Founded by wife/husband Roz & Patrick Donagher in 2021, Alewife Brewing is the only all-immigrant-run brewery in New York City with its two Irish owners and all-Latino brewing team with Chris Mercedes, Fernando Carrasco, and Juliana Castro at the helm. Alewife Brewing builds on a two-decade history of the Donaghers operating some of New York City’s most beloved craft beer havens including Rattle N Hum, The Jeffrey and Fools Gold. A long-standing dream to own and operate an immigrant-run NYC brewery based on the family values that made their Manhattan bar ventures a huge success finally came to fruition with the opening of Alewife Brewing in Sunnyside Queens.

Paying tribute to the historical roles that women played in bringing peace to past societies with an abundant love of nature and prowess for brewing delicious beer, the Donaghers named their brewery after the “Alewives" of centuries past. Alewife Brewing takes its name from the “Alewives” who brewed elixirs for medicinal and spiritual purposes. Alewives of ancient times brewed potions for shamanistic rituals with locally grown psychedelics. The beer at Alewife Brewing has an aim, a purpose, and a dream, to bring our community of imbibers as close to a transcendental experience as legally possible!

The Donaghers believe that delicious beers should be enjoyed amongst friends and family while also celebrating a tradition dating back thousands of years that’s always had a great sense of community connection at the heart of it all.