In the 19th century, Brooklyn was home to more than 48 breweries. Sadly, most of that dried up in the 1970’s, but with the nationwide resurgence of all things local, cheese, beer, and music are all making a big comeback with Brooklyn being a hot spot.
Once used by Nassau Brewery as tunnels for fermenting and cooling beer, today Crown Finish Caves is a cheese aging facility and NYS licensed dairy plant. Located 30 feet below the street at 925 Bergen Street, Crown Finish Caves has an average year-round temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the ideal environment for aging cheese.
The centuries old practice is called “affinage”, and while prominent throughout Europe, is more of a recent phenomenon in Brooklyn. Crown Finish Caves receives young or “green” cheese about one week old that is still in the process of ripening and developing a rind. They receive most of their cheese from artisan producers based in the US but also cheese from Italy and Spain. Their main tunnel currently holds about 28,000 pounds of cheese.
Producers include Spring Brook Farm from Reading, Vermont; Grafton Village Cheese Company from Grafton and Brattleboro, Vermont; Old Chatham Sheepherding Company from Old Chatham, NY; Quattro Portoni from Lombardy, Italy; Consider Bardwell Farm from West Pawlet, Vermont; Sugar House Creamery from Upper Jay, New York; and Corcuera from Toledo, Spain.
In order to prevent contamination to the cheese, food tours are currently unavailable. But to get an idea of what the daily operations, cheese aging techniques, and the facilities look like, follow Crown Finish Caves on Instagram.
For those interested in buying cheese, check out the “Where to Find Us” section on their website: www.crownfinishcaves.com. Crown Finish Caves also donates 50% of all cheese pop-up proceeds to a different charity each month.
So where does music fit in? With an underground space sure not to bother neighbors, this unique locale presents Cave Music, a bi-monthly subterranean concert series located in the intimate setting of one of the tunnels. A small, simple space under one of the support arches provides the stage where musicians perform.
Artists tend to be acoustic folk; whose style lends itself well to the setting and echoes pleasantly throughout the caves. Past performances include Queen Esther, Taylor Ashton, Jefferson Hamer, Hubby Jenkins, Feral Foster, Ali Dineen, and more. Upcoming performances including Vol.9 on Thursday, May 2 featuring Nadine Landry, Sammy Lind, and special guests. Cheesy food and beverage are available for purchase at all events.
Seating is tight and tickets are popular and go fast. To stay up to date on shows and pop-ups, check their Instagram and Facebook feeds or sign up for their newsletter Notes From The Underground. Crown Finish Caves is also working with FRESHTIX to hold a raffle for a few tickets at their pop-up cheese shop events.
Cheese, wine, and music together in a historical structure prove that Brooklyn never ceases to surprise. And there’s nothing cheesy about that!
