New York City's current craft beer boom feels quite exciting and new except, in fact, there's nothing new about it. For most of the 19th century, New York City was one of the country's largest brewing centers. Why was New York an epicenter of beer? German immigrants brought with them a love of lager (and built up beer gardens and beer halls all over the city.) And it wasn't just the brewing industry that thrived: between 1840 and 1900, New York state was also the hop-growing capital of the country. Meet us in Brooklyn for a deep study of one neighborhood's historic brewery. We'll visit other breweries in the Bronx and Queens, each of which features a different style of craft brew.  See how beer is made and get behind the scenes access at NYC's best breweries. See remnants of the Old Brewers Row, once the capital of beer brewing in America!