Fonz wrote:Matty Red Sox wrote:Gingerman is NOT one of the better beer bars anymore... again Williamsburg and Greenpoint are better. I think Pete might like Standings - I used to bartend there - the beers are all US micros (except for Bub Light - it's like a joke), not the selection of the Gingerman, but generally interesting beers AND its tiny, so you do have conversation AND has been rated the best place in NYC to watch sports several times... even though it's tiny, it has about twenty flat screens around the place each tuned to the best games of the day. Sunday they put out a free brunch for the football/basketball crowd, Fridays have free pizza, plenty of other specials. Tell Gary (the owner) that you know me and he'll make sure you're taken care of. Tip well, they'll take care of you.
As for the Brooklyn Brewery, it's good, better beers available there than in the bars that sell their product - I'm not a Sorachi Ace lover, but it's a solid beer - if I was seeking out local beers in NYC, I'd start at Brouwerij Lanes https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brouweri ... 7198780715 - they sell to go, or you drink there (great pizza down the street at Paulie G's) - the staff will be up on the best beers and places to go for it in the area, it's often possible that a brewer will be there and even take you under their wing.
Again, though, for sports go see some live stuff in NYC, see the Rangers, by far the most exciting sports event in New York (absolutely check who they playing, see to it that you are not wearing their colors)...
Oh and have lunch at Peter Lugers, bring about $100 cash. Trust me on this.
But... The Gingerman is in Midtown-walking distance from many of the 'top attractions'...pretty much across the street (?6th Ave) from the Empire State Building...
Next time I'm in NYC, which may be a while, I'll drop you a line Matty. Beer is my 'thing', and I'm always on the lookout for a nice pint.
Cheers!
Yeah, I like the Gingerman and it's within walking distance of home for me. They have more of an international selection of beer, not so focused on American micro-brews (which is a really growing phenomenon across the nation judging from my road trip to Little Rock after Christmas). The Gingerman is a comfortable place when it's not crowded - weekend afternoons are very relaxed.
"Sports Bar" is not a selling point in my book - loud patrons with TV images flashing in your drink and food. My wife and I walked out of a restaurant the other day without sitting down because they had installed three wide-screen TV's in the little dining room, as if the eight TV's in the bar weren't enough. We're old. It's not our world anymore.
We've had a couple of Jolly Ups at the Gingerman. It's a good central location; BCB'ers far and wide can get there easily because it's a ten or 15-minute walk from Grand Central and Penn Station and there are several subway stops within a couple of blocks.