It’s Official–Williamsburg is a Great Place to Get a Beer
Tom Bridge from DC Metblogs was lamenting that none of the great beer establishments in DC made it onto the Beer Advocate’s ‘Top 50 Places in America to Have a Beer’ so I figured I’d check out the list to see how NYC fared. Oddly enough, three places in NYC are on the list and not only are they all in Brooklyn, but they are all in everyone’s favorite hipster enclave, Williamsburg.
Here’s how we ranked:
#3 Spuyten Duyvil – 359 Metropolitan Avenue @ Havemeyer Street
#36 Mugs Ale House – 125 Bedford Avenue @ North 10th Street
#49 Barcade – 388 Union Avenue (Between Ainslie and Powers)
I’ve never actually been to Mugs but I have definitely talked about my love for Barcade before here. That being said, hands down Spuyten Duyvil is my favorite bar ever. In fact, I have been refraining from writing about it here so it doesn’t get so crowded that I can’t get a seat. But it appears that the cat is out of the bag now. Spuyten Duyvil has a cafe like vibe, lots of seating and benches, not to mention a fantastic outdoor garden area that’s great for a happy hour gathering. Not only do they have some of the most rare and obscure ales you’ve ever heard (or more accurately not heard) of, the staff is knowledgable and friendly–letting you taste the tap selection and bending over backwards to get you a beer you will like. I am particularly fond of the Kindl Berliner Weisse, a very tart, dry Weisse beer served with a dash of Raspberry or Woodruff syrup to reduce the acidity. They also have a great selection of meats, cheeses and pates to compliment your libations.
Right now SD is celebrating Lambic with their Yeast Feast, which started last Sunday and ends this coming Sunday. They have an impressive array of lambics on taps right now that I highly recommend you check out.
i just made the trek to Astoria last weekend for my first visit to the outdoor beer garden.
excellent time. definitely a pretty authentic styled european bier garden.
big, airy, trees, music, good beer, cards, camraderie.
you’re on gawker!
dana, if you ever want company getting a beer in williamsburg, feel free to call!
Yeast Fest? Maybe none of the owners are women or they would have thought twice about naming it that.
It’s all good beer but think of the hipster scum you have to drink with.
Hahaha…a realtor calling hipsters scum! That’s priceless. Pot? Kettle? Which one do you want to be?
Hey Lisa, I’ll be there on Friday after work drinking lambic if you wanna stop by! Anna, I think one of the owners is female and I’m sure she got a kick out of the yeast thing. Hey, it rhymes doesn’t it?
Mug’s is amazing. They don’t have as exotic a beer selection as Spuyten Duyvil, but they do have a very extensive beer list and also great beers on tap.
Plus they have a lot more seating space than Duyvil does.
Personally I think they should have been ranked much higher than 36, but since I haven’t been to number one and two on the list, I agree with Duyvil as number three. They really are excellent.
Every other time I go to Muggs, it smells like a Port-a-potty tipped over in there. Damndest thing.
It isn’t on the list, but if you’re in the mood to drink beer in Williamsburg, Harefield Road on Metropolitan (http://brooklyn.citysearch.com/profile/41892842/brooklyn_ny/harefield_road.html) is a great place… and they’ve got a backyard.
Everytime I leave SD, I am happily trashed! If getting drunk effortlessly is a sign of a good bar, then yes SD deserves full honor.
Harefield Road is definitely also a great bar in the burg…also flying under the radar in mostly undiscovered status. I threw a birthday party there last month and the owners were super accomdating, giving us plenty of space and the ability to serve hot food. That place is definitely worth checking out, although perhaps too new to be considered for this type of list.