Park Slope Ale House Changing Ownership

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Ownership of a long-time neighborhood bar is changing hands, and the new boss says he wants to switch some things up while keeping the overall vibe and character of the place the same.

Eugene Kaleniak is stepping down next month from the Park Slope Ale House, a pub on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Fifth street in the heart of the neighborhood. And he's leaving the place in the hands of Thomas McDowell, a 32-year-old from North Carolina who moved to the city two years ago.

McDowell appeared before Community Board 6 on Monday night when he applied for a liquor license. His representative said he and Kaleniak have a mentor-mentee relationship.

McDowell lived with his wife in Astoria for a year before moving to the neighborhood a year ago, he told Patch. They live near the bar and it became a regular hangout for the couple.

"We go there a lot, for dinner and drinks. And that’s how I met the owner," he said.

McDowell worked for a beer wholesaler and then for the German beer company Hofbrau since coming to the city. And he worked in the restaurant industry before, so he was familiar with the business.

"I've been in hundreds of bars and restaurants, and seen things I like, and things I don’t like," he said.

Park Slope Ale House has been in the neighborhood since the early 1990s and became a local hangout nestled in the middle of several tree-lined residential streets. It has a modest indoor area with a private back room, along with a few picnic tables outside

McDowell said he liked the ale house "because it’s a neighborhood bar," and he's not expecting to change much.

"Largely keep it as is," he said. "Especially the appearance, the name. Just do a lot more promos, spruce up the food menu a little bit. They have a lot of beers on tap. I’ll probably rotate them all to, do some local stuff, some imports as well."

As for the food? "Definitely place an emphasis on fresh food," he told Patch. "Get a little creative, have a lot of different options."

The look and feel, though, will mostly stay the same.

McDowell said he wanted to put some umbrellas outside and "maybe add some more artwork" for the inside. "There’s decorations that are mostly from the beer companies. I’ve been trying to find an old picture of Park Slope from like 100 years ago or something."

The bar won't change hands until next month, and then will shut down for a couple of weeks. It's expected to reopen some time in October.

We've reached out to Kaleniak and will update this story if we hear back.

Photo by Marc Torrence, Patch Staff