So, the trip's not entirely about beer, but it was for this afternoon, at least. The Mrs. and I are in New York City for a long weekend, and we hopped the L train from Manhattan to Bedford Avenue today for a visit to Brooklyn Brewery, one of the country's most successful craft brewers.There's a bar in-house, tours on the hour between 1 and 4 on Saturday afternoons, and a happenin' happy hour on Friday nights. The staff is hospitable and the tour's informative. The brewery was founded in part by a former correspondent for the Associated Press who got interested in making good beer when he was posted in the anti-alcohol Middle East, where fellow Westerners compensated by brewing in their bathtubs. That's a story an Alabama beer writer can relate to.
I sampled three brews in the tasting room, the East India Pale Ale (that's it in the photo), the seasonal Winter Ale and the trademark Brooklyn Lager. A few Brooklyn brews are available in bottles in northeast Alabama, but I've had bad experiences so far, with a number of purchases past their expiration dates and their flavor the worse for it. Getting it fresh at the brewery is another story, though. The IPA in particular was crisp and bitter and worth the plane trip, subway ride and walk to the brewery.
Look for a full report in this week's column, coming in Wednesday's Star (assuming I make it home to Anniston from NYC).
I'm in town through Monday morning. If anyone reading out there has any NYC beer suggestions I should try before heading home, click below to leave a comment. (We're thinking of having lunch tomorrow at the Ginger Man, not far from our hotel. Looks promising.)
