We knew it was in the plans for a long time, but it appears Rebel Kettle Brewing is officially dead and buried. In its place is “East 6th Brewing” along with a new logo, funky colors, and a vastly different beer line up.
The change should be expected, we began hearing rumblings of the name change shortly after they broke ties with founder John Lee at the beginning of this year. Brewers Josh Davis and Mark Sniff have been slowly transforming the style and presentation of the beer since that time ahead of the rebrand.
Several months ago the brewery building in East Village was repainted with bright pastel colors that were decidedly un-rebellious, leading more fuel to the name change rumors we were hearing. They did, surprisingly, decide to reopen following COVID closure with the old Rebel Kettle name for a brief time before rolling out the new brand today.
Along with the brand name is a change in the year around beer line up that are mostly renamed from previous versions. It now includes a hazy IPA “East Sixth Haze” (possibly Easy Roller), a tart ale “East Sixth Topside” (guessing this is Rob Gnarly), and a blonde “East Sixth Hustle” (formerly working glass hero). *Update, the brewery informed us the beers are new recipes despite the similarities in descriptions of previous beers.
The food menu has been out for a few weeks now but is a large departure from the old (and certainly not misguided) cajun flare. It is simplified into 2 burgers, 2 sandwiches, and 2 salads. The new food direction is certainly done in a way to make you focus on the beers.
With all the changes East 6th Brewing is not a rebrand, but a completely new brewery. Where they take the new brewery from here remains to be seen. They promise “delicious, wacky, and fun beers”, which the old Rebel Kettle Brewing always aimed to do, so we are interested to see how East 6th Street makes a name for itself.
RIP Damgoode Pies
November 20, 2023
