Here’s something I came across recently on Youtube:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPmv-heY1Fk
My thoughts:
Well, it’s probably not my first choice for a NYC pub crawl theme. Nevertheless, this is a good example of yet another type of theme you can have when doing your own NYC bar crawl!
http://gothamist.com/2011/08/10/worlds_smallest_commercial_brewery.php, written by John Del Signore.
World’s Smallest Commercial Brewery Opens TONIGHT On Coney Island
Step right up and see the “world’s smallest ribbon” get cut tonight [8/10/11] to celebrate the debut of the world’s smallest commercial brewery, the Coney Island Brewing Company! The freakishly small micro-brewery is being opened by the San Francisco-based company Schmaltz, which produces HE’BREW beers, as well as the sideshow-inspired Coney Island Craft Lagers. At the new li’l brewery, beer will be produced in batches of one gallon, and sold at the brewery in collectible Coney Island Brewing Company packaging.
The recipes are inspired by “the local artistic and gastronomical landscape,” according to a press release, and recent batches include a Pumpernickel Bagel Porter; a Red, White, and Blueberry Hefeweizen; and a Caramel Apple Ale. The storefront will be open starting tonight through Halloween on Thursdays through Sundays, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. Tonight’s fiesta, which starts at 5:30, will feature beer samples, sideshow freaks, live music, and, of course, Borough President Marty Markowitz, who said in a statement, “Not to get all ‘shmaltzy,’ but Brooklynites will be ‘crying in their beer’—in a good way!—over the Shmaltz Brewing Company opening the Coney Island Brewing Company.” (Don’t worry, the more you drink, the less you’ll care about the President’s egregious crimes against comedy.)
3008 West 12th Street, Brooklyn
My thoughts:
Yet another brewery for Brooklyn; this is great news! I can’t wait to see it. I shall have a full report and pictures to share in this space following my visit.
Local 61 (located at 61 Bergen Street, just east of Smith Street) is a solid beer bar in the heart of Cobble Hill. As its name suggests, the place focuses on local offerings. Much of the beer menu features a selection from Brooklyn and nearby NY State, with a few from Eastern PA. There are also some Long Island wines available. The chalkboard menu is unique. Shaped like a geographical cut-out of Brooklyn, it lists all of the drink offerings. The food menu focuses on small plates. The beer offerings rotate frequently and this spot is one of the few places I know of that serves beer from Barrier Brewing Co., a small brewery on Long Island. Local 61 is spacious with communal and high-top tables to accommodate medium-sized groups. Definitely worth a visit, Local 61 needs to be part of any beer-focused Cobble Hill NYC bar crawl.
In honor of IPA Day (August 4), I figured I would write a few words about my favorite style of beer. I remember my first IPA. It was Baltimore’s Clipper City IPA. I remember crispness of the hops and the refreshing flavor on my tongue. Up until that point, I hadn’t really declared a favorite style of beer. But ever since that Clipper City, the IPA has been my favorite.
My top IPAs (in no particular order) that are available presently (alas, some breweries whose IPAs I loved are no longer around. I’m thinking of you, Lobsterback IPA, from the now-defunct Northeast Brewing Company of Boston): Pike Place IPA (Seattle), Victory Hop Devil (Downingtown, PA), Berkshire Brewing Company Lost Sailor IPA (South Deerfield, MA), Kelso IPA (Brooklyn, NY), Six Point Bengali Tiger (Brooklyn, NY) and Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA.
No NYC pub crawl is complete without a quality IPA or three!
I came across this clip on youtube recently:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQE5qc9mqmM
My comments:
Sounds like it would have been a lot of fun to participate in this real Round-the-World pub crawl. I wonder what type of Round-the-World NYC pub crawl could be performed a) within Manhattan only and b) including all five boroughs in NYC. I will think about this challenge and share with you my thoughts in a forthcoming post.
What are your thoughts on this video or the possibility of doing an NYC version of it? Please share your comments here.
Did you hear about the bar on the moon? The drinks are terrific, but there’s no atmosphere.
from Michael Lewis, A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR…
After learning that the 508 Restaurant & Bar at 508 Greenwich Street in west Soho had recently started brewing its own beer, I figured it was time to pay a visit. The location, just south of Greenwich and Spring, is nearby a lively nightlife block including spots such as Sway, Ear Inn, Don Hill’s and The Anchor.
The layout is more restaurant than bar with tables for parties of two and four opposite a 12-seat bar on the right. There is additional restaurant seating in the back half of the space, which includes a large hightop table for parties of 10 or more. The beer brewing occurs in the basement.
Their website indicates nine different beers brewed on the premises. When my girlfriend and I were there, however, seven were available and only four were available on draught. I tried the I.P.A, the Dark Brown Ale and the Coffee Porter. My girlfriend had the Citra Common and the Hefeweisen. All were solid and to paraphrase someone close to me, you “could taste the handcraftedness in the beer” I look forward to a return trip when I can try the rest of the beers that I did not have time for. The food menu, which we did not try, was very eclectic. A mix of small plates (including ceviche, truffle mac and cheese and fried artichokes), pastas and a few entrees enticed us for a return trip.
The staff was very friendly and attentive and we got to meet the brewmaster toward the end of our visit. I can’t wait to return to taste the beer and have some food. I recommend this place to anyone who wants to try some good beer and food. Earlier this month, when I reviewed La Birreria, I wrote that La Birreria was one of two spots to brew its own beer. Well, I stand corrected, there are now three spots in Manhattan that brew their own beer. We definitely have the makings of a brewpub NYC bar crawl.
Have you been to 508 Restaurant and bar yet? Please share your thoughts on the place or my commentary here.
The following article comes from http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2011/06/the_latest_endangered_new_york.html, written by Jenny Miller.
Already this week we’ve brought you damning news about food trucks, cheese-cutting, and porn stores, and now it seems the latest endangered New York institution is the pub crawl.
DNA Info reports that one item on the docket at a Community Board 6 meeting last night was a proposed ban on such binge-drinking jaunts in the area, which covers 14th through 69th Streets on the east side.
Look, Grub Street doesn’t make a habit of hitting Murray Hill’s Irish pubs with our bros, but a ban? Well, it turns out CB 6 doesn’t have the authority to institute such a measure anyway! But here’s what it can do: “When bars apply for new or renewal liquor licenses, they are asked to sign a document that includes a clause not to participate in pub crawls (among other stipulations, such as closing at 2 a.m. instead of the legally sanctioned 4 a.m.).” Oh, so now it looks like 4 a.m. closings are in danger, too. Is it just us, or is this city turning into a nanny state?
Ban on Pub Crawls Brewing on the East Side
My comments:
Stay tuned. The outcome of this issue could have ramifications for all NYC bar crawls, regardless of the neighborhood.
What are your thoughts on this proposed ban? Share your take here. I look forward to hearing from you!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBTfbRblvnE
Here’s a great video that I saw earlier today. From the Drinking Made Easy folks, this video profiles two Manhattan bars, Exchange Bar & Grill and Ear Inn. The former has a very cool drink price change feature based on demand of that particular drink, while the latter is one of the oldest in the city. The Ear Inn is a stop on my one of my favorite NYC bar crawls, the Old NYC pub crawl!
What do you think of this video and the two bars it profiles? Please share your comments here.
The following article is from http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/harlem_hops_on_brewery_Df9109mOEyFHqIodP7QlRM, written by Sally Goldenberg.
An economic renaissance is brewing on Harlem’s 125th Street.
Mayor Bloomberg yesterday announced deals to redevelop two long-neglected sites on the commercial corridor, including a $100 million project that will include a new brewery, tap room and brewing museum.
The Harlem Brewing Company, which now brews its Sugar Hill Golden Ale upstate, will build a new brewery at the site of the old Taystee Cake bakery. And the company will turn its roof into a hops farm, where it will grow the essential ingredient for ale and beer.
In a separate project on 125th Street, city officials announced a deal yesterday to redevelop the landmarked Corn Exchange building at the corner of Park Avenue. Developers will restore the base of the building and build six additional stories for office space.
The two projects are expected to create 1,100 construction and permanent jobs.
My comments:
A large brewery to be built in Manhattan! This is great news and I am very excited. Including Manhattan’s two brewpubs (Chelsea Brewing Company at Chelsea Piers and Birreria), I see a brewery NYC bar crawl on the horizon!
What do you think about this forthcoming addition to the NYC brewery scene? Please share your thoughts here.