We’ve been feeling a bit under the weather all week, so it’s unlikely there will be any significant amount of bar crawling this weekend, but maybe we’ll visit a few spots.  Nearly a dozen or so recently-opened spots in Manhattan remain unvisited by us.  For those who like amber-colored hard alcohol, there’s Flatiron Room at 37 West 26^th Street.  Another spot on our radar is a cocktail spot in the Time Warner Center called Center Bar.  Then there’s Cocktail Bodega on the Lower East Side.  Frankly, we don’t know what to expect with that place.  What are your suggestions for new places to visit in the Five Boroughs?

Brew York recently published an article (http://brewyorknewyork.com/post/32751603780/brooklyn-brewery-mugs-alehouse-collaborate-to) celebrating the 20th anniversary of Mugs Ale House (125 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY).  We at Pub Crawl NYC were not aware that Mugs had been around that long!  We have been including Mugs on various NYC beer bar crawls since early 2000.  We remember going there when it did not open on Saturdays until 2pm (kitchen wasn’t open until 5pm).  Now, with Williamsburg having become such a popular place to live and hang out, Mugs is open by noon on Saturdays with the kitchen opening around the same time.  With approximately 30 frequently-rotating taps, the beer selection is superb.  A nice mix of local brews (the Brooklyn Brewery is just around the corner), other U.S. craft-beers and some imports is offered.  If you’ve never been or haven’t visited in a while, do yourself a favor and get to Mugs Ale House!

We came across this article from AM NY on New York  City/State breweries: http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/independent-brewery-industry-sees-huge-growth-in-new-york-1.4058122  While this article isn’t directly related to pub crawls in NYC or bars, it’s still a subject that’s near and dear to our heart!  We find it encouraging to learn and experience the growth of NY City and State breweries.  We hope that this can lead to more of our favorite beer bars increasing their offerings of local beers.  The end of the article discusses the five breweries in NYC.  A brewery NYC pub crawl anyone?  Actually, we have visited all of the spots on at least one occasion.  Here’s the lowdown on visiting hours and tours:

The Brooklyn Brewery (79 N. 11th Street, Brooklyn, NY) is open from noon to 8pm on Saturdays and noon to 6pm on Sundays, offering tours every hour.  Beers are available for sale only (yes, sadly, no free samples available anymore).  The Brewery is also open Monday through Thursday weeknights by reservation only; Friday from 6 to 11pm

Greenpoint Beer Works (not actually located in Greenpoint, but in Clinton Hill at 529 Waverly Avenue, Brooklyn, NY) – This is where Kelso and Heartland Brewery beers are made.  At last check, they no longer give tours to the general public.  Tours are available only to those in the Beverage industry (bar owners, workers, etc).  That’s unfortunate because we were able to visit them prior to this new policy and we had a great time.

Six Point Craft Ales (40 Van Dyke Street, Brooklyn, NY) – Like Greenpoint Beer Works, Six Point, unfortunately, no longer has a regular tour schedule.  Occasionally, they will announce a date when the brewery is open for tours to the general public, but we haven’t seen those announcements in quite some time.

Chelsea Brewery (Pier 59, New York, NY) – Unlike Heartland Brewery, Chelsea Brewery is a brewpub that actually brews on the premises (Heartland used to brew on site when their located was only one spot in Union Square, but after their growth, the brewing went across the river to Brooklyn).  We’re not sure if they offer regular tours, but it’s best just to go there, belly-up to the bar, drink their tasty beers and try some of their good food.

Omitted from article: 508 NYC (508 Greenwich Street, New York, NY) – This is more of a restaurant, that has a small brewing operation in its basement.  No tours offered here, as far as we know.  We visited twice shortly after it opened.  We love the food and the beer and look forward to a return visit.

The article mentions two more breweries opening in the five boroughs in the coming year.  We can’t wait to visit those!

There was not much bar crawling for us this weekend, but we did hit a few new spots.  Checked out two spots in Queens and two spots in Manhattan.  Also got to participate in Brooklyn’s annual Atlantic Antic street fair.  Brief descriptions of all forthcoming.

That’s what we are considering as we enter the last weekend of the last single-digit month on the calendar.  Several new spots have opened up around Manhattan and Brooklyn in the past few weeks that we have NOT had a chance to visit yet.  In Manhattan, The Ainsworth has opened up a new location just off of Union Square.  There’s also the interesting-sounding Cocktail Bodega on the Lower East Side.  Perhaps a new beer bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn?  The Well and The Graham both sound appealing.  What are some new spots that you would recommend in the five boroughs?

According to Gothamist, the owners of Greenwood Park bar in Brooklyn’s Park Slope have made a decision on the issue of parents bringing their young children to the bar.  We wrote on this issue several weeks ago.  The decision essentially became a compromise such that after 4pm, kids would not be allowed.  As one parent was quoted as saying in the recent Gothamist article, 4pm is too early.  Pub Crawl NYC thinks daytime hours are okay for the kids to be at the bar, provided they are properly supervised.  Given the variation of sunset times during the warm weather months (approx. 6:45pm until 8:30pm), 6 or 7pm would be a more appropriate cut-off time for the presence of children.  What are your thoughts on this, when is the appropriate time after which children should not be allowed at this establishment?

After being out of town for most of the last 10 days, Pub Crawl NYC has returned!  We are very much looking forward to resuming bar hopping activities around the five boroughs!

Pub Crawl NYC hit some spots in Sunnyside in Queens; Greenpoint and East Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Belmont (aka Arthur Avenue) in the Bronx.  So, we got to see some parts of the five boroughs that we don’t often visit.  Details and brief reviews of the spots forthcoming over the next several days.