So I've previously discussed all my favourite places to find, in my humble opinion, the finer brews this great city has to offer. But time was marching on and we had other cities to visit before the mondial de beer in Montreal. So here's a quick review on two other must-see places. Both of these are conveniently located in Mid-Town and are walking/stumbling/awhelljustcatchacab distance for those only in New York for a short period of time but still want to taste good beer.
This place is great for many re-visits. With a huge rotating taplist and many more in bottles its impossible to try everything. But the smart guys and gals have taken mercy on your poor feeble human bodies and thrown you a compromise. Beer Flights. The know how to do them well. There are many options to choose from, by beer style (would sir like to try foreign or domestic lambics?) or price range. Don't want a particular beer on the paddle? I found the staff were happy to substitute it for something else. This means everyone is catered for, from the swill drinking tourist wanting to try something new in the big smoke to the beer connoisseur looking for the next big hit to challenge the taste-buds. Rattle n Hum also do great tasting nights including this little gem we sadly missed out on:
Everything about that poster looks good!!! So make sure Rattle n Hum is on your list to visit when in NYC. Just remember their motto; "no crap on tap" and think twice before ordering that bud-light. Speak to the friendly staff and try something new!
Last place we went for beer was recommended to us by the kind folks at Rattle n Hum. They told us about a place called Gingerman, the greatest beer bar in NYC!! We kinda felt like we were in a fairytale, on a quest to seek out the mythical Gingerman. Well, we found the place and it wasn't exactly what we were expecting. Sure, it had plenty of beer taps and an exciting range of local and imports available but something important was missing. Atmosphere. I've been in plenty of fine drinking establishments all around the world, from small working class pubs in London to backstreet hole in the wall bars in Indonesia and they all have the same sort of camaraderie of raucous joy, were you make best friends with the random guy next to you and sometimes you cant even hear yourself think. Don't get me wrong, sometimes its great to have a quiet drink but atmosphere and company is what makes the average place well, great. Gingerman wasn't exactly devoid of atmosphere, but thanks to its surrounds and walk-in clientele from near by law firms and businesses, it gave off a certain stuffy and stilted atmosphere. We were politely instructed to take a seat at the bar and after a short wait we were served. This is what their bar looks like, quite enticing indeed!!
Apologies for the lamp in the way. As you can see its a quite impressive line up. A solid mix of quality imports and local and domestic craft on tap and many more in bottles. The lawyer types can drink their imported asahi and pretend to be cultured, while there's still more adventurous offerings like their house beer, Gingerman Ale. Naturally I had to to try this!! Brewed by Captain Lawrence Brewery in up state New York this was certainly an interesting creature. Similar in body and mouth feel to our own Coopers Sparkling Ale with plenty of fizz and back notes of yeast. Not as cloudy as I expected, but with a rich mahogany brown colour. The ginger and spice lingered longingly on the back palate and added warmness. This is the kind of beer that's easy to session drink in the warmer months but would also be perfect to drink slightlty warmed up in the coldest winter. These beers are rarer then hens teeth. Quite a find. As you can see in the photo, Gingerman also does a service to the local community and offers reasonably priced growlers for takeaway. I can imagine a lawyer stumbling back to the office with a growler in each hand. "Clear my schedule for this afternoon, Mary, I'M BUSY!"
If in New York for the weekend, throw the credit card at the wife/girlfriend/significant other point her in the direction of SOHO. Then high-tail it to these two decent establishments. Also make sure you cancel the credit card and turn off the phone. But most of all, enjoy the beer.
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