TALEA Beer Penn District
TALEA brews every one of its beers in Williamsburg. This Midtown taproom near Madison Square Garden is the one the brewery calls
our version of a sports bar.1 You can carry your own dinner in.1
Why go
Tara Hankinson left The New York Times and LeAnn Darland left Google, and the two of them met at a beer start-up in New York. Three months later they filed the LLC.2 Rossilynne Skena Culgan, writing in Time Out New York, notes what the name is made of: they're the Ta and Lea in the name.
4
The beer all comes off the Williamsburg brewhouse, which opened in March 2021.2 Julien Levy gave that Brooklyn taproom four stars out of five in Time Out in April 2026. He wrote that the lineup rewards a second visit.3 This is the same beer at a different bar.
Alda Ly Architecture drew the 2023 Manhattan pair. The brewery says a female architect designed the four taprooms that followed. The brewery lists six doors now.42
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Sun Up Hazy IPA. Darland names it as her own pick of the range.2
- Order: the Raspberry Crush Gose, Hankinson's own pick.2
- Order: a four-pack on the way out if you have a train to catch.1
- Avoid: planning dinner around it. The card here is pretzels and snacks.1
What locals & experts say
- Julien Levy, Time Out New York, reviewing the Williamsburg taproom (21 April 2026), 4 out of 5:
Their signature leans toward fruit-forward and sour styles, but Talea offers something for everyone... These aren't one-note beers that begin and end in the same register. There's real depth in the subtleties and aromas.
3 - The Infatuation NYC, filing the opening (7 November 2024):
Talea, known for their sour beers and big taprooms, just added another one. Their Penn District location is their fifth, and third to open in Manhattan in just the last year.
5 - LeAnn Darland, quoted by Time Out (10 October 2023):
As two women leading a company in a male-dominated field, we make a pointed effort to highlight other female voices within our community in New York, the beer industry and beyond.
4 - The limit: I have not found anyone who has written about this door beyond the opening listing.
Good to know
- Where: 160 West 32nd Street, on the Penn Station side of Midtown.1
- Closed: Sundays.1
- Also poured: wine, cocktails, coffee and non-alcoholic options, so a group that does not drink beer is covered.1
Verdict
could-visit — Walk in; nobody takes a table in advance. Drink a flight, because one glass buys you one guess.