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[title]RECOMMENDED: Food & Drink Awards 2013
One of the most powerful weapons the craft-beer frontliners have in their assault on the city’s drinking habits is accessibility: Menus may be intimidating, but bars themselves don’t stray far from the everyman-tavern mold. Proletariat is a much-deserved look into no-holds-barred beer geekdom, blissfully free of TVs, generic pub grub and high-fiving mooks. With just 12 stools and a space so tight that clunky menus have been replaced with a QR code (scan it with your smartphone), brewhounds get the type of intimacy usually afforded only to the cocktail and wine crowds. The expert servers have a story for every keg they tap, from the newest local brews to obscure New Zealand ales and deep cuts from the Belgian canon. Sure, the name out front may feel ironic when you’re sipping a $10 pour of a Norwegian saison you can’t pronounce, but Gotham’s beer scene is ready for a place that doesn’t compromise. Salute Proletariat for pushing the envelope. Proletariat, 102 St. Marks Pl between First Ave and Ave A (212-777-6707, proletariatny.com)