1st. Time in New York.

Discussion in 'Mid-Atlantic' started by MickRatcliffe, Aug 24, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. MickRatcliffe

    MickRatcliffe Aspirant (262) Jun 16, 2009 England

    Hi. I'm coming from England to New York in September to do typical tourist things but want to make sure I get to grips with essentials of the beer and bar scene. Staying on W 36th. Street (quite close to Empire State Building.) Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
    Cheers,
    Mick Ratcliffe.
     
  2. ShanePB

    ShanePB Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2010 Pennsylvania

    Sounds like you'll be right near The Ginger Man, which I would highly recommend.
     
  3. ONovoMexicano

    ONovoMexicano Initiate (0) Jun 14, 2012 New Mexico

    Well, your going to be right next to Rattle n Hum, they usually have good beers on tap (sometimes lots of Bourbon County and variants) but it'll cost you a pretty penny. Gingerman is close by too and has a good selection as well as bourbon and scotch. It's also pricey.

    District Tap House is on the West Side 30s (so not far) and has some good brews but also expensive.

    If you venture a bit you'll find some much more likable places (to my thinking) like Proletariat (East Village) and The Pony Bar (Hell's Kitchen or Upper East Side).

    I've never been, but I've been curious about the Birreria at Eataly which won't be far from you either.
     
    algebeeric_topology likes this.
  4. AlexM

    AlexM Pooh-Bah (1,868) Jun 9, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I also have an upcoming trip to NYC and have been researching past threads for related beer spots ... here is what's on my to-do list so far (these places receive multiple mentions and recommendations):

    Breweries To Visit (yeah they are in Brooklyn, close enough)
    Other Half Brewing <- this is a must!
    Threes Brewing

    Beer Bars / Food
    Pony Bar
    Ginger Man
    Rattle N Hum
    Torst <- this is supposed to be awesome, in Brooklyn
    One Mile House
    Cannibal
    Gramercy Tavern

    Bottle Shops
    Top Hops
    Good Beer
     
  5. M-Fox24

    M-Fox24 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,941) Mar 17, 2013 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    #5 M-Fox24, Aug 24, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2015
    Kanger likes this.
  6. Kanger

    Kanger Initiate (0) Sep 3, 2013 New York

    Tbub18 and M-Fox24 like this.
  7. MisterBisco

    MisterBisco Initiate (0) Feb 18, 2009 New York

    I think it might be helpful to get a sense of your preferences as well. Do you want to "taste local" or go to a place that specializes in "whales"? Do you want to pay more for a well-curated tap list, or go to a great place to have a few in a fun atmosphere? Do you want to be able to walk to a few different places, take the subway, or drive?
     
    Kanger likes this.
  8. Kanger

    Kanger Initiate (0) Sep 3, 2013 New York

    Yeah as @MisterBisco says - lets us know where you want to visit, or are planning to visit.

    I can suggest Torst and many other bars in Brooklyn, but you might not be going out to Brooklyn at all. NYC is a huge place.
     
  9. dazedandconfused

    dazedandconfused Initiate (0) Dec 11, 2008 New Jersey

    Right now I'd suggest Torst. Although its pricey, their tap list and bottle list is ridiculous right now.
     
  10. taestee

    taestee Initiate (0) Dec 12, 2012 New York

    haha the key word in this thread seems to be "pricey" -- although I'd disagree that Ginger Man is pricey. The prices are fair for Manhattan and usually cheaper than most other spots in the city.
     
  11. taestee

    taestee Initiate (0) Dec 12, 2012 New York

    I live on east 35th -- the essentials really are Ginger Man and RnH. Some of my favorite spots not as close are Proletariat, One Mile House, and the Jeffrey. I would take the subway out to Other Half and visit Torst if you're up for it. Bottle shops -- Top Hops, Good Beer, Whole Foods Bowery, and New Beer Distributors are all around the same area. City Swiggers in the Upper East is nice also.
     
    Kanger likes this.
  12. algebeeric_topology

    algebeeric_topology Pooh-Bah (2,052) Dec 30, 2014 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    +1 to both Rattle 'n Hum and the Jeffrey. One nice thing about The Jeffrey is being able to try Hill Farmstead beers somewhat regularly. Pony Bar can be a great stop at times, particularly when they have especially interesting local stuff! I think I learned of Carton Brewing at the Hells Kitchen Pony Bar.
     
    tobelerone likes this.
  13. MickRatcliffe

    MickRatcliffe Aspirant (262) Jun 16, 2009 England

    Thanks so much for all the replies. I obviously need to do some "work" on these suggestions as there are plenty of them. In answer to questions: I suppose I am more interested in "tasting local" as that is my usual approach. Having said that, my only real acquaintance with USA beers has been at the Great British Beer Festival in London for a number of years, so I will be flexible on what I go for.
    Ideally I'd like to walk to a few different places but I'll also be moving around on the subway doing touristy things.
    I may go over to Brooklyn. I like the idea of walking over the bridge and thought of maybe looking at the Brooklyn Brewery Saturday tours and tasting and perhaps a couple of bars there. I suspect that there are much more interesting beers than BB around but it may be a fun thing to do. Torst certainly seems to be suggested by many.
    Thanks again for all the suggestions.
     
  14. ONovoMexicano

    ONovoMexicano Initiate (0) Jun 14, 2012 New Mexico

    Brooklyn Brewery is not fun. At all. You'll have to exchange your money for tokens, pay inflated prices for beers, and get herded through lines like at a theme park. Skip it.

    If I were you, I'd go to Threes Brewing first. It's a nice space and has other beers besides their own on tap as well as wine and cocktails (and food). A short cab ride will also get you to Other Half, which is a smaller space and lacks ambiance (aside from always having great hip hop--- if you're into such), but has great beer at reasonable prices. St. Gambrinus Beer Shoppe isn't far from Threes and I believe Owl Farm Bar isn't far off from Other Half (haven't been, but the taplist always makes me drool).

    Torst is cool, but is really too damn expensive (with a few beers being the exception).

    I can't emphasize enough how much I love Proletariat. There are always a few beers there that I've long wanted, or if not, I discover something I should have wanted. Also, they do smaller pours at reasonable prices so if you're like me and like to dabble in many beers, you can do so and not break the bank.
     
    Tbub18 likes this.
  15. SRBush1974

    SRBush1974 Initiate (0) Apr 18, 2015 New Jersey

    jrnyc and Kanger like this.
  16. Homers_Beer_Odyssey

    Homers_Beer_Odyssey Initiate (0) Jun 17, 2014 New York

    Walk one block down. On 33rd St. from Madison to 7th, you'll find not only RNH, but also Foley's, Stout NY, and Feile.
     
  17. MickRatcliffe

    MickRatcliffe Aspirant (262) Jun 16, 2009 England

    Kanger likes this.
  18. MickRatcliffe

    MickRatcliffe Aspirant (262) Jun 16, 2009 England

    Thanks, there looks plenty to go at here. Much appreciated.
     
    Tbub18 likes this.
  19. MickRatcliffe

    MickRatcliffe Aspirant (262) Jun 16, 2009 England

    Just wanted to say thanks so much after my visit. Thanks to everyone who replied and especially to Kanger for his craft beer map. I loved The Ginger Man, which was on the same street as our hotel but I doubt if I would have noticed it without recommendations. It was so good we went 4 times. Also I was impressed by The Pony Bar, Rattle n' Hum and District Tap House. So many others we had to leave for next time. We didn't get to the breweries suggested but we left so pleased with where we had been and wanting to return to do more.
     
    ShanePB, jmdrpi, 2Xmd and 5 others like this.
  20. jrnyc

    jrnyc Grand Pooh-Bah (3,012) Mar 21, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Love to see people who ask for advice actually follow-up with feedback on their trip!

    PS. Kanger is definitely the man on NYC info!
     
    MickRatcliffe and Kanger like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.