Alda Ly Architecture Brews Up a Female-Forward Taproom in Manhattan

The earliest brewers were women, who cultivated the fermented beverages at home. Since then, men have come to dominate the industry—but TALEA is changing that, one tap at a time. The first female and veteran-owned production brewery in New York City, TALEA recently opened its inaugural taproom in Manhattan, following a pair out in Brooklyn. Fittingly, they selected the woman-run design firm Alda Ly Architecture (ALA) to conceive the interiors, which pay tribute to histories of gender activists and its West Village neighborhood’s legacy of LGBTQ+ organizing.

TALEA focusses on sours, but its taproom trends sweet, with a palette of saffron and mango, mauve and olive, and warm brass. Housed in a 1920s building on the city’s Christopher Street, the taproom incorporates an original spiral staircase and extensive street-facing windows. “We opened up the space to provide as much open area for the front dining room,” says ALA founder and principal Alda Ly, “and brought the bar front and center to highlight the taps with their extensive selection of beer.” That bar—all mauve and quartz, with beckoning stools—is an obvious destination, but patrons who carry on towards the back will find Revolution Room, a gathering space for up to 10 people, and the hidden Snug lounge with dark velvet seating made cozier still thanks to a vintage, reclaimed fireplace mantel.

While the Snug is available for private rentals, TALEA is otherwise focused on becoming a regular haunt for thirsty locals. For the opening, they’ve partnered with nearby hotspots: a collaboration with cocktail bar Dante yields “Dante’s Flurry,” a kind of Garibaldi beer; a lager inspired by Don Angie’s pinwheel lasagna; and a Pumpkin Pudding Ale inspired by the Magnolia Bakery treat. Best of all, sales of the Village Hazy IPA will benefit The Center, the city’s LGBTQ+ community organization. “We wanted the bar to be a welcoming beacon for all people in the neighborhood,” says Ly. We’ll drink to that.

Explore Hidden Spaces Inside TALEA’s Manhattan Taproom