[6/30 Update: The latest per Dogfish Head on Twitter is that the brewery and restaurant won’t be open any earlier than September.]

Vinnie Cilurzo and Sam Calagione talked about the new project, Eataly Birreria, opening up in NYC at this weekend’s Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest. Props to Todd for holding the camera steady for 40 mins. If you don’t have time to watch the video (though I suggest you do to hear it straight from Calagione and Cilurzo) here are the highlights:

First things first, make sure to read the Eataly Birreria press release goes into the background of the project and all the players involved.

1. Eataly Birreria is scheduled to open late this summer.

Initial hopes were for the brewery to open by July 15th but considering the massive undertaking of building Eataly on the ground floor and building a rooftop brewery in New York City, Eataly Birreria is not expected to be opened before late summer. Delays beyond that could be inevitable: “It will open when it opens.”

2. Brewhouse: 3.5 barrel JVNW system with 7-barrel unitanks.

3. There will be three beer engines (cask-conditioned beer).

Two will be year-round and one will be rotating.

Beer #1: English-style Mild using chestnuts (often used in Italian brewing)
Beer #2: 5.5% ABV Pale Ale w/ 40 IBU using West Coast hops and Rosemary (another Italian ingredient)
Beer #3 (first rotating beer): Belgian-style Blond Ale/White Beer/Wheat Ale hybrid possibly w/ Peppercorn and probably Coriander and Orange Peel

They are looking for dry beers that will pair well with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich’s cuisine. Batali will be working with Vinnie on the third beer to figure out the best peppercorn to complement the food, etc.

4. Other draft lines

There will be other draft lines and each brewery will likely have at least one of its own beers on tap (yes, Russian River beer on tap in NYC). Vinnie will come to the brewery once in a while to brew and wants to brew some one-off stuff. Because of his close proximity, Calagione will be more hands-on than the others.

It’s not yet decided as to whether there will be growler fills available for what’s on tap. Whole Foods and some retail shops offer take-away growlers though I’m not sure what New York laws are with respect to brewpubs as do some brewpubs (thanks, Lee!).

6. Italian craft beer industry

The two American brewers shared some facts about their Italian brewing partners and craft beer in Italy:

Birrificio Le Baladin – Largest craft brewery in Italy – Brews equivalent of 8500-10,000 U.S. barrels annually

Birra del Borgo – #2 largest – equivalent of 6,000 U.S. barrels annually

There are around 300 craft breweries in Italy currently, up from 25-30 5-6 years ago, according to Vinnie.

Other Notes:

Here are the results of a little digging I did from over the weekend with a little redundancy if you follow my @Beersage Twitter account.

Here’s a bird’s eye view of the brewery and the scenery surrounding it. The rooftop is on the bottom of the picture (look for the little green flag). It is only nine blocks away and clearly visible from the Empire State Building.

Eataly is a worldwide chain with each location featuring a massive marketplace focusing on quality foods and beverages. Calagione calls it, “Whole Foods Market on steroids” but only because there is no better comparison to this place. The website showcases some stunning images of the main location in Torino, Italy.

Here’s a press release with more information on the opening of Eataly New York. If you’re wondering why the brewery is focusing on easy-drinking session beers for the beer engine, look no further than the press release: “On the roof will be a 4,500 square foot open-air rooftop beer garden serving pizza and sausages.” It sounds as though they are trying to make the rooftop restaurant an accessible place and not a swanky reservation-only joint. The group behind the restaurant, BandB Hospitality Group, already has at least one restaurant up and running in Las Vegas.