NYC breweries/brew pubs
 

Trying to put together a surprise trip for my husband and gather as much info as I can. He loves to visit breweries/brew pubs/micro brews whenever we vacation. Are there any in NYC that we should check out?

Get over to McSorleys, for sure..

There are the Heartland Brewery locations, including one at the Empire State Building and another in Union Square. They have generic food and they are of the tourist-friendly genre of breweries.

www.heartlandbrewery.com

Brooklyn Brewery makes some fine beers, and they offer a tour.

http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/home/

Otherwise, I can suggest some excellent bars that offer a fine, wide-ranging selection of brew.

1.) d.b.a. -- 41 1st Avenue between 2nd and 3rd streets. Free bagels on weekends, I think. www.drinkgoodstuff.com

2.) Spuyten Duyvil -- 359 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Artisanal cheeses, meats, and breads for food. Website is practically never updated, but here it is for directions/info purposes: http://spuytenduyvilnyc.com

3.) Blind Tiger Ale House -- 261 Bleecker Street @ Jones Street. http://blindtigeralehouse.com/

4.) Barcade -- not sure how old you guys are, but this place is a lot of fun if you're from the video-game generation. Excellent selection anyway, and not too too far from Spuyten Duyvil. http://barcadebrooklyn.com/

5.) Essex Ale House -- 179 Essex Street @ Houston.

Others will post with more.

Thanks for the replies. I found a Chelsea Brewing when I did a google search. Any good?

Chelsea brewery is OK, too not fantastic, but good - lovely location right on the Hudson with OK food. If you're coming in the spring/summer it can be very pleasant to sit on the outdoor deck quaffing a few.

Heartland has a few interesting beers, and makes some seasonal brews, but the food is as 2fat says, mediocre at best - full disclosure, the owner of Heartland is a good friend.


Brooklyn has a couple of artisanal brewerys - try a google search.

hop devil grill and the belgian room (adjoining places) in the east village have a super selection, and very reasonably priced yummy bar food.

Oh, if Six Point has tours or a bar (I don't think they do, and their website is under construction), check it out. They do some very excellent beers.

This site could be pretty helpful:

http://www.ratebeer.com/places2/map.asp?mid=19

Also, this

http://beermapping.com/maps/citymaps.php?m=newyork

Thanks for all the great help. I'll probably be telling my husband within the next few days about the trip, which will give him lots of time to check out all the suggestions and see what he'd like to do best. We're not so interested in eating at any of the places, I plan to stuff myself with as much pizza as possible while in the city. But he'd definitely like to sit and have a few before or after meals.

Any recommended great Irish Pubs??

How do you define great, BQ? Food, beer, ambiance, price? Meantime, murphguide.com has a list.

Brooklyn Brewery is a MUST. The tour is informative, and the beers are well done.

Also try a cask beer at Blind Tiger -- written up by Eric Asimov in the Times not too long ago.

Peculier Pub, a divey NYU hangout, has about 400 beers on its list.

I'd avoid Heartland.

Enjoy!

d.b.a does have free (and tasty) bagels on the weekends - an excellent spot for a beer.

My other favorite spot is Gingerman at 12 E 36th...66 beers on draft and a great bottle selection too. I prefer going in the afternoons when it's calmer/quieter.

www.gingerman-ny.com

(From the link, click on "cable or dsl" to get to the real website)

Yes, do try cask beer. Blind Tiger is not the only place to get cask beer in NYC, however. d.b.a has it, as does Barcade, Spuyten Duyvil, the Ginger Man, and various other places.

If you're interested, check these sites:

http://www.gotham-imbiber.com/

http://www.cask-ale.co.uk/us/index.html

Agreed with beanweb about when to visit Ginger Man. It is obscenely crowded at night, so afternoons are best.

Here's the NYC page within the Cask Ale Pages site.

http://www.gotham-imbiber.com/nyc-cask-guide.html

Here's the NYC page within the Gotham Imbiber site.

http://www.gotham-imbiber.com/nyc-cask-guide.html

Oh, I love the Peculiar Pub! For a nice little Irish place I really like Molly's if you're in that area http://mollys.ypguides.net/ Very, very good food. Downtown I really like The Full Shilling. Great food and people but I'm not sure they're open on weekends.

There was just an article in the New York Times travel section about local beers. It was the weekend in NY column. you should check that out too.

Sorry, my "great" request is for music. :)

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I'll be telling hubby about the trip tonight, so I'm sure he'll have a lot of fun checking out all the recs. I've bookmarked all the pages you all have given me, so he's got a lot of reading to do!

I used to live right down the street from Molly's. Dohlice is right... It's a nice, cozy, warm place. Very friendly, and some "real" Irish employees :) It's not a place I'd seek out specifically, but if you're in the area, it's definitely a good for a pint.

Another vote for McSorley's Old Ale House. At more than 150 years at the same location, it is NYC's oldest continuously operating pub and a lot of history happened there. Although no longer a brew pub, it has loads of atmosphere. You can google it for some pictures and history. Be sure to order the cheese and crackers plate to go with your ale. Writing about it brings back great memories.

Question regarding the Brooklyn Brewery. Initially I thought we would be there over a Friday night and be able to go, but now there are some really cheap tix that we would be leaving Friday afternoon. Is it a great tour that should not be missed, or is the happy hour a good time and the only way to really enjoy the beer? Or can we get ourselves a Brooklyn beer at one of the other many places mentioned and skip the tour without missing much? I don't want to short-change my husband, but saving money is always nice.

Have you ever toured another brewery? I like to take the tours but have found they are all a lot alike. Maybe you can taste the beer and then decide if it's worth staying for - it's pretty easy to find. I've never taken the tour and I live in Brooklyn so obviously I wouldn't miss a flight for it! lol. Personally I don't like their beer.

We've done quite a few brewery tours, and generally I could care less but my husband enjoys them. But reading some reviews on the internet it looks like you don't get a lot with a tour. Other places they give free samples, sounds like even that is hit or miss here. Guess I'll give hubby the info and let him decide.

I can't imagine the tour is a must-do. Their beers are readily available at most bars in NYC. Not all of their beers are noteworthy, but some are good.

After your visit to Brooklyn Brewery, have dinner at Sea Thai in Williamsburg, a short walk from the brewery. Fantastic food, and a great value.

I also have to vote against Heartland Brewery. NYC does not have a brew scene like SF or the Northwest. I fear that your husband will be sorely disappointed in Heartland - it is very touristy.

love mollys! i kicked off st. patricks day there at 11am this year. lived 3 blocks away when we were living in the city. great burgers. and their bread is fantastic.

Maybe I should stop telling the tourists about it!!!! :)

ha, yeah, ;-)
it's a small place.