A joint celebration with SingleCut Beersmiths honored craftsmanship, community, and the neighborhood both companies call home.

On March 5, Steinway & Sons celebrated the 173rd anniversary of its founding in New York City with a collaboration rooted in the place it has called home for generations: Astoria, Queens. Together with SingleCut Beersmiths, Steinway marked the occasion with a neighborhood celebration honoring two Astoria institutions united by craft, community, and place.

At the end of the workday, Steinway factory workers and staff walked over to the SingleCut Brewery for the unveiling of “Artisans of Astoria,” a commemorative dry-hopped Altbier brewed for the collaboration. The gathering brought together colleagues, neighbors, and guests for an evening that reflected the shared values behind both companies’ work: artistry, precision, and pride in what is made by hand.

The celebration featured remarks from Gavin English, President of the Americas for Steinway & Sons, and Rich Buceta, founder of SingleCut Beersmiths, before concluding with a performance by the Joe Block Open Heart Trio.
 

“Although we make very different products, we share the same commitment to craft and to being the very best at what we do.”
 

“Over the years, we’ve hosted events at SingleCut and often met there at week’s end,” said English. “I’ve always been impressed by the passion and artistry of Rich and his team — and, of course, the extraordinary beer. Although we make very different products, we share the same commitment to craft and to being the very best at what we do.”

That sense of kinship is grounded in philosophy and in place: Steinway & Sons acquired more than 400 acres of land in Queens in the late 1860s and began building pianos in Astoria in the early 1870s. SingleCut, founded in Astoria in 2012 as Queens’ first production brewery since Prohibition, stands just around the corner from the Steinway factory.

“When we chose Astoria for our brewery in 2012, we loved the neighborhood — and we loved being down the street from the historic Steinway factory,” said Buceta. “As beersmiths, we think of ourselves as craftspeople. There’s something inspiring about working in such close proximity to some of the finest craftspeople in the world.”

For Steinway & Sons, the anniversary was not only a celebration of 173 years in New York, but also a tribute to the community that continues to surround and sustain its work. In Artisans of Astoria, the collaboration found a fitting expression of that spirit — local, handcrafted, and proudly rooted in the neighborhood both companies call home.