Mike visits the first — and only — American craft beer bar in Europe: Beer Temple in Amsterdam.
Last night the hosts of Beer Nation went to a relatively new bar in Brooklyn to enjoy a few pints of their favorite brews. Little did they know the bar didn’t serve pints.
While Mike ordered a Keegan Ales Mother’s Milk (a Milk Stout) from the tap, Seth went with a 12 ounce can of Oscar Blues Gordon (an Imperial Red/Double IPA). As Seth finished pouring his delicious can of Gordon into the glass provided by the bar — which was the same size as Mike’s glass of Mother’s Milk — he noticed how uncomfortably close the 12 ounces-worth of Gordon came to the top of the glass. ”That’s not right,” your hosts thought. ”The 12 ounces of beer should only fill three-quarters of a 16 ounce pint glass.”
As the bartender later confirmed, the bar uses fake pint glasses (i.e., 14 ounce glasses rather than 16 ounces glasses). What a sham!
This bar lists a solid line-up of craft brews on the chalkboard near its bar, but nowhere on that chalkboard does it say that the beer is served in 14 ounce glasses. Making the situation even worse, the glasses look and feel like 16 ounce pint glasses! (How do they make it look bigger? As shown in the graphic, they thicken the bottom of the glass. Jeez.)
This pint glass scam has been covered before. But, while I expect this kind of behavior from an Applebees or T.G.I. Fridays, I was shocked to see it happen at a bar in Brooklyn, only blocks away from craft beer meccas like Bierkraft and The Gate (where all serving sizes are indicated next to each beer on the beer menus).
Citizens of Beer Nation, unite! If you find a bar trying to pull this scam, let it know you’re on to its dirty tricks and demand that it either switch to 16 ounces pint glasses or properly inform patrons of the size of its glasses.
Three days — and many beers — into New York Craft Beer Week, I find myself wondering if other cities host similar week long beer festivals. Obviously Munich hosts the grandfather of all beer celebrations . . . of course, I’m talking about Oktoberfest. (With a name like Oktoberfest you would think it would take place during the month of October, however, this year it runs from Saturday Sept. 19th to Oct. 4th.)
Now, I would never compare New York Craft Beer Week to Oktoberfest. But, New York Craft Beer Week has been no slouch. I’ve been to about ten bars in just 3 days — some for the first time — and I’ve been having a blast. Essentially, (almost) all the beer bars in the city, even those just beginning to broaden their beer selection, have come together to celebrate the love of craft beer.
On Friday night, I went to the opening ceremonies at Rattle ‘N’ Hum in Manhattan and watched Scott Vaccaro from Captain Lawrence Brewery tap the only cask of the official Craft Beer Week brew called NY3. I had the pleasure of chatting with the folks from the Bluepoint Brewery in Long Island, Jeremy Cowan (the owner of Shmaltz Brewing Company), and Tony Forder (Co-Publisher of Ale Street News). For a beer-geek like myself, it was pretty cool to be shooting-the-shit with that crowd.
So do other cities host similarly awesome week long beer parties?
Well, yes. Philadelphia has an amazing beer week that is set for June 4 to 10, 2010, and I can guarantee that I’ll be jumping on a bus to Philly (for as long as I can get out of work). Other cities spreading the good word of craft beer include St Louis, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and many more. Instead of letting craft beer week end this Sunday, I might just have to chase an eternal beer week by hopping from city to city. Hooray Beer!
“Beer Bar Battle” is a weekly segment where we pin two cities, neighborhoods, streets, etc. against each other to see which has the most craft beer-cred. This week: Durham, NC v. Syracuse, NY.
Two cities with heavy ties to universities will do battle today. Orange in one corner, Blue in another. Do either of these cities have what it takes to claim craft beer dominance? Let’s see.
Syracuse starts off strong with The Blue Tusk of Central New York on Walton Street. On Mondays and Tuesdays the pint glasses are 23 oz (8 oz more than the American pint and 3 oz more than the British pint), and can be filled with a plethora of different local craft brews, including beer from the 14 year old Middle Ages Brewing Company.
Durham enjoys a tasty pint of the Middle Ages Wailing Wench and decides to throw out The Federal, a bar located on West Main Street. This beer bar has 15 taps of deliciousness and, for those who get that pesky eatin’ bug, The Federal serves up a tasty catfish and grits special. Among other weekly deals, on Sundays patrons enjoy $1 off any beer from North Carolina. With pints starting as low as $4, a Sunday afternoon could get pretty messy (the Dukies just schedule classes accordingly).
Unfazed by the cheap late weekend drinks, Syracuse feels it’s time to unleash Dinosaur Bar-b-que. While Dinosaur is better known for its food, the beer selection is nothing to laugh at. Local treats include beers from Ommegang and Rohrbach, just to name a few. The original restaurant was opened in 1983 by three barbeque loving bikers and today continues feeding hungry patrons at three locations, including Rochester and Harlem, NY.
Durham licks its fingers and lets Syracuse know that “the beer is why we’re here” by unleashing Tyler’s Taproom. This bar has 60 taps of brew from all over the country and some good eats as well. After dinner, Tyler’s Speakeasy caters to those looking for some games of pool or to watch the Blue Devils game on its 3 huge plasma TVs.
Although Syracuse started this fight feeling pretty confident, it is now is beginning to sway. Before anything else happens Syracuse decides to use its secret weapon, Clark’s Ale House. This great hometown bar was opened by Ray Clark in 1992. No TVs and 32 taps of craft beer make this the people’s choice as best neighborhood bar in Syracuse. Ray sponsors a cask festival once a year to promote “real ale”, which is beer that’s unpasteurized, unfiltered, and non-carbonated. Some good ole’ fashioned fun usually occurs at this event, where locals have been known to spontaneously break out their guitars.
Tapping his toes to this music, Durham rears back and throws a beer bar called City Beverage located on Hope Valley Road. City Beverage has a fantastic selection of craft beer, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays it hosts ”Pint Night”, where all draught beer is $3. By charging a mere $3 for a pint of Bell’s Two Hearted or New Belgium, City Beverage is practically paying you to drink.
Both cities are weary from the battle but still standing. So without the TKO, the judges make the final call. The winner of this week’s Beer Bar Battle is . . . (full disclosure, my wife grew up in Syracuse and I have family that works at UNC Chapel Hill) . . . SYRACUSE!!
East Carson Street in Pittsburgh
While Haight Street in San Francisco is home to hippies and flower children, East Carson Street — arguably the longest continuous stretch of bars in the country — is home to Pittsburgh’s large college student population. (I’ve had the privilege of visiting both cities recently, and can’t tell you how good the bar scenes are on these streets . . . no, seriously, I can’t remember any of it.)
The battle begins. Ding ding!
Haight Street stares glassy-eyed at East Carson Street, and says (in your best Tommy Chong voice): “Hey let’s love each other, man. I don’t want to fight you, man.” But, behind a big puff of smoke comes a great little brewpub called Magnolia Pub and Brewery. With fried chicken Thursdays and an abundance of casks, this place has all you need to satisfy a serious case of the munchies.
East Carson snatches the joint right out of Haight’s mouth, takes a hit, stomps the doobie out, and throws back Fathead’s Saloon. 42 taps and a hand pump can get any college crowd going. What, they close at 2:00 AM? Not to worry, just grab a 6 pack to go. One floor above Fathead’s restaurant and bar is a six pack shop that sells an incredible selection of domestic and foreign craft beers.
The Haight keeps the munchies at bay with a fat Fathead’s Burger, and decides to keep this fight low-key with The Alembic Bar. For the record, any bar that has Russian River Consecration on its bottle list is a champion in my book. (I stumbled upon Russian River beers while rolling through the hills of San Fran and I’d have to say that I think Vinnie Cilurzo of RR, who’s the head brewer and part-owner with his wife Natalie, is a certified genius.)
East Carson shrugs and says, “We’ve got some pretty good breweries here on the East Coast as well, damn it.” Then he pulls out Smokin’ Joe’s, which is exactly that, SMOKIN’! The East Coast is very well represented at Smokin’ Joe’s, where, among its 60 taps and 350+ bottles, it offers beer from the likes of Victory Brewing Company, the Duck Rabbit Craft Brewery (which makes a fantastic Milk Stout and has a pretty cool logo), and the Southern Tier Brewing Company.
Haight has been holding back, though. In its back pocket is the grand-daddy of all beer bars, the twenty-two year old Toronado. This place is full of character and has been around longer than most of the breweries that distribute to Toronado. Haight just stands there and smiles in a peace-and-loving way.
In the meantime, East Carson decides its tired of this hippie and just starts throwing bar after bar at Haight: Piper’s Pub, The Library, Double Wide Grill, and on and on.
Haight Street can’t handle the successive hits and taps out, leaving East Carson with a well-deserved victory.
“Beer Bar Battle” is a weekly segment where we pin two cities, neighborhoods, streets, etc. against each other to see which has the most craft beer-cred. This week: “A Heavy Weight Battle of the Boroughs” – Manhattan v. Brooklyn (Rd 1).
In this corner, weighing in at a slim 1.6 million people, the financial capital of the WOOOOORLD, Manhattan. Cheers–Yaa–woohooo.
And in this corner, coming in at a meaty 2.5 million people, Brooooooklyn. Fugheddaboudit!
These two boroughs include some of the best beer bars in the country. The bell rings, they start slow. Manhattan throws out two quick jabs, a right (Burp Castle) and a left (Standings). While these two bars are geographically next door to each other, they are miles apart in ambiance. Whether you’re looking to speak softly in a monk’s monastery sipping Belgian monsters or watch the game among a jerseyed crowd drinking an American IPA, this East 7th Street one-two punch is beer lovers paradise.
In respose to Manhattan’s double-jab, Brooklyn wastes no time and reacts with two quick counters from the same block of 4th Ave., Pacific Standard and 4th Avenue Pub. The California love exudes from Pacific Standard, a great local watering hole with 13 taps, 2 casks, and games for the whole family. 4th Avenue Pub is no slouch either with it’s amazing selection of craft beers and free popcorn.
Manhattan nods in appreciation but wastes no time with another swing from the East Village, Hop Devil Grill. Oh boy can 32 taps of great brew hit hard! We all know how a great Friday night can lead to a miserable Saturday morning or even a Wednesday morning after Hop Devil’s famed Taco Tuesday (tacos for a buck).
Brooklyn stumbles, takes a second to compose itself and fires away with a roundhouse (Soda Popinski style), and belts out Barcade on Union Ave. in Williamsburg. If you believe the only thing wrong with an arcade is that they don’t serve beer, then Barcade is for you. Tons of old school video games, all for a quarter, can keep you entertained all night, but its the all-American selection of craft brews that keeps people here.
Manhattan furiously slams on the A button repeatedly and gets up just before the bell rings. Round 1 ends with Manhattan struggling.
COMING SOON: BEER NATION! A web-based series exploring the craft beer revolution.
Check out our trailer:
If you’ve stepped into a bar since the end of the Clinton administration, you’ve probably noticed that the beer taps are multiplying at a furious rate. What was once two or three recognizable beers is now eight or ten, many of which may be unfamiliar to the craft beer virgin.
It doesn’t matter if you know the difference between a saison and a session, or a Sam Adams and a Samuel Smith. Beer Nation caters to anyone interested in learning more about the brewers, the drinkers, the bartenders, and everyone else who makes this a Beer Nation.
