it feels like Talea wants to unload older beer via the flights and thats why it serves them from cans and not the taps. The worst part of all of that is that the flights are $20 for 16oz of beer.

Pros: Nice, large and modern space. Music volume is just right for being able to have a conversation.

Cons: Flights are predetermined combinations of beers, they are poured from cans and not taps, are not cold enough, likely old, and cost $20 for...