Inwood Craft Beer Bar View Full Caption

INWOOD — Niall Henry knows a thing or two about beer.

Born in Ireland and raised in The Bronx, he has worked at many bars and also owned a few himself. In 2009, Henry, 34, co-founded the Bronx Brewery, whose beers can now be found in about 600 restaurants and 500 grocery stores.

Henry is hoping for a similar success uptown, where he and co-owner Shean Carbin plan to open a craft beer bar and restaurant in a space overlooking Fort Tryon Park at 4740 Broadway by the end of this year.

The bar, which does not yet have a name, will feature 10 to 12 domestic craft brews, primarily from New York State, and a menu of American comfort foods, he explained.

“Our vision is to have a place where you can come with your parents for brunch in the morning, come with your boyfriend or girlfriend for a drink in the afternoon, and then go out with your friends at night,” Henry said. “We’re not just focused on the 21-year-olds.”

The partners have already started construction on the project, which involves combining three storefronts on Broadway near Thayer Street into one large space. The final vision includes exposed brick walls, reclaimed wood floors and touches that nod to the neighborhood’s history, such as a 1938 photograph of the original building.

“For the most part, everything that you see will be something with a story behind it,” Carbin said.

Henry, who is a vice president at Hudson Valley Bank, and Carbin, a flooring contractor with his own company, grew up together in Woodlawn. They started to explore the possibility of opening an establishment in Inwood after Carbin noticed that there were limited options for craft beer drinkers in the neighborhood.

“I do a lot of jobs in the area. Usually on a Friday when we finish up work, me and the guys go for a drink,” he said. “There’s always Piper’s Kilt, but there weren’t really many spots that we wanted to go to.”

Henry acknowledged that venues such as Indian Road, District 12, Inwood Local, and The Park View have added to the local craft beer scene, but said there was room for more.

“There are places around here that offer that, but I think we’re going to offer something different,” he said. “Everyone wants options.”

Henry and Carbin are still working out the details, but said they will likely feature two Bronx Brewery beers and that they hope to work with local brewer the Dyckman Beer Company. The food menu will feature items such as a pulled pork sandwich, burgers and tacos.

“Most people don’t go out for a big meal anymore, and if they do, they want to go to a fancier place,” Henry said. “We’re more down to earth. More like an every-week or every-other-day kind of place.”

Henry and Carbin presented their plan to Community Board 12 in March, earning a recommendation to the State Liquor Authority for approval of a full liquor license on condition they keep the noise down and close the windows at 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends. The license is still pending approval from the SLA.

The bar does not plan to offer live music or hookahs to smoke, two amenities at other local establishments that often draw complaints from neighbors.

The pair hopes to open for business by Thanksgiving, and while they have a few names in mind, they are not ready to reveal them.

“Whatever it is," Carbin said. "It will be set around the community."