After our tour at New Belgium, we went to the nearby Odell brewery in Fort Collins. This brewery had a sizeable tasting room, which offered over a dozen beers. Our favorite was the Amber. Below are a few pics from our visit.
Another part of the tasting room
The folks from Murray’s Cheese recently opened a wine and cheese spot three doors west of the cheese shop location. Taking over from the short-lived Bin on Bleecker (and Bar’rique before that) at 264 Bleecker Street in Manhattan’s West Village, Murray’s Cheese Bar is a must-visit for those who like wine and cheese. Dozens of wines out-of-the-bottle available, with another 18-20 out of the glass (and 6 quality tap beers). Open daily from 5pm – 1am, Murray’s Cheese Bar is a long and fairly narrow space. A long bar is on the left-hand side and seating for parties of two to six opposite the bar. A kitchen resides in the back. The food, to state the obvious, centers around cheese. In addition to cheese plates and chacuterie, Murray’s Cheese Bar offers their take on classic cheese-centered dishes such as grilled cheese and fondue. We recommend the classic grilled cheese (don’t forget the tomato soup — very tasty!). This spot is a great addition to the West Village wine bar crawl!
What are your thoughts on Murray’s Cheese Bar?
Pub Crawl NYC spent a recent weekend in Denver’s LoDo (Lower Downtown) section. We were able to sample a few of the area’s drinking establishments. Below are a few pics from the jaunt around LoDo.
Wynkoop Brewpub offers about 15 taps of their own beer including 2-3 seasonals.
Tavern is a Sports Bar, located in the shadow of Coors Field. Very spacious lower level on the ground floor. Nice roofdeck available in warm weather months (see below). Tavern has bloodymary bar offering nearly 20 fixings!
The next photo below was not a place we visited (it wasn’t open for business during the time we passed by), but the sign says it all.
Pub Crawl NYC visited the New Belgium Brewery and Odell Brewery in Fort Collins (a detailed take on each one forthcoming). We did not have enough time during our visit to see additional breweries, so we’ll have to return to Fort Collins to see the other dozen or so. But, we learned one interesting fact that sets some of these Fort Collins craft breweries apart from their East Coast brethren: The Fort Collins ones are open nearly everyday of the week and for at least eight hours each day. And, visitors can spend as much or as little time as they would like in the breweries’ tasting rooms. These breweries are almost like Napa/Sonoma wineries, in that regard. Most craft breweries on the East Coast are open to the public a day or two (usually only on weekends) and get the visitors in and out in a fairly quick fashion. Space is likely part of equation here. Most craft breweries on the East Coast don’t have much room for a large tasting room. Furthermore, to this Northeast native, life in Fort Collins is much more laid back compared to most East Coast and Northeast cities. What are your thoughts on this, why do you think Fort Collins’ breweries seem more welcoming and accommodating to their visitors?
After Pitch & Fork, we headed to The Penrose, located at 1590 Second Avenue (between 82nd and 83rd Streets). The Penrose is another gastropub, that is more bar than restaurant. The Penrose is owned by the same group as the downtown spot, The Wren. Spacious spot with two bar areas. About a dozen quality tap beers, The Penrose is on the cusp of being part of the Upper East Side craft-beer focused NYC bar crawl.
On a recent weekend evening, Pub Crawl NYC visited Pitch & Fork as well as The Penrose.
More restaurant than bar, Pitch & Fork is a gastropub, located at 1606 First Avenue (between 83rd and 84th Streets). Eight mostly-quality tap beers. Try the meat & cheese platter!
Check back later this week for our brief take on The Penrose!
From the people behind Bourgeois Pig and Spotted Pig comes Swine, a bi-level spot located at 531 Hudson Street (near Charles Street, in the old Ruby Fruit B&G location). Bar upstairs has some small tables to dine, while most of the dining takes place downstairs. Pub Crawl NYC visited on a recent Thursday night and our primary takeaway would be how ridiculously crowded (and loud) the place was. The wine and beer selection is solid and the food was pretty good, but this is not a place to come if you want to have a reasonable quiet drink or dinner. The place was so crowded that the party at the table next to us had one of their wine glasses knocked to the floor because one of the standing patrons was so close to their table, he accidentally knocked the wineglass over. As expected, due to the crowded space, the service was slow, even though the staff was friendly. Maybe a return trip is worthwhile when the place is not so busy, but with so many other bars to explore in the five boroughs, Pub Crawl NYC is unlikely to return to Swine.
Greenwood Park, the new beergarden at the southern edge of Brooklyn’s Park Slope, has been the subject of a minor controversy around its policy of allowing children into the bar with their parents. A recent New York Times article details the issue. In short, some parents from the nabe like to bring their youngsters to the establishment, while other patrons don’t care for the children’s presence. This issue has happened before at other bars in the immediate area and in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn; Greenwood Park just being the latest such example.
On a recent Sunday afternoon visit, Pub Crawl NYC did not see a single child at the establishment. Perhaps this had to do with the weather, it was very hot and humid and probably not good for children being out in the sun for extended periods of time. We look forward to a return visit as Greenwood Park is a great spot and one of the few spacious outdoor drinking areas in Park Slope. But, if some patrons are particularly annoyed at the sight of children, they can go somewhere else. There are at least 60 other bars in Park Slope (and Pub Crawl NYC has visited almost all of them!).
Within reason, should children, properly supervised, be allowed into certain bars during daytime hours? Please share your thoughts with us.
Five Lamps Tavern, located at 2657 Broadway (between 105th and 106th Streets) is a must visit. 18 mostly quality tap beers and an outdoor space (which is still under construction). Friendly staff. A good spot to include on the Upper West Side craft-beer focused NYC bar crawl. Tasty weekend brunch menu (try the IPA-brined french fries or the breakfast flatbread!).
Alewife opened in late 2011 and is a solid craft beer bar in the Long Island City section of Queens, located at 5-14 51st Avenue (in the old Lucky Mojo space). One block south and one block west of the Vernon-Jackson 7 train stop (which is just one stop east of the Grand Central Terminal), Alewife offers 28 quality tap beers and another three dozen or so bottled beers. The spot is bi-level. Opposite the main bar area on the first floor are 6-7 high-top tables that fit 4-6 patrons. A long, non-hightop communal table resides toward the back of the lower level.
Upstairs is a small lounge area and some more tables for parties of 4-6 patrons. There’s also a small outdoor patio upstairs (that was not open during our visit). The food menu, currently experiencing some upgrades, consisted of mostly pizza and burgers, along with a few appetizers. If there were more places like it nearby, Alewife would certainly be the anchor spot for the Long Island City craft-beer NYC bar crawl.
What are your thoughts on Alewife? We want to hear from you!