Spritzenhaus, the latest addition to Brooklyn’s beer bar scene, opened in late April.  It’s located at 33 Nassau Avenue (at the corner of Guernsey Street), which is close to the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint.

Layout: Two bars, one L-shaped at the back, left of the room and one U-shaped bar at the back, right of the room.  An open kitchen at the back in between the two bars currently serves a limited menu of snacks and oysters. Full menu coming in a few weeks.  Spacious seating areas allow for communal tables in front of the L-shaped bar and tables for parties of 2 to 6 in front and around the U-shaped bar.  Floor to ceiling windows, facing both Nassau and Guernsey, can open in nice weather.  Bathrooms to the left of the L-shaped bar have neat showerhead faucets.  Outdoor seating is available along Nassau Avenue.

Beer Selection: There are 100 taps, but the bar serves only 25 different beers and repeats each beer four times.  While there nearly 10 German beers available, there are more American craft beers than German imports with a good focus on locally brewed New York State beers.  Two of the three Brooklyn beers (Kelso and Six Point) were available.  Even though Spritzenhaus is located five blocks north of the Brooklyn Brewery, not one product of the Brooklyn Brewery was available on tap!  Beer prices range from $6 to $7.

My take: Spritzenhaus has more of a hybrid beer bar-biergarten feel to it.   The patrons were mostly in their 20s and 30s.  I’d definitely like to return here with a group of friends.  I’ve seen some negative reviews of this spot in cyberspace.  Some of these reviews came from people expecting a place like the nearby Radegast Hall & Biergarten or the two biergartens in Astoria.  Spritzenhaus is not a classic New York biergarten.  And I don’t think it’s trying to be like that.  Spritzenhaus is more of a beer bar with some biergarten elements (a few long, communal tables; several German beers available).  My one disappointment was to learn that the 100 taps were in fact 25 beers repeated four times.  Nevertheless, I hope to return soon.  It’s a nice place to sit down with friends, share some laughs and enjoy good beers.

What are your thoughts?  Have you visited this place yet?  Please share your comments on my review or on the establishment itself.