Going to be staying with a friend in Brooklyn, but will be going all around Manhattan as well. Does anyone have any good recommendations for places to get some great beer? Really would like to at least find a solid bottle shop. Maybe this sounds as silly as someone coming out to California and asking if they'll be able to find any Younger, but is there anywhere that sells Heady out there?
Welcome to NYC. Nowhere sells Heady (legally). If you're in Brooklyn, Torst is a must. It's a real experience and it's pretty much a guarantee they'll have something great on tap. I like Owl Farm in Brooklyn a lot too. Some good bars in Manhattan too. You might get a variety of opinions on that but Rattle n Hum seems to always be pretty solid for me. Ginger Man is good too. As for a great bottle shop, most people probably will direct you to Top Hops. It's also close to the Whole Foods on Houston which has a very good selection too. That's also not too far from New Beer Distributors which can be good too, but they are a bit of a mixed bag. But it's kind of in a triangle shape that is walkable though which is nice.
Where in Brooklyn are you staying? Use my beer map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zwC6ezBHVgzI.kyMuRsydhsSU Brewery taprooms to check out: Other Half, SingleCut, Threes, Transmitter, Finback. Bars: Torst, Barcade, Mugs Ale House, Proletariat, and many others - see map. Bottle shops: Good Beer, Top Hops, St Gambrinus, Bed-Stuy Beer Works, Brouwerij Lane, and many others - see map. There is no where you can buy Heady.
I feel like most of this info is spot on. Favorite taproom is Threes. Bars: Torst, Owl Farm, Proletariat, Pony Bar, Coopers (check tap list first), Blind Tiger. Bottle Shops: Good Beer, St. Gambrinus, Top Hops, ABC Beer Co (cool to drink at too), New Beer is near Top Hops and has an insane selection just be careful because sometimes they charge double for things, Bed-Stuy Beer Works, Brouweij Lane, Beer Table to-go in Grand Central is underrated too but overpriced.
i know a shop selling Heady right now not far from where you are staying...12$ a can not worth it to most of us but we understand the need to tick which is why they get it every so often so...think about what you wish for cause it is NY and $$$ can get you anything here
les/east village beer walking tour. not in order, but stuff is listed in a way that everything is geographically near each other. top hops - bar/bottle shop hybrid. generally solid tap list and great bottle selection. the owner, ted, is a great guy. tell him that i sent you. or my dog. one mile house - bar. great tap list and always has some goodies from new york that don't often show up on others' lists. usually has an other half on which is generally great. food is great. fool's gold - bar. i don't love this group's bars, but it's hard to argue against at least a stop in. tap list is up and down, but there's at least a chance something crazy from cigar city or hill farmstead is on. don't be serenaded if they have some out-of-distribution ipa on at a crazy price - blind pig, pliny, anything three floyds - that $13 is going to be wasted when you realize the keg/bottle is months old. the staff is super nice tho. whole foods - whole foods. used to have a stellar bottle selection. with the beer buyer having left for greener pastures, it's fallen off a bit, but still gets a good amount of good bottles and the prices are lower than many other places. good beer - bar/bottle shop hybrid. more bottle shop than bar - you can't drink bottles here that you buy, unlike top hops. they will have six or so taps of varying quality. again, you never know what you'll find here. they do tap takeovers a lot. solid bottle selection. they don't have any beer they don't think "has integrity", so you won't see guinness or goose island or lagunitas here. proletariat - bar. this place has been killing it recently and has hill farmstead on more often than not. torst-like in that it has some weird shit you've probably never heard of, but is less likely to be good. cheaper than torst. $20 credit card minimum.
