Going to be in NYC for a few days in August (Sunday through Wednesday), and thought I'd take a day to explore Brooklyn and the bar scene there, most likely the Monday. What are some can't miss spots? I've already got Spuyten Duyvil (and Fette Sau) and Torst on my list, where else should I hit up for the best draught selection? Where's my best bet to try some Other Half Brewing (other than the tasting room, which won't be open on that day)? Thanks in advance guys!
Here is a walking tour of good craft beer bars in Brooklyn if you feel adventurous - Wear a good pair of walking shoes! Start in Greenpoint at Brouwerij Lane. Then head East to Torst. Head South to the Williamsburg area to Mug's Ale House. The Brooklyn Brewery is only a few blocks West from there (Keep in mind you have to reserve a tour spot to visit Mon - Thurs. Fri- Sun it's open to the public). A few blocks South of the brewery is D.B.A.s. Continue South from there and visit Breukelen Bier Merchants. 2 More blocks South of that is Lucky Dog. Head Northeast from there over to Spuyten Duyvil - Fette Sau is across the street. Then walk southwest over to Barcade. 1) Brouwerij Lane 2) Torst 3) Mug's Ale House 4) Brooklyn Brewery 5) d.b.a 6) Breukelen Bier Merchants 7) Lucky Dog 8) Spuyten Duyvil 9) Barcade Also let me add DIRCK THE NORSEMAN on North 15th st and Kent Avenue. Not that far from Brouwerij Lane or Torst. As for Other Half on draft - Check www.beermenus.com for locations.
I still need to go to Dirk. I would recommend Williamsburg definitely, and if you can get to Park Slope. From Barclays Center to 9th St, you can hit 4th Ave Pub, Mission Dolores, The Gate, and the Owl Farm. And plenty of good food also.
Anyone have recommendations for a great bite to eat along this bar crawl? I've heard Fette Sau is fantastic, is it worth my time? Are there other places I shouldn't miss?
Fette Sau is aboslutely worth your time, but I would probably eat a light, early lunch that day and head over early, say 530 or so. After that the line usually gets ridiculous. If you get there by 530 you wil probably be sitting down with your food around 615-630. Another great place is St. Anselm. It is a very small steak house that serves the best hanger steak in the area at a very reasonable price. The pan-fried mashed potatoes and colliflower dish is a must for sides. It opens at 5, and tends to get very crowded on most days. I'd head there early as well. With most good restaurants in Williamsburg/Greenpoint, they will fill up quickly so my suggestion if you want to limit time and get to the rest of your destinations is to go early. Good luck and enjoy.
Are any of these spots that should be visited earlier in the evening/afternoon to avoid nighttime crowds? I mean, we'll be there on a Monday, so I'm not sure how "crowded" any place would be on a Monday, but I'm just curious as to which places get crowded faster - I'd like to avoid standing around waiting for a seat as much as possible.
There are tons of great spots to eat along the way. Bedford Ave is full of restaurants. No matter what kind of food you want, you can find it in Williamsburg. But along that bar crawl: Mug's Ale House has good bar food. Dirck the Norseman has great schnitzel and sausages. Torst has fancy food in the back, but I believe you need a reservation. Dumont Burger is right across the street from Lucky Dog. (You're also only a few blocks away from Peter Luger's if you want a high end steak, but make a res now if you want to eat there in August) Spuyten Duvil is right next door to St. Anselm for great steaks and across the street from Fette Sau. (All three spots are owned by the same people. And yes, they can get really busy) Speaking of Fette Sau - yes it's worth your time. But I'll let you know now, if you see that the line is out the door, then expect to wait at least 45 minutes. If it's too busy there, walk over to Delaney's Brisket Town. You can bring food into Barcade, which I would suggest ordering a pizza from Williamsburg Pizza and have it delivered there. Some other notable places to eat: Pies N Thighs (Get the chicken biscuit!), The Meatball Shoppe, Samurai Mama, Sweet Chick, Rye. Fortunately, Monday is a good night to go out in NYC since most people are spent from the week-end. The only really busy places you might encounter will be Fette Sau, but on a Monday, it shouldn't be too bad. Go for an early dinner and you should be alright.
Cool, thanks. I think I've got it narrowed down to either Fette Sau or St. Anselm (just from perusing some photo albums, the food looks insanely good). Plan is to get to either joint in/around 5pm, when they both open. It appears that Fette Sau has druaght beer (in growlers?) and that St. Anselm might serve draught as well. Are the taps worthwhile, or just pedestrian placeholders?
Fette Sau has great craft beers on tap, mostly local breweries. And yep you can order half pints to full growlers. St Anselm has a couple beers on tap, but I think they save all their good beers for Spuyten Duyvil right next door. Their backyards are connected, so while you wait for a table at St Anselm, you can enjoy good beers at Spuyten. Yeah you won't find any BMC beers at these places.
Fette Sau has the better, bigger beer selection (mostly local; had Kelso Industrial IPA last time I was there) but St. Anselm personally has better food (this is hard to say since I LOVE Fette Sau) and a decent beer selection. They had a few Firestone Walker offerings last time I was there
Let me pose another quick question: which (if any) of these places provide beer taster flights? Haven't had a taste of the NYC scene in a few years, and want to try as much as possible...!
For someone (me) who's never been to Brooklyn (and thus have zero famialarity with the lay of the land, not to mention the bar scene), I have no idea what to look for or expect. In the end, I'll probably end up making it to 2-3 of all these places, and am just looking for honest, local opinions and insights.
I hear you. Just saying you've been given lots of great ideas. Pick a couple and go for it. Out of Kanger's list, I can't think of any that I'm 100% sure do flights. Torst is expensive but does 5oz pours. Enjoy
St. Gambrinus at Atlantic Terminal does flights, from 4-6 beers at 4oz each. Pretty solid tap list, with a lot of Other Half still on draft from last week's takeover.
I know Barcade does flights. I'm sure Bier Merchants does too. Brouwerij Lane does 4 oz pours. Lucky Dog doesn't, but they'll let you try anything if you ask. In fact, all these places should give you sample pours if you ask.
I've been to Barcade a ton and somehow never noticed they did flights. Maybe I was just too damn busy playing Punch Out and Smash TV. Good to know because I always have trouble deciding on which of the many good beers they have that I want to drink.
Yeah they do flights of 5 or more for around $2 per sample. Some of the rarer beers they'll add a dollar or two. Great when they do tap take overs. Granted if it's really busy there, then they tend not to do them.
