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Forget cocktail bars—NYC’s craft beer scene is one of the best in the world, and it’s only getting better
New York is home to some of the best bars in the entire world. Bartenders and beverage directors around the city have been pushing the envelope for quite some time, but only over the past few years have craft beer bars started to boom. The craft beer revolution is alive and well in New York, and these hangs are the best places to sip on some of the world’s best brews.
Since 2007, Bar Great Harry in Carroll Gardens has been pouring tasty craft beers from breweries across the country. The place has a rotating selection of 20-plus beers on tap, with a wide variety of cans and bottles to boot. Whether you want to try something new or sip on one of your favorite local pints, this is a great Brooklyn watering hole for beer aficionados and novices alike. 280 Smith St, Brooklyn (718-222-1103, bargreatharry.com)
Bed-Stuy’s beer scene is having a moment, and it’s anchored by Glorietta Baldy on Franklin Avenue. The bar has a relatively modest 12 rotating beers on tap, but you’d be hard-pressed to recognize more than half of them. If you’re looking to try something new in the beer world while avoiding the crowds in some other beer-loving Brooklyn ’hoods (Park Slope, Williamsburg, etc.), Glorietta Baldy is a sure bet. 502 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn (347-529-1944, gloriettabaldy.com)
Enjoying the craft-beer boom that’s taken place in New York throughout the last two decades? Then you’d be remiss if you didn’t head out to the brewpub where it all began. Heartland Brewery first started producing craft beer in 1995, and the company now has locations across midtown. The four locations offer six beers year-round with a medley of seasonal options, all of which helped shape NYC’s beer scene into what it is today. Various midtown locations (heartlandbrewery.com)
This new Clinton Hill taproom has a focus on beer made in New York State, and boy, oh boy is it a welcome addition to the neighborhood. With a dozen local beers on draft and a robust selection of cans, Cardiff Giant pours beers from classic area breweries like Other Half, Ommegang and Brooklyn Brewery, as well as plenty of establishments that you might want to try out for the first time—so get tipsy and buy local (or expand your horizons) right here. 415 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn (929-337-7873, cardiffgiantny.com)
If you’re a fan of farm-to-table dining, you’re going to fall head over heels for farm-to-glass drinking. Indian Ladder Farmstead Cidery and Brewery is located on a century-old farm in upstate New York town Altamont (about 15 miles west of Albany). The place takes booze seriously and sources ingredients grown on-site. From ambitious collaboration beers to ciders that you can’t find anywhere else, Indian Ladder offers drinking experiences you just can’t find in New York City. 342 Altamont Road,Altamont, NY (518-655-0108, ilfcb.com)
Houston Hall is a go-to spot for large groups of friends looking to knock a few (or seven) back. The massive, 8,000-square-foot space has a consistently solid selection of craft beers and serves them in three sizes ranging from a half-pint to a 35-ounce stein. With a menu filled to the brim with hardy drinking food—like a giant Bavarian pretzel that is capable of chasing off even the most aggressive hangover—it’s hard to imagine a better spot in Lower Manhattan to relish in the glory that is good beer. 222 W Houston St (212-675-9323, houstonhallny.com)
For many beer lovers in New York, it can be hard to track down a bar that offers an authentic, English-style cask ale. To satiate your thirst, look no further than Mission Dolores, which always has one cask tapped—plus, the spot also carries another 20 beers on draft if a flat, warm brew isn’t your jam. Tucked along the border of Park Slope and Gowanus, this bar offers the best of each neighborhood and has become an area staple since it opened amid the craft-beer boom in 2010. When the weather permits, patrons can waste away in the bar’s spacious courtyard, which offers a surprisingly pleasant view of the stars (well, the few that we can see). 249 Fourth Ave, Brooklyn (347-265-8288, missiondolores.com)
Head to the Bowery to throw one of thirty rotating craft beers on tap at One Mile House, a welcoming joint with great prices. Get everything from an IPA to a Hefeweizen to suit your palate, try one of the dozens of rarer brews by the bottle, and soak it all up with bar bites like short-rib poutine and Texas-chili grilled cheese. 10 Delancey St (646-559-0702, onemilehousenyc.com)
While some craft-beer bars only serve glasses, bottles and cans of suds, the Owl Farm goes much, much further. The Park Slope haunt has an extensive selection of ciders, wines, distilled beers and spirits, making it a bit more accessible for those who have no idea what a lambic is. There’s plenty of options to drink what you’re comfortable with but even more opportunities to drink somethingthat’sweirdandunexpected. Live a little! 297 9th St, Brooklyn (718-499-4988, theowlfarm.com)