$150 for 4 blind 500ml bottles per quarter is insane. 2 of the 4 I had from the Q2 release at this tasting were worth the money. The other 2 were not. I've had 3 of their recent BA on draft here.. so I guess they are good sending out kegs to shops but not any bottles... so strange the way they are choosing to do things.
Foam’s location is incredible. My wife and I are staying a literal block away so we hit them first. Tried a Built To Spill and a Cease To Begin. I know BTS is one of their flagships beers but I preferred the latter. I appreciate some bite with my IPAs. Von Trapp, again, had a great location and the beers were fine. Chicago breweries Dovetail and Metropolitan (RIP) both crush the German style so I was so-so on VT. Their beer cheese and pretzels were phenomenal though. Alchemist delivered on all fronts. Had Heady Topper on draft because it’s the only place that offers it. Far too velvety for my liking. Focal Banger was my SHIT though. So count me in for Team Focal>Heady. Their location was absolutely sick. Could have lived there.
yess Alchemist really is all you would hope it is and I agree on how awesome the Foam location is. Their beer is hit or miss for me these days, I'm glad you seem to have gotten them on a good visit. I actually kinda hate the heady on draft at Alchemist - not a beer that works on cask for me at all. But the can and bottle selection and the overall premises there are all fucking amazing. Wish you could try Notch - von trapp is good, but Notch is really gonna be the comparison to Dovetail for New England.
I think I fucked up by ordering a Heady on draft. May not have been a proper comparison to the canned Focal.
They honestly taste similar enough that I don’t think it’s a critical misstep to not have a fair comparison. I prefer heady slightly but there’s def been times I felt the other way around. I think the level of hoppiness just works slightly better at higher abv.
Resident Schilling fanatic adding them to the list of New England’s best European-style lagers. They and Notch are a step above the rest. Big fan of Jack’s Abby too. I’ve got a fridge full of different Schilling lagers for whenever I decide to break my dry streak.
In NYC this week for the first time since I was a kid. Hit me with some recs for breweries, bars, and bottle shops! We’re staying in Jackson heights but I expect we’ll be roaming around a bit
At the risk of sounding like Stefon, if you want an ABSOLUTE shit hole that will charm your pants off - I really enjoyed Lucky Lyndon in Murray Hill. I'm almost convinced they don't have running water and I wouldn't drink anything there that wasn't pre-packaged. Reminded me of what I heard CBGB's was always like: disgusting. My other favorite bars I visited in Manhattan last year were: The Dawson, VALERIE, Blind Tiger (bonus: across from John's of Bleecker Street).
Queens: Singlecut, Rockaway, and Fifth Hammer are pretty good breweries and close in proximity to where you'll be. Brooklyn: Spoiled by all of the good options. You could do a whole day jumping between Threes, Wild East, Finback, and Strong Rope in Gowanus (breweries). Another great bunch of bars/bottle shops is Covenhoven, Gold Star Beer Counter, and Beer Street South in Prospect Heights. Manhattan: Augurs Well and Proletariat in the east village, Blind Tiger in the west village. Haymaker is a little closer to midtown but a fun beer bar. Closer to Times Square are As Is and Beer Culture. Craft & Carry has several locations and ideal for to-go beers.
Busy first day in the city but managed to make a quick stop by Craft and Carry for a little haul of cans. I’ll probably drink through several of these while I’m here, and maybe bring a couple back with me! Drinking the Free Verse right now, this is pretty nice. Definitely on the lighter end for a porter but still pretty flavorful for the low abv.
Anyone have any recommendations on a beer fridge with a lock? Better to just get a fridge and install a lock?
Today’s adventures led me to Talea beer co, which has a location by Bryant park. Pretty solid witbier that I’m sipping on!
Stopped by Other Half because I was in the area. Draft list was like 14 hazies, 1 wc, 2 lagers, and 1 pastry sour lol
go to Grimm. best brewery in the city and state in my opinion (and others, just won NY state brewery of the year 4th time). have a beer on their roof and some pizza.
Will second Idyltime. My wife and I went there on our bike path for lunch and ended up coming back for dinner that same night.
Grimm definitely has consistently good/great options over several styles. Rooftop pizza is solid too. Threes and Wild East are separated by two blocks in my old neighborhood. Both have many lagers that are top notch if you plan to park yourself somewhere for a while. Gold Star Beer Counter, Beer Street South, Hops Hill, Torst are all great Brooklyn bar options. As Is is a well loved place in Hells Kitchen. Would recommend Beer Witch, but RIP.
Went to As Is yesterday! Beertender Adam was super fun to talk to, and what an amazing tap list! I had a great time hanging out there for a couple hours. Now we’re on the way to Brooklyn, hopefully will get to at least a couple of the breweries I’d like to hit there!