Hops and Grooves: BierWax and Brooklyn’s Vinyl-Infused Nights
By Rafi Mercer
New Listing
BierWax is one of New York City’s most respected listening bars — explore more in our NYC Music Venues guide.
Venue Name: BierWax
Address: 556 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238, United States
Website: bierwax.com
Phone: +1 347-533-8449
Spotify Profile: N/A
Prospect Heights is a neighbourhood that hides its treasures in plain sight. Walk along Vanderbilt Avenue on a crisp evening and you’ll pass brownstones, bodegas, and, if your timing is right, a warm pulse of bass filtering into the street from an unassuming shopfront. This is BierWax — the kind of place that doesn’t just play records; it lives them.
Inside, the first thing you notice is the wall. Not the paint, not the art — the records. Thousands of them, spines out, leaning slightly from years of use. They aren’t there to look good (though they do), they’re there to be played. Chris Maestro, the owner and selector-in-chief, has built a library that refuses to sit still: hip-hop in all its forms, spiritual jazz, dusty funk, tropical rhythms, and unexpected gems from every corner of the globe.
The room is built for comfort without ever feeling sloppy. Wooden tables, soft lighting, and a bar lined with taps — all pointing towards a sweet spot where the music’s energy wraps around you. The sound system doesn’t shout; it glows. High-end turntables and carefully matched speakers make the needle’s drop an act of quiet theatre.
Beer is part of the DNA here, but not in the sloppy pub sense. Each pour feels as curated as the next track — saisons and stouts from local breweries, crisp lagers from across the country, and limited releases that vanish before the week is out. You sip, you nod to the beat, you lean in for the next song without thinking about it.
BierWax moves at two paces. Early evenings are for conversation — the music a shared undercurrent that ties strangers together. As the night deepens, selectors push a little further: a rare groove extended into a head-nodding hip-hop cut, a jazz record fading into an Afrobeat storm. No one’s shouting for requests; everyone’s listening.
In a city where bars fight for attention with gimmicks, BierWax feels almost defiant. It’s not trying to be everything to everyone. It’s a space for those who care enough to notice the details — the pop of a cork from a fresh bottle, the warmth of a bassline played through wood rather than wire, the rare quiet between tracks when the room holds its breath.
By the time you step back into the Brooklyn night, the street feels different. Quieter somehow, even though it isn’t. That’s BierWax’s trick — it tunes you to a different frequency, and you carry it home.
Rafi Mercer writes about the spaces where music matters. For more stories from Tracks & Tales, subscribe, or click here to read more.
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