Brewsky's

Bar

43 E 7th Street
New York, New York, 10003-8001
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.68
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
10
pDev:
11.96%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by Mick:
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Reviewed by Mick from New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 5 | selection: 3
Classic NYC dive bar, a real sh*thole look and feel to the place. Cleaning is not among the words in the owner/staffs repertoire. Lousy selection on tap, bottle menu available, but be sure to ask. Nice selection of bottles that are fairly priced. The service is very good, exceptional even. Friday and Saturday nights are not so packed that you can't get a beer. A great place to visit on your way to Zum Schneider from Mc Sorely's or dba.But, not worth planning your night around.
Mar 17, 2003
More User Ratings:
Photo of quasimoto
Reviewed by quasimoto from Ohio

2.71/5  rDev -26.4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5
This place used to be nice, but then a new owner turned into a sports/ beer joint. I dig it any more. It doesn't have the quaint little dive feeling anymore but a wanna be sports bar. the beer selection that was on tap, was good EXCEPT THEY SCREWED UP THE BEERS WITH THEIR ACCORDING TAPS!!! They supposedly had Sixpoints Diesel on tap, but it was actually a porter. AND NOT EVEN A SIXPOINT PORTER!!! THen They tried to put up as many flat screen tvs as possible. It way too over crowded now , with neon and junk. what the heck happened to this place. Was a good place, now it lost it's lustre.
Jul 28, 2005
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Reviewed by Hibernator from Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
During a Saturday afternoon stroll on a beautiful and unseasonable day, a friend and I stumbled into Brewsky's. The Anchor brewery bar signs in the window called my attention.

Service was welcoming and warm with NY roots and flair. A one man bartender that was friendly, attentive and outgoing. Cozy and comfortable vibe. We originally intended on stopping bye McSorley's, but it appeared overly crowded and uncomfortable when we walked bye. As we walked down the block we noticed this bar decided it was worth checking out.

Around 10 or so options on draft (German beers, domestic, old seasonals and local NY selections), but be aware that the rotation is shady at best. I am always concerned when I see Summer, Fall and Oktoberfest seasonals on tap in February. Some beers on tap were Bert Grant's Mandarin Hefeweizen, Anchor Liberty Ale, and Delirium Noel.

The good news is that there is a beer menu with some solid bottle selections available. Check out the Dogfish Head, Rogue and Sierra Neveda beers from the cellar below. Some highlights included Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, 2003 Sierra Neveda Bigfoot, and a 1994 Rogue Old Crustacean. The glassware on site needs improvement and would only enhance this place if corrected. The tumbler 16 oz pints and mugs are dated. I guess the first thing that needs to be done before the glassware upgrade would be the tap lines. Those nasty things need to be cleaned. I tried one draft beer and it was hurtin'. Stick to the bottles.

I really dig the atmosphere here. There are some entertaining old cans of yesteryear on the walls. What a great collection of beer cans and bottles with authentic dust accumulation. Good customers and honest service. I plan to visit this place again next time in NYC.
Feb 06, 2005
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
Cant say I love this place. Its a small, dumpy joint next door to Burp Castle. They share the same owner and beer cellar/bottle list. 7-10 small tables available and a small bar. Lots of Beer stuff/beer cans etc on the walls. They have 12 taps pouring high quality brew. No Bud. They need some appropriate glassware! I received my classy Delerium Noel in a mug with a handle, at least it wasnt frosted. Anyway, no food (except for the peanut machine), needs a good cleaning, IMHO you are much more likely to enjoy yourself a few blocks away at DBA.
Feb 03, 2005
Photo of SCW
Reviewed by SCW from New York

4.06/5  rDev +10.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5
I love this place, and I have my reasons. First of all, it is the convening spot for the NYC Homebrewer's Guild. Every third Tuesday of the month homebrewers from around the city (and even New Jersey) come here with their latest creations. Even if you don't homebrew, if you live in the area, you should check this place out during one of the homebrew meetings. They're a lot of fun, and there's always plenty of good beer.

Anyways, about Brewsky's. This place is a pretty typical east village pub. It's small, old, and has high ceilings. However, what is atypical about this place is that it has a nice beer selection.

Despite having only 6 or 8 tap lines (I can't remember), the selection is pretty good. It's mostly domestic, and the bar is particularly favorable to the local microbreweries. I've had Blue Point, Southhampton, Brooklyn, Heavyweight, and others here... in addition to some California micros and some imports too.

It's kind of quarky place too. There's all of these photos of celebrities on the walls with signatures, but they're most likely forged. Also, there's a model train set (equipped with cobwebs) running the perimeter of the ceiling of the bar. I've never seen it run... I have to remember to ask next time.

While you're there, stop in at the bar next door on the way out. It's owned by the same people, and it is called "Burp Castle." You'll find a good selection of Belgian beers there.
Nov 28, 2004
Photo of StuFox
Reviewed by StuFox from New York

3.78/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Brewsky's can't be evaluated without looking at it's sister bar, the Burp Castle. They share the same bottled list, which happens to be very, very expansive. They differ in the atmosphere and what's on tap. The Burp Castle concentrates on Belgian style beers, while Brewsky's has mostly domestic brews on tap. Sometimes, they put some pretty lame beers out there, but you are assured that 7 of the 10 taps will be pumping something both delicious and somewhat rare. Brewsky's has the far more jovial atmosphere though. It is the type of place where you can go in on a Monday night, find some people, and drink delicious beers while conversing with a half dozen strangers. It's a good place to meet people. Unless you are looking for women. The bar definitely has a boy's club feel to it, which is fine sometimes, but a feminine touch every once in a while couldn't hurt. All in all, one of the best places in the City for a beer, but watch out for their somewhat erratic hours.
Sep 01, 2004
Photo of PopeJonPaul
Reviewed by PopeJonPaul from Oregon

3.28/5  rDev -10.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3
If you've ever been to Burp Castle, architecturally Brewsky's is its "mirror image." At some point in the past they must have been the same bar-restaurant, when someone split them down the middle. If anyone is into NY history I'm curious...

[note thanks to Schoolteacher:
Brewsky's and Burp Castle have always been separate, the stairs between them have been there for the upper floors since the beginning, though the floor plans are identical. There is also a door that separates the two cellars.]

Small place, the mostly (if not entirely) fake "autographs" on the walls are kind of kitschy, the biohazard-level peanut machines are great though. I've always had good service here from the bar, never seen a waitress (it's so small though there's no point in one anyway.) I usually go in the afternoon, when the crowd is older and mellower. The selection is a crapshoot, sometimes the taps are great and other times I stick to the bottle menu. The price list makes no sense at all. They might as well install a spinning wheel behind the bar and let you spin for the price.

All in all OK, worth checking out from time to time. When I'm in the neighborhood I find myself in Burp Castle more often (despite their wacky price list), now that I'm 'square' with the bartender about the whispering thing...
Feb 26, 2004
Photo of far333
Reviewed by far333 from Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5
A step above your typical dive bar, but way overshadowed by its famous neighbor down the street (McSorley's). The tap list and bottle list are pretty impressive, and they usually have some decent seasonals. Just be sure to check the prices before you order as I got soaked once for $8 per draft pint of Harpoon Winter Warmer. Atmosphere is okay, a little dark. The bartenders are decent, but look out for the boisterous one complaining about how terrible McSorley's is and how pissed they get when people walk in thinking it's McSorley's, even though they have a McSorley's neon light hanging in the window to draw in lost tourists. The electric train running along the ceiling is the coolest thing in the place. If you're nearby, stop in to see what's on tap, but this is not a beer or evening destination in NYC.
Sep 05, 2003
Photo of slander
Reviewed by slander from New York

3.98/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
A good E. 7th Street haunt. McSorleys is at one end of the block and Brewsky's and Burp Castle are at the other. I led a side excursion to Brewski's during Ubufest IV because I was in no hurry to get to (shitty) Telephone Bar.
They've got a dozen taps with some unusual entries. Last Winter, they had the Brooklyn Monster, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Anchor Old Foghorn and some other barleywines that they were serving in pint glasses (goodnight!!!). A recent visit found 5 Anchors, the Sierra Celebration Ale, a house beer of unknown origins, a Sam Adams, and a handful others. The drafts are ridiculously pricey but the beauty here of course is the extensive bottled beer list with a few hundred entries of goodies. They share a common beer cellar with their neighbor, Burp Castle. It's a fairly small tight place with a handful of tables.
The decor is old stacked beer cans on the high shelves, a model train that runs along the perimeter up high (although I don't it's worked in some time now) and autographed pix of music, TV and film celebrities. I'm thinking the answer that someone else posed is "No, they're not all authentic". Why do I think that? Well, if they were, I think someone would have plucked the framed shot of the four individual pictues (one of each Beatle that comes with the White Album) signed by all 4 of them. Hell, I might have. Hell, I might still. Not too terribly clean but they have a real good beer selection, and it makes for a good stop on the E. 7th Street run.
Jul 26, 2003
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Reviewed by Kwak from New Jersey

4.44/5  rDev +20.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
I liked this place it was very beer oriented just like next door.

Good selection, nice quality every thing I had was real fresh.

I liked the bar It was fun on a good block.

I will go back! you gotto love this place!!
Dec 14, 2002
Brewsky's in New York, NY
Place rating: 3.68 out of 5 with 10 ratings