Day: September 24, 2025

The Sunset Park community celebrated the opening of New York’s first immersive learning center focused on offshore wind energy with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 19.

WindScape Brooklyn, located across from the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT), was developed in collaboration with Empire Wind, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and community and educational partners. The center explores how wind, people, and landscape work together to drive technological innovation through interactive exhibits and programming.

It educates visitors of all ages about the critical role offshore wind plays as a renewable energy source and its contribution to New York’s economic and sustainable future. Visitors can also learn about SBMT’s ongoing transformation into a state-of-the-art maritime hub that will power the city’s energy future.

WindScape Brooklyn features eight exhibits developed with direct input from the local community, including the Workforce Development Institute, Red Hook Initiative, Sunset Park High School, Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation and others. Reflecting the neighborhood’s diversity, all exhibit text is available in English, Spanish and Simplified Chinese.

Designed with the community in mind, the center’s layout was reviewed by the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access at the University at Buffalo. It includes gathering spaces such as a multi-use classroom, co-lab area and an immersive 29-foot screen story box theater for public programs, school field trips and internships.

Officials praised the project as a critical step toward building a sustainable future and advancing New York’s green economy.

New York City Deputy Mayor Adolfo Carrión Jr. called the interactive learning center “another important step forward in building the city’s Green Economy and creating a new offshore wind industry in New York City.”

“This sector will create jobs, generate billions of dollars in economic activity, provide clean power for hundreds of thousands of homes and, with WindScape Brooklyn in the lead, capture the collective imagination of a new generation of New Yorkers who will lead us into a more sustainable future,” Carrión said.

NYCEDC President and CEO Andrew Kimball echoed that sentiment, saying the center “will help build the green workforce of tomorrow – giving New Yorkers of all backgrounds the opportunity to learn about this industry while overlooking the ongoing transformation of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a state-of-the-art offshore wind port facility.”

Molly Morris, president of Equinor Renewables Americas, hailed WindScape Brooklyn as a fun, interactive tool to educate the community about the role of wind power in meeting growing energy demands.

“Visitors will learn how this exciting power source works while celebrating the people and places that bring projects like Empire Wind to life,” Morris said. “This eye-opening and engaging experience results from collaboration across industry, community groups, scientific experts and local government working together to share the next chapter of New York’s energy future.”

NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen Harris called the hub an “impressive example of the power of collaboration between the public and private sectors when they are committed to realizing benefits for the community at large.”

“WindScape Brooklyn is a transformative way to tell the story of offshore wind and educate visitors about the critical role this locally produced, renewable resource has in securing New York’s clean energy future,” Harris said.

Admission to WindScape Brooklyn is free and open to the public on Thursdays and Saturdays. Community groups and local organizations can reserve space at no cost. School groups are welcome on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning Oct. 21.

For more information, visit windscapebrooklyn.com.

A European-inspired beer hall has arrived in Bushwick just in time for Oktoberfest.

Eckhart Beer Company opened an airy, modern new taproom at 545 Johnson Ave. this month, offering a slick lineup of locally-brewed European beers.

Brooklynite Nick Meyer founded Eckhart in 2022, taking inspiration from an unlikely source: 13th-century German philosopher Meister Eckhart.

“My studies in meditation and philosophy drew me to the writings of 13th-century thinker Meister Eckhart — now our namesake — whose emphasis on stillness coupled with time brings about clarity and attention that we carry into our brewing and hospitality,” Meyer said in a statement.

To that end, the company has developed a simple mission: “Only put out what you truly believe in.”

Eckhart’s year-round lineup features just five beers: Czech-style amber, dark, and pale lagers, plus a German-style hels and pilsner. The beers are created by head brewer Adam Wolfe, who spent years studying lagers in Germany and earned a diploma from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. Wolfe uses a wide range of techniques to craft each beer: open fermentation, long maturation, and decoction. 

The brewery also offers a range of seasonal brews, like Festbier, which is traditionally served at Oktoberfest and is described as “full-bodied” with a clean finish; a crisp Grapefruit Radler, and a balanced, subtly-citrusy Kolsch.

Each glass is pulled from a Lukr faucet, which is specially designed for Czech beers, and customers can choose from one of three traditional Czech pours: the hladinka, with the classic layer of foam on top; the half-beer, half-foam snyt; and the mostly-foam mliko.

Eckart also offers a wide variety of foods, from small sharing plates to full-blown meals. Executive chef Frederick Maurer created a menu designed to pair well with the beers while making use of brewing byproducts, according to Eckhart.  Visitors can snack on some house-made potato chips with caramelized onion dip, enjoy a classic large soft pretzel with beer cheese, or try the brewery’s signature Brotzeit platter or Spaetzle gratin. There’s even a beer-themed dessert, the Malt & Marmite Tart with whipped cream and sesame oil.

The space itself was inspired by traditional Bavarian beer halls and minimalist Japanese design. Outfitted with light walls and Japanese-style wood paneling, Eckhart offers four separate rooms: an airy indoor beergarden, a cozy, tavern-style room, a loft-style private bar, and a “feature bar” beneath a few beer tanks. The beer hall was designed to be welcoming and hospitable, the company said, with a focus on quality and hospitality.loc

“The most important hour is always the present,” Meyer said, quoting Eckhart. “The most significant person is precisely the one sitting across from you right now.”

Eckhart Beer Co. Taproom & Brewery is located at 545 Johnson Ave. in Bushwick and is open Wednesday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m., Fridays 2 p.m.-midnight, Saturdays 11 a.m.-midnight, and Sundays 11 a.m.-10 p.m.