The beer selection in this town is seemingly infinite, with bars boasting everything from Tecate cans to the richest Belgian brews (sometimes even on the same list!) And though a curated rare beer list can be daunting to those of us who spent our formative years shotgunning Natty Light, barkeeps at the city's best beer bars know how to show even the staunchest PBR drinker the beauty of a truly fine pint. Here are our favorites; as always, leave yours in the comments.
(Pamela Masters)
THREES BREWING: This Gowanus brewery and bar impressed us when it opened about a year ago, and it's since evolved into one of the best beer spots in town. In addition to their house brews (try the 9.5% ABV Superf*ckingyawn for a real kick), the bar features a rotating selection of beers from other breweries, including Allagash and Other Half. For those who wisely prefer to pair their boozing with some food, local eateries like Roberta's and Fleishers hold residencies in Threes Brewing's kitchen, so you can score full meals and small plates from some of New York's finest.
Threes Brewing is located at 333 Douglass Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues in Gowanus, Brooklyn (718-522-2110, threesbrewing.com).
TØRST: This sleek Scandinavian-style bar is royalty in North Brooklyn's craft beer spot scene, boasting a long, rotating list of rare drafts and bottles from Europe and the States. Beers here are expensive—there are some that climb up to $14 or more—but if you're an aficionado, or just like to try excellent beer, the brews are worth the extra price tag. First-timers should try some of the offerings from Evil Twin, which is run by Tørst proprietor, native Dane and beer whiz Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø. Bonus: the Danish rye bread, or rugbrød ($4/$10 for a loaf) on the bar's bites menu is the stuff of dreams.
Tørst is located at 615 Manhattan Avenue between Nassau and Driggs Avenues in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718-389-6034, torstnyc.com).
ADOBE BLUES: While a restaurant at heart, this Staten Island spot (loosely modeled after an adobe home) does a serious bar business, too, with both a younger set expanding their beer horizons and regulars who come to get their favorite imported and harder-to-find-beers of the bar's hundreds in stock. Beer bars can have a reputation for being stuffy, but things can get pretty wild in the up front bar on the weekends, when the margaritas are flowing in addition to the pints of Allagash James Bean—an 11% ABV Belgian strong ale—and an Against The Grain brew dedicated to Macho Man Randy Savage.
The draft list changes regularly and there are myriad options for bottle consumption, depending your preference. There's live music many nights, too, and food should you need it. If you don't end up ordering a plate of mini tacos at some point in the night, you're doing it all wrong. (Nell Casey)
Adobe Blues is located at 63 Lafayette Avenue in New Brighton, Staten Island (718-720-2583).
PECULIER PUB: In addition to its lively mosaic art, this longtime Greenwich Village pub, named for Theakston Old Peculier ale, has a serious beer selection, with between 300 and 350 available at any time. Most are bottles and cans—historic versions of which are also on view on the wall—but there are also 27 draft lines of mostly domestic beers, plus one tap always dedicated to a Belgian.
"It's just a bar to some people and to others, it's a craft beer bar," says the bar's management. To that end, they're just as likely to pour a pint of Bud Light as they are to crack open a bottle of Mikkeller Brunch Weasel Stout from Denmark. And though the crowds can skew NYU rowdy on the weekends, there are plenty of booths to keep the college kids at bay and the bar encourages daytime drinkers with a laptop-friendly policy. (Nell Casey)
Peculier Pub is located at 145 Bleecker Street between LaGuardia Place and Thompson Street in Greenwich Village (212-353-1327, peculierpub.com).
ALEWIFE NYC: We keep feting Alewife for its fireplace, but the real star here is the beer selection, with rotating offerings from the likes of Other Half, Weyerbacher and Tröegs. If you make it to the bar before 7 p.m., brews run only $5 (buckets are $20), and you can feast on burgers and mac and cheese while you booze—there's also a pool table to keep you entertained between drinks, and an outdoor patio to enjoy once the snow melts.
Alewife NYC is located at 5-14 51st Ave in Long Island City, Queens (718-937-7494, alewifenyc.com).
124 OLD RABBIT CLUB: This Greenwich Village semi-dive is a welcome respite on the ever-growing college campus that is MacDougal Street. And though you'll still find some NYU students drinking in this beautifully crumbling basement, this place is really for people who care about beer more than getting drunk. There are no drafts (or regular liquor), but you can score bottles and cans of European and domestic specialties from the likes of Speakeasy, La Chouffe, and Evil Twin. Note that the bar is cash only, but the always-stellar punk and classic rock playing in the background might make up for the ATM fees.
Rabbit Club is located at 124 MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village (212-254-0575).
SPUYTEN DUYVIL: Spuyten Duyvil is a craft beer curator's happy place—though they've only got a handful of brews on tap at a time, obscure beers are carefully selected, and there's a hefty bottle list for those who need a slightly larger repertoire. If you're a fan of Belgian and German beer, you're in luck, since those suds happen to be Spuyten Duyvil's specialty, though they've also got brews from elsewhere in the world if Hopfenstark Blonde's not quite to your taste. Bonus points for the bar's patio, which comes replete with blossoming trees, brick walls, twinkling lights, and ample greenery. And if you're hungry, the cheese and charcuterie plates are highly recommended.
Spuyten Duyvil is located at 359 Metropolitan Avenue between 4th and Havemeyer Streets in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-963-4140, spuytenduyvilnyc.com).
EASTWOOD: Did your radiator explode? Does your boss call you “buddy” when asking you to stay late for the fourth night in a row? Wondering why all your friends are getting married and starting new lives and you’re still using towels as curtains? Quotidian snags seem to melt away under the gaze of Eastwood’s tap beer selection, lovingly scrawled on a chalkboard in a typeface that can be described as “ransom calligraphy.”
From the mightiest stout to the crispest kölsch, co-owner Andrew States’ rotating list of beers are always interesting and usually delicious—he keeps Narragansett on tap too, for people who hate those things. Happy hour is 5-8pm during the week, two-for-one beers and $2 off draft wine. Slide up to the bar for a game of chess, order a fried cauliflower pita—it’s not unusual for Eastwood to feel homier than your actual home. (Christopher Robbins)
Eastwood is located at 221 East Broadway between Clinton and Montgomery Streets on the Lower East Side (212-233-0124).
LOCK YARD: Lock Yard was touted as a hipster bar when it first opened, with owner Tommy Casatelli citing the people "wearing the hipster uniform" at his other neighborhood bar Kettle Black. And thus, this circusy Bay Ridge beer hall was born. It probably wouldn't pass as hipster in Williamsburg—craft beer is universal these days—but that's precisely why people like it.
Sip on the aforementioned craft selection, a changing roster that has included Anchor Brekle's Brown, Ciderboys Grand Mimosa, Left Hand Milk Stout and more. The bar food skews stoner, with hot dogs and The Hot Mess ($9.95), a basket of waffle frieds, sweet potato tater tots, chili, cheese, pickled jalapenos, banana peppers, diced white onions, diced tomato and sour cream. Take advantage of the bar's expansive back yard, decked out in paper lanterns and twinkling strings of lights come nighttime.
Lock Yard is located at 9221 5th Avenue between 94th and 92nd Streets in Bay Ridge (718-333-5282, lockyard.com).
THE BRONX ALEHOUSE: This Kingsbridge spot made a splash when it hit the scene in 2009, offering up craft brews from the likes of Logsdon Farmhouse, Left Hand, Ommegang, Gunhill Brewery and The Bronx Brewery (obviously) on a rotating basis. Pub fare like mac and cheese and smoked ribs help soak up some of the beer, or you can snack on complimentary homemade popcorn while you warm up by the bar's gas fireplace.
The Bronx Alehouse is located at 216 West 238th Street in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx (718-601-0204, bronxalehouse.com).
(Scott Heins/Gothamist)
THE CANNIBAL BAR & BUTCHER: When we were forced to brave Murray Hill's food and drink scene last summer, we were stunned to discover this gem lurking amid the neighborhood's seemingly endless homages to the Fraternity Party. Here, rare bottles and cans take up residency in two giant refrigerators, which knowledgeable barkeeps will help you navigate even if you hopelessly tell them you consider Stella a fancy beer. Once you've got your brew in hand, feel free to pair it with a chili-covered Cannibal Dog or house-made pretzel and relish in brief bliss before you're shoved back into the madness of 29th Street.
The Cannibal is located at 113 East 29th Street between Park Avenue South and Lexington Avenue (212-686-5480, cannibalnyc.com).
BLIND TIGER ALE HOUSE: Here we are in 2015, and my favorite beer bar in NYC is still Blind Tiger Ale House. Although I miss the more dive-y original location on Hudson St. (although I don't miss the drunken walk down creaky stairs to the bathroom, or the fact they had Budweiser in bottles to appease the happy hour crowd), the "new" location on Bleecker Street is extremely comfortable and an improved layout from the original. This is the bar that first took craft beer seriously in New York and their tap list is still the best in the city on any given day. Nearly weekly beer events are always worth attending, staff is knowledgeable and friendly, and the food is surprisingly good. (Paul Kermizian, Barcade owner)
Blind Tiger Ale House is located at 281 Bleecker Street between Jones and Commerce Streets in the West Village (212-462-4682, blindtigeralehouse.com).
THE PONY BAR: Though some of the bars on this list serve their brews at premium prices, the Pony Bar's craft beers are only $7, which feels like a steal considering I paid $6 for a Narragansett somewhere last week. (Shut up.) Though the Hell's Kitchen location gets packed after work, there's a little more room at the uptown outpost, and both boast an eclectic collection of rotating draft beers that they advertise on television screens behind the bar.
The Hell's Kitchen iteration also frequently hosts tap takeovers, which is fun if you happen to be a fan of, say, Founders brews. Do note that both bars rarely seem to serve the same beer twice, so if you come across something that you like, you might have to seek it out on your own if you're jonesing to try it again.
The Pony Bar is located at 637 10th Avenue between 45th and 46th Street in Hell's Kitchen and at 1444 1st Avenue between 75th and 76th Streets on the Upper East Side (212-288-0090, ponybar.com).
