SWMBO and I will be in NYC for a few nights this summer, and I'm trying to figure out where to go. I've read lots of reviews, but I'm still looking for some suggestions. We are looking for places that won't be very crowded and loud, but will have a great selection of American Double Stouts/Imperial Stouts. It seems like a lot of the popular bars specialize in Belgians and Scandinavians. And while those are great, they're not really what we want to drink on our trip to America. We haven't decided on a hotel yet, so we still open to basing ourselves out of a number of locations. I'm going to pick the hotel after we have decided where we will be drinking. Specifically it would be nice to find some Southern Tier and Cigar City.
Most bars follow the seasons to some extent and carry lighter beers in the summer. You won't find a lot of big stouts on tap. You won't have trouble finding bottles on menus. Just before your trip take a loo kat the link above. Both Brooklyn and Manhattan will have a good number of bars worth visiting and if you avoid evenings and weekend nights most bars will not be busy.
Cool. But I guess the bigger part of the question was; which bars are going to both have a good selection AND a peaceful atmosphere.
It all depends on when you go. Honestly, the best beer bars in Manhattan will be loud and crowded on Thursday-Sat nights. Hell, places like Blind Tiger are crowded and loud at 2pm on Saturday. Rattle N Hum has a good selection but gets crowed and LOUD. Outer boroughs you can do a little better, 4th Avenue Pub is a nice spot on a weeknight or a weekend afternoon, especially if it's nice weather, their back garden is very pleasant. Mugs Ale House in Williamsburg has a good selection and can be mellow depending on the time of day.
Blind Tiger is pretty small and gets crowded quick. 4th Ave Pub, Mission Dolores and Pacific Standard (all within a few blocks of each other in Park Slope, Brooklyn) are usually pretty safe bets for good selection and relaxed atmosphere. Barcade in Williamsburg is pretty big and doesn't get crowded until night time. There's a new place in Long Island City just one stop from Manhattan called Alewife Queens, haven't been there yet but selection always looks good. Rattle n' Hum is usually pretty relaxed earlier in the day, can't speak for Pony Bar or Ginger Man although they do have great tap selections.
Actually we will be going out on Sun-Weds night, and we tend not to stay out too late. Do you think we'd be ok in those Manhattan bars? From what I see on youtube they look pretty chill, but those videos were all shot during daylight.
SUnday night will be pretty chill for sure, you'll find that the post-work crowd gets pretty bad at Rattle, GIngerman, and Blind tiger on week nights, but clears out again around 8pm, at least in my experience. Weekday afternoons, no problem at any of those places.
Get to the Tiger first before the crowds and then check out (nearby) Amity Hall and the Half Pint. Those places are never too crowded if you get there early enough. You may want to sign up for the Tiger's newsletter as they have events on Wednesday and you may luck into a good one.
New York city has many, many feet trod upon it on a regular basis. Expect to encounter many foot owners. Whatever you do, stay far, far away from Times Square if you wish to avoid crowds of any sort. That being said, your Sunday to Wednesday schedule will make it easier for you to avoid the worst crowds. In a place like NYC, more people can often mean higher quality because of the standard of survival of the fittest. On that note! in my experience, for quality beer in a relative low traffic region- davidcopperfields.com Otherwise, suck it up and go to the Blind Tiger or Rattle N' Hum (or Stout near Penn Station, though that place is in a region that rivals Times Square for feet).
I was in NYC for a few days last week, I was in Manhattan and Brooklyn/Willimasburg. In Brooklyn, all within walking distance, I went on a Thursday night and none were that busy: Skip Spuyten Duyvil - super limited tap list (only 6, all mediocre when I was there) and very expensive. Mugs Ale House - Almost a sports bar feel, big, large tap list, lots of 20oz pours - I got a 10% Barleywine in a 20oz glass for $7 Barcade - Huge, awesome selection, cool people, fun arcade games if you want some asteroids, rampage, centipede etc. In Manhattan, I checked out these on week nights/afternoons so I can't speak too much about late night weekend crowds. Blind Tiger - small, but good looking food, and an amazing tap list. I was there for VT Beer & Cheese fest and I'm a Vermonter so I can tell you they represented VT amazingly well including a lot of the small breweries like Hill Farmstead and Lawson's Finest Liquids as well has HEady Topper on tap. Rattle 'n' Hum - Nice spot, pretty large, right in mid town so I imagine it'll get crowded on the weekends but on a Wednesday I was able to get a spot on the bar for a few pints, good prices, good selection. The Ginger Man - Similar area and atmosphere as Rattle 'n' Hum, different selection but very similar in my one time stop at both. I just went to each of these places once, so don't take my opinions as definitive but Barcade was my favorite in Brooklyn and The Blind Tiger was my favorite in NYC - I'll need to stop by when it isn't a VT beer event though.
i'd like to mention with regard to spuyten duyvil - their bottle list is outrageous (in the hey-cool-you-have-that and the wait-for-how-much senses) but when their taps are good, the price is phenomenal. there are only 6, but sometimes that includes $6 20oz mikkeller pours. yeah, the usual suspects have been named in manhattan. blind tiger is the place i never have fun or a good time if i go, but is an all-star for beer taps. check out spitzer's corner, d.b.a., good beer, and top hops in the EV/LES area.
I recommend Alewife in Long Island City. You can get there on either the E or 7 trains.(5-10 minute walk) I've been a few times and it was very laid back, with an excellent tap list. The food is very good also. http://alewifequeens.wordpress.com/
I think your rundown seems to mesh well with what I've been reading in reviews & seeing on youtube. I think we will start out at the Blind Tiiger and then roll over to Rattle n Hum and/or Ginger Man on Sunday & Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday we will probably hit Mugs Ale House, 4th Avenue Pub, and Barcade. I'm going to do a big boroughs tour by bike one day while the wife visits museums. Maybe I can work Alewife and some of those other bars in as pit-stops... I think I also will probably end up liking Blind Tiger and Barcade the best.
blind tiger is that bar you really want to like but then you realize you're crammed into a tiny space that reminds you of college bars.
So I'm having a hard time finding a place in NYC to crash. I don't know if any of you BAers are also Couch Surfers, but here is my Couch Surfing profile: http://www.couchsurfing.org/people/loetz/ ...and here is the wife's: http://www.couchsurfing.org/people/patricia-c/ Please contact me if you think you could host us. We will be in NYC on the night of July 8th and we will leave the morning of the 12th.
Pony Bar Pony Bar UES Rattle N Hum The Ginger Man Blind Tiger Spuyten Duyvil Brooklyn Brewery(Friday between 6-11pm or sat or sunday afternoon only) Beer Authority NYC Burp Castle Jimmy's 43 Barcade Brooklyn Barcade Jersey City ........... beermenus.com for specific beers on tap and it'll even tell you the last time the bars updated their taplists.
