The Clurnses just wrapped up our second annual February beercation (beer vacation). Last year we crossed the pond for British Real Ale and this year we headed to the Big Apple with our friends Val and Rod for a week of American Craft Beer. The general format of our beercations are tourist by day, beer drinking by night. In this case we hit a lot of the big tourist destinations of New York City by day including the Museum of the City of New York, New York Transit Museum, MoMA, Museum of Sex, NBC Studio Tour and Top of the Rock, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, etc. And we also did some interesting walks, including a misadventure through a few Brooklyn neighbourhoods. By night we sought out bars and pubs that had at least a dozen American Craft Beer on tap, doing our best to never have the same beer twice.
As a Canadians I grew up with some pretty negative views of American beer and pretty confident that Canadian beer was both better tasting and high
er alcohol. And maybe for Bud Light Lime this remains true. But the reality is American Craft Beer has us beat. There are over 1600 craft brewers in the States. We’re just beginning to play catch-up. And unlike a lot of places with stricter brewing traditions (sorry Germany), American craft brewers are willing to combine styles or make new ones in the quest for delicious beer. The alcohol content for beers I drank last week ranged from 3% to over 11%. And the flavours ranged from fruity, floral, citrus, smoky, chocolate, hoppy, sour, malty and more. And all this great beer has been brewed and supported by a dedicated community of beer lovers long before craft beer was the next hottest trend.
If you are lucky enough to head to NYC here are the bars and pubs we visited and a sampling of some of the daily beer menus we got to enjoy. And if not, check out America’s Top 100 Beer Bars as a starting point before your next American vacation.
This was our local for the week (meaning it was the only bar that we went to more than once and was a short stumble from our hotel). It was dedicated to all-American Craft Beer with 20 beers on tap and 2 casks. And while it wasn’t the best selection we saw, it rotated regularly with new beers coming online all the time. Every beer was also $5 (the higher alcohol ones came in smaller glasses) which made it easier on the pocketbook than some of the other places we
visited. And it had one of our favourite snacks of the vacation, deep-fried pickles. Get there early if you want a seat! And check out the beer menus we had to choose from: Pony Bar Beer Lists and the one from my birthday: Pony Bar Birthday Beers.
Rattle N Hum
This place had a huge beer list, with 40 drafts. Check out the menu when we were there which is printed daily: side 1 & side 2. It was a pretty casual place, fairly close to the Empire State Building. While the staff seemed to know the beer, they were stumped when I asked for more information on the upcoming cask event they were having that weekend. And if you like cheesy nachos this is the place to come. We’re pretty sure they put down a layer of cheese before chips.
Mugs Alehouse
This place had a local vibe and was where we landed after an under planned walk across Brooklyn. We loved the super warm heater and the yummy selection. And the staff was pretty great too, taking time to provide some great recommendations.
Barcade
Prepare to geek out! This bar has 35 classic arcade games lining the walls of an otherwise industrial large room with only a few tables. There were also 24 taps with 75% of the beer from the northeast. And it was a dog-friendly bar, just watch out for the occasional tinkle. 
The Blind Tiger
It is hard to judge this bar because we came during a Vermont cheese and beer festival. Our first try getting in didn’t work. But our second try we not only got in, we were able to convince a very nice smartphone addict to share his table with us. The beer list was great, with 28 taps, 2 casks, and 1 gravity keg. And this was where I had one of my favorite beers, the Von Trapp Trosten (a black lager). The downfall was the obnoxious suits that were one table over that were/left a mess.
Valhalla
We found this bar while still basking in our post-Colbert bliss. It was a random find (thanks Rod!) that had a wall full of taps and lots of beers that we hadn’t yet tried.
d.b.a.
This is one of the earlier bars that helped build the craft beer bandwagon that we found popping up all over the city. The selection was a mix of European and American beers and there was a resident cat that got our attention. While it wasn’t our favourite bar it was still well worth the visit.
The Dram Shop
This pub in the Park Slope neighbourhood of Brooklyn had a decent selection of beers but most importantly it had deep-fried mac and cheese. It had the feel of a local and very attentive staff.
Ginger Man
Another bar that was close to the Empire State Building (we went up it after finishing at the bar) and it had a few too many suits, but as the menu shows (side 1 and side 2) there was huge beer selection and despite how busy it was we were able to score a table and snack on cheese platter (the boys had charcuterie).
Other Room
This was a dark and intimate bar. Despite it’s small size it’s beer list still managed to keep us occupied for a couple of rounds and there was great music.
Waterfront Ale House
This bar was off the beaten track and definitely more of a casual vibe with friendly staff. While the food was average the sour beer was a highlight.