Hi guys, Coming to NY from Montreal on july 8th for a couple of days then to NJ then to PA and in need of recommendations. Will be going to Other Half saturday july 9th for can release hoping for some good stuff. At what time should I be there if I want a couple of packs? Will be staying in Brooklyn for 2-3 days. Best craft beer bar/brewpub there? Tørst is a must? Better place? Good food too or best to eat before? Beer stores with the best selection? Would love to score some Grimm. Any tips? Will probably be going to a Mets game, place near by to get a good beer before/after the game? After that, will do the tourist shtick with my gf so probably be in Manhattan and the likes. Heard about Gingerman, Haymaker, Astoria... Forgot something? Best of the bunch? Better places? Beer stores? Will probably book some nights in NJ too, any places worth going there? Will get to Pennsylvania next for a day or two, Tired Hands is a must, right? Any tips there? Can release are on wednesday? Any other beer places (breweries/bars/stores) worth going in Philly? After that will get to Buffalo to come back to Canada. Same thing, any breweries/bars/stores there? Will be my first time going to those places so any tips/recommendations/help would be appreciated. Thanks
You'll be a week late for a can release at OH. They do them every 2 weeks, with the last one being this past Saturday. So the earliest they'd do one in July would be the 2nd.
For bars in Manhattan, I recommend Gingerman and Rattle N Hum, they are a very short walk from each other and have top notch beer menus. Likewise for Rattle N Hum West and Beer Authority if you're on the west side. For Grimm, you're best checking the thread in this forum for when a release is generally happening - I've had good luck scoring cans at Whole Foods Bowery (typically available Friday morning, but good to call) and Carmine Street Beers in the West Village (typically a week or so after the actual release at noon, check their Twitter). Hope that helps.
In Buffalo: Resurgence, Big Ditch, and Community Beer Works for breweries; Village Beer Merchant for a beer store; Pearl Street brewpub is an ok place, but nothing spectacular. Assuming you will come up 81 to 86 to 390, there are a number of breweries with easy highway access along I-86: The North in Endicott, Farm House in Owego, Upstate in Elmira, and Iron Flamingo in Corning. Alternatively, you could get off the highway in Owego and drive up to Ithaca for lunch. It will add about 30 minutes of driving time, but Ithaca Beer Co has a really nice place to grab a beer and a bite and the drive along Cayuga Lake is beautiful (and you can stop off at any of the 20 or so wineries you'll pass on the way).
assuming your driving here...leave the car home for the Met game take the subway for that experience brown bag it drive to Carton and Kane for the NJ trip
Lots of good advice RE: NYC, so I will speak for Jersey. If you have a car, drive to Carton and Kane. Kane is about 30 min farther than Carton, which is a 45+ minute drive depending on where you start. Both places are world-class, as good or better than anything in NYC IMO (sorry guys) and you will leave with a minimum of a case of beer at Carton and maybe Head High cans at Kane. If you don't have a car, take Seastreak ferry to the Highlands and just do Carton. I have given similar advice before with more detail, check my history. Actually 1 more thing - if you hit the OH taproom, make sure you stop at Minibar on the way out. The past two times I have been they've had Lambo Door and Forcefield on tap, and the bartender is a really great guy. I wish I lived in the area and could have that be my go-to bar.
You should stop by Threes Brewing while in Brooklyn. They are a brewery and have guest taps and have an outdoor beer garden and a coffee shop connected upstairs. For Jersey Kane and Carton as others have said. Maybe Magnify as well, especially if they'd do a can release.
If you go to a Mets game Singlecut is pretty close, hit that up, also in BK area Keg and Lantern is great.
For Jersey, these are your top 4 to consider visiting: Carton, Kane, Magnify, Conclave. They aren't close to each other, so you'd potentially have to pick and choose. If I HAD to do three of those in a day, it depends what your starting point is - also, what day you'd go. Carton and Kane are relatively close to each other. Probably the best day to do a combination of all is Saturday: Conclave Brewing: 1 - 5 Magnify Brewing: 12 - 9 Kane Brewing: 12 - 7 Carton Brewing: 12 - 9
In my opinion, most of Tired Hands beers are very similar - hazy, no-malt flavor IPAs or Saisons. If you like this current style craze, then hit them up. If not, I'd recommend a place with a bit more diverse offerings. Like Victory, Yards, Free Will (wide variety but they also have sours), Forest & Main (English and Belgian/French styles). Troegs on the way back to Buffalo. Philly and the Southeastern PA suburbs probably has the best beer availability (of in-demand US and European beers) on the whole east coast. The list of good beer bars is going to be too long to list unless you narrow down the area you want to be in. Downtown Philly itself? There are a good number of threads on Philly from the last couple of years: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/search/32606876/?q=philly&o=date&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=10
OP--all of the above recommendations are good, I suggest to confirm days/hours of operation before making plans. Looking at your proposed schedule, it looks as if you'd be in Jersey Monday/Tuesday? I don't believe this will work for Kane or Carton. You can easily spend a few days in Philly, though many of the places mentioned are outside of the city. phillytapfinder.com and brewerymap.com can give you an idea of offerings and locations.
Sorry for the very very very late reply but thank so much guys for the infos! My schedule has changed a bit, will be: Friday: Monson-Worcester. Should be at Treehouse at 4 then heading to Armsby Abbey to eat/drink. Staying in Worcester for the night. Saturday: Trillium at 12 or so, don't know yet if I'm going at Canton or Boston. Sox game at 4pm then to Row 34 or don't know yet. Sunday-Monday-Tuesday: staying 3 nights in Brooklyn but will visit NYC and the surroundings. Wednesday: Staying a bit in BK then off to PA, will go to Tired Hands first then off to Philly. Thursday: Staying a bit in Philly then off to Buffalo Anyway I think I'll probably be good with you guys' suggestions but feel free to add! If some of you is interested in meeting up IP in either cities, here's what I got: Lawson's - Maple nipple ale x2 Lawson's x Otter Creek - Double or nothing x4 Dieu du Ciel - Pêché Mortel bourbon x10 Dieu du Ciel - Exorciste aux mures (blackberry) x1 Dieu du Ciel - Exorciste Sauternes x1 Dieu du ciel - Symbiose #6 x2 Dieu du Ciel - Isseki Nicho pinot noir x2 Dieu du Ciel - Dernière volonté pinot noir x2 Trou du Diable - X x1 Trou du Diable - Buteuse brassin special x1 Trou du diable - L'Imperatrice x1 Auval - SSS guerilla x1 Auval - Saison Espinay x1 Le Castor - Barleywine rhum x1 Les trois mousquetaires - Oud Bruin 2016 x1 Dunham - Petite Mort whiskey x1 Dunham - La Orange x1 Dunham - Assemblage hors-série Jane Doe #3 x1 Dunham - Assemblage hors-série Jane Doe #4 x1 Dunham - Imperial russian stout 6-pack (tokai, cafe Costa Rica, cafe Colombia, chile, tequila, cocoa/vanilla) Dunham x Jester King - Amicis Magicus x1 Dunham - Red Sashes 2015 x2 ISO: Grimm, Other Half, Carton, Threes, Westbrook, Cigar City, Tired Hands, Treehouse etc Big fan of ipa/dipa, wild ale, sour, saison, stout if it ain't too coffee-ish... Etc Pm me if interested. Thanks
