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BARCADE – BROOKLYN

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Barcade Brooklyn | Corporate Events, Wedding Locations, Event Spaces and Party Venues.

BROOKLYN’S BARCADE BRINGS GAMING TO SPECIALTY BREWS

The original BARCADE in Brooklyn’s hipster Williamsburg section brought arcade gaming to endlessly rotating American craft draughts in 2004. A caliginous North Side bar with a grimy dive feel and rustic furnishings, Barcade’s a genuine one-of-a-kind novel idea promoted mostly by Jersey-bred co-owner Paul Kermizian. Just around the corner from international beer haven, Spuyten Duyvil, this dank brick-walled industrial space has an enclosed front patio walkway that offers patrons the chance to take a break from the 24 taps and 35 games to sit and chat.

Serious craft beer enthusiasts with a hankering for vintage electronic games from Asteroids and beyond will go spastic over this place – especially the cheap quarter-priced video gaming fee. Loud rock music blasts from the speakers, echoing to the high warehouse ceiling.

Tonight’s Winter Beer Night at Barcade and the crowded bar is plush with young beer folk. Several locals bring their dogs here while imbibing some of the best suds found under one roof. One’s seated next to Climax Brewing owner Dave Hoffmann, whose father and I drove in with him this cold Thursday evening in early December ’11. Hosting boss Paul Kermizian chats with Hoffmann and I at the left side bar, chewing the fat over a wide variety of brews.

I usually sojourn to Barcade on the way to Williamsburg rock shows a few streets down, but tonight I’ll be drinking for four whole hours since I don’t have to drive home or attend a concert. There’ll be so much socializing going on I’ll forget to drop a few quarters in the ’70s/ ’80s-related video games. The beers discovered run the gamut from a cabernet-wined strong ale to two barleywines, two Baltic Porters, a honeyed pils and a rummy gourd-spiced elixir (full reviews given in the Beer Index).

As we settle in around 8 PM, I dig into Kelso Cabernet Quad Bock, an oaken Cabernet Sauvignon-soothed quadrupel with sharp-hopped raisin-plum dried fruiting, musky Muscatel wining and tart cranberry-raspberry recession. Probably more suited to a noir-ish nightcap, its eloquent warmth loosened me up right away.

Traditional Czech-styled moderate body, Fisherman’s Honey Pilsner, brought a raw-honeyed lemon pucker to grassy-hopped herbage and sourdough malting. Brewed by Cape Ann’s Jeremy Goldberg, one of the stars in the informal ’02 documentary American Beer (alongside Kermezian), put together a wholly successful Fisherman’s line of brews and each one’s specially priced when featured at this venerable Brooklyn hideaway.

Next came Harpoon Leviathon Baltic Porter, a chocolate-y full body aged two years for a deeper wood-smoked molasses sapping. Similarly styled Sixpoint S.M.P. Baltic Porter contrasted its dark chocolate, cocoa nibs, and coffee bean roasting with beechwood smoked nuttiness.

We stepped outside to get some air before I reached for a few high alcohol treats that’d put me to sleep on the way back to Hoffmann’s brewery.

First up, excellent rum barrel aged Avery Rumpkin had a rum-spiced pumpkin pie sweetness sidled by red chery, bruised orange and candied apple illusions. As I sip this brandy-wined cognac-like strong ale, several new customers walk in and grab a few Middle Ages Dragon Slayer’s alongside Dogfish Head Faithfull. In town for the extended weekend, these twenty-something professionals admit revisiting Barcade time and again. And a few walk over to play Donkey Kong.

As my buzz thickens, I reach for some water before delving into two English-styled barleywines. A Challah-breaded almond toasting invited the dryer Pretty Things Our Finest Regards. But California’s sweeter Bear Republic Barrel Aged Olde Scoutter outdid its worthy winter-warming Massachusetts opponent. Its lilting bourbon lick recieved a brown-sugared fig-date conflux and oak-aged vanilla simmer.

Though Brooklyn’s Barcade may seem inconspicuous and inconsequential from the street, customers will be surprised by its tempting American craft beers as well as the large video game selection. Daily 5 to 8 PM happy hour offers $1 off well drinks. So double your pleasure and start gaming while fully imbibing with friends.

www.barcadebrooklyn.com

BARCADE – JERSEY CITY

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BARCADE EXPANDS TO JERSEY CITY AND BEYOND…

-John Fortunato

Barcade introduced one of the best original concepts for a craft beer bar during 2004. Its five owners, led by hands-on entrepreneur Paul Kermizian, wanted to re-invigorate the homey recreational experience of drinking beers with close pals while playing vintage arcade games. The novel whim would prove to be the coolest idea for an urban pub common city folk would like to hang out at, much like Kermizian’s Brooklyn apartment had been theretofore.

Barcade’s nascent Union Avenue post in the trendy Williamsburg section of Brooklyn has continually increased its customer base over seven years, allowing westward expansion to Jersey City and Philadelphia in 2011. Not only does each Barcade site offer 24 revolving taps of respectable American beers, the caliginous metropolitan clubs also feature select stateside liquor plus red and white wine. Furthermore, each location keeps it green by utilizing 100% wind-powered turbines instead of electricity.

“We keep our theme of having only American craft beer on our taps,” Kermizian says as we celebrate Weyerbacher Night in early November. “Two-thirds of the beers come from the local northeast corridor and two-thirds are sessionable beers the general public enjoys. There are only eight or nine strong Big Beers on tap at any given time because there’s only so many people who’ll drink 10% alcohol beer. That’s a cutoff. But we always try to be flexible and stylistically diversified. We always have the basics – a pilsner, India Pale Ale, and stout available. The rest we play around with.”

I originally met the dark-haired Kermizian after conducting a phone interview for American Beer, an insightful travelogue documenting forty national breweries the Bound Brook native perused with four close friends, three of whom co-own Barcade. We were at a High Times softball game with fellow documentary pal (and Cape Ann brewer) Jeremy Goldberg quaffing several Canadian brews bought during my family trip to Niagara Falls. Then, I introduced him to high profile Ipswich brewer, James Dorau, who’d brought down a few sixtels of rich and creamy Ipswich Oatmeal Stout for Barcade to tap in November ‘05.

Over the years, I revisited Barcade prior to many chic Williamsburg rock shows, trying my hand at Frogger, Pac Man, and Donkey Kong. Though known by some as a nerdy hipster joint, there was always a multifarious assemblage of people on hand at this former metal shop. Word spread and regional growth was just around the corner.

For my first trip to the Jersey City-based Barcade, Allagash Night got celebrated on a rainy October afternoon. An amazing 22 dedicated taps served the Portland, Maine brewers’ wild, sour, Belgian-styled and traditional beer styles. A former Washington Mutual Bank, Barcade’s newest hotspot across the Hudson River opened April, 2011. Its priceless corner spot, in close proximity to the Path Train, has a sandalwood exterior and lengthy front side windows. The high-ceiling black-walled interior nearly doubles the size of Brooklyn’s inceptive space. Six re-purposed wood tables centralize the elongated right side bar and left-walled gaming area.

The recently completed Philadelphia-based Barcade, situated in the gentrified Delaware River waterfront village, Fishtown, was chosen for its similarly fashioned industrial art community.

Besides 24 taps and 35 games, the new two Barcade’s also serve food. In Jersey City, General Manager Al Bacchiochi handles cuisine duties. A onetime kitchen worker at a private midtown Manhattan cigar bar, he brings plenty of experience to the table. He’d worked for Brooklyn Brewery’s sales force in the mid-‘90s, gaining a keen perspective into the beer scene.

“Al is a former chef,” Kermizian explains as he serves up Weyerbacher’s 14th Anniversary Wheat Wine during Weyerbacher Night a week after my initial Jersey City venture. “We wanted to bring in someone knowledgeable about preparing food and helping us choose appropriate beers. We told him to run with it and have fun.”

Whether trying the pickled hop shoots from a Washington State farm or the rosemary uncured ham, each short dish from the small bar side kitchen is handled with utmost care. And the sandwiches and cheeses look yummier than the usual bar food.

“The food in Philly is based on the same concept, but there’s also a yard so we could take advantage of a smoker for meats,” Kermizian informs as he pours a cinnamon-nutmeg-spiced Weyerbacher Pumpkin Ale from a hallowed-out pumpkin.

Though Jersey City’s site had much better structural integrity, Philly’s larger Barcade was carved out of an all-wood old carriage house (with a back barn and side yard). Construction began at the same time, but the very detailed work at the Philly spot took more time to shape up, even if Jersey’s antiquated liquor laws burden most startup beer bars.

“New Jersey’s bar scene is pretty clandestine except for Jersey City,” Bacchiochi divulges. “Fortunately, most of our clientele is young professionals that are serious craft beer enthusiasts. Jersey City’s transportation is easily accessible and we have a lot of customers within walking distance.”

ATWOOD’S TAVERN

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ATWOOD’S TAVERN, CAMBRIDGE, MA.

Just past the heart of Cambridge five miles west of Boston, ATWOOD’S TAVERN has the cozily rustic feel of an Olde English pub with its wood furnishings, low ceilings, bottle cellar, rear dining space and superb beer selection. A heavily rotated batch of draughts delights both neighborhood brew hounds and curious outsiders. My wife and I sat dead center at the left bar during a two-hour mid-December 2011 stopover.

Copious salads, burgers and sandwiches dot the menu. I totally enjoyed the crispy crabcakes over spinach. There were a dozen tapped craft beers listed on the board in front of me and I chose three different stylistically ambitious brews from three brand spankin’ new local Massachusetts brewers.

First up, Jack’s Abby Brewing Kiwi Rising, an interestingly deviant Imperial India Pale Lager, represented the nearby town of Framingham. As Velvet Underground’s heroin-indulging “Waiting For My Man” played in the background, I quaffed the subtly tropical elixir. On tap, its faded kiwi, mango and passion fruit dalliance caressed piney grapefruit-peeled bittering and white-peppered spices, letting less intricately detailed pineapple, peach and red grape illusions to filter through the backend.

Next, the Beatles joyous “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey” crammed the speakers as I dug into Backlash Convergence, a busy Belgian-styled farmhouse saison from the northwest Boston suburb of Brighton. Its barnyard yeast funk saddled prickly white-peppered rye malting, lemony candi-sugared banana-clove insistence and vanilla wafer sweetness.

A fabulous live bluegrass quintet played pristine acoustic numbers by the time I dipped into Somerville Brewing’s excellent Slumbrew Porter Square Porter. Based in Somerville two miles outside Boston and opened for business a mere month, this small operation now has three flagship beers in their young catalogue. A fine after dinner relaxant, Square Porter’s hop-roasted oats toasting allowed prominent coffee-stained black chocolate richness to deepen the wood-burnt walnut char and honey-glazed hazelnut sweetness.

Expanded reviews of these three brews are in Beer Index.

www.atwoodstavern.com

ZEPPELIN HALL

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JERSEY CITY’S ZEPPELIN HALL STANDS TALL

Fabulousness is nothing new to Zeppelin Hall proprietor, John Argento. The former owner of New York City’s premier ‘80s nightclub, Danceteria, now runs the Garden State’s largest German biergarten. Including its three-room interior, the 26,000 square foot public house truly does dwarf any competition in both expanse and draught selection.

“Danceteria was more interested in being fabulous than rich,” Argento says as we sit in his loft office. “We were always working on a budget and four weeks from bankruptcy. We were drawn into getting our name on Page 6 (of the Daily News) than buying Jersey Shore houses. You learn to be lean and mean and that’s how I run Zeppelin Hall.”

Taking its aerostat name from rigid airship inventor, Count Von Zeppelin, this luxuriously detailed ground floor space in Jersey City’s newly developed Liberty View was a raw shell of a building when local developer Peter Mocco recruited his pal Argento to take charge. They had already turned Jersey City’s Sand Bar into a successful restaurant lounge in the ‘90s – before Argento went to culinary school and got ‘headhunted’ to be General Manager of Queens-based Bohemian Hall.

Though Bohemian Hall offered good business, high income and low expenses, Argento claims the place looked like a 1970’s basement with drab wood panel. However, he enjoyed its ethnic diversity and interesting mix of business professionals and young artists.

“A poorly managed Czech Society owned Bohemian Hall, New York’s oldest biergarten,” Argento explains. “But it was crowded seven days a week. Lunchtime would gather 800 people. Peter came over unexpectedly one Saturday afternoon. There was a line down the block. Realizing nightclubs only made money from 10 to 2 in the morning twice a week, I knew the biergarten concept was being underutilized. People of all shapes, sizes and color sharing a common economic level came to enjoy sausages and beer on a beautiful day. Nightclubs segregated their population to narrow bins.”

Since Czech pilsners and lagers lack stylistic diversity, Argento wanted to open a Pan-European bar that took in Belgian beers, German wheats, British bitters and American micros as well. An astounding 144 taps were installed. He expected 400 people on a Thursday night soft opening in June ’09, but instead got 1,200 during a rainstorm. Some complained the first few nights because getting a beer from the understaffed bartending crew was difficult. Thereafter, an expanded staff was hired to cater as many as 2,000 varied customers at any given time.

“People thought I was crazy opening a mammoth space in the middle of nowhere – Jersey City’s ass end wasteland before revitalization. But it became a destination location,” he concedes. “You can’t survive as a local neighborhood bar here. But people will come to a big place with a wide beer selection because it’s a Happening.”

Unlimited free parking, path train access, and easy waterway transport afford Zeppelin Hall plenty of traffic. Upon entering, the Pub Room offers homey warmth with its stone fireplace (with overhead projection screen), multiple cafeteria-styled wood tables, and ample J-shape bar.

The middle room has a small stage area and a template of a German castle and Bavarian village sidling the open kitchen (serving pretzels, schnitzels, bratwurst, kielbasa). Filigreed iron doors lead to The Ratskeller, a 9-tabled 12-tap banquet spread with a beautiful nighttime view of Manhattan from the tall glass windows.

Then, there’s the festive biergarten featuring a tile walking plaza, 48 outdoor taps, London plane trees, and German-styled gravel ground. Backing up to the rail line, this colossal 12,000 square foot courtyard proves no stone has been left unturned.

“At age 50, I knew I had to get out of Danceteria’s trendy edge, beating my head against the wall appealing to only 5% of the people who went out nightly,” he asserts. “I’d send a booking agent twice a week to Manchester, England to book popular British bands, bringing the Smiths over and becoming the first to play Bananarama, Sade and Soft Cell. Billy Idol debuted “White Wedding” there. After culinary school, I tried to do something that’d appeal to the other 95%.”

During my inaugural November trip, hotshot beer mavens such as Hunterdon Distributors’ Dan Masterson, Flying Dog owner Jim Caruso and Victory Brewery sales rep Steve Gates stop by to enjoy a pop. There are some post-collegiate types, several white-collar businessmen, a few lab technicians and two moms with three kids on hand.

“There’s a German word, gemutlichkeit, which means a sense of well being or coziness amongst friends,” Argento elucidates. “That’s what we engender here. We encourage people to talk – a lost art amongst singles bars where people dress to the nines. It’s very low pressure. I don’t need any drama at this point of my life.”

So check out the capacious beer hall with the weirdly rock and roll-styled name that’s clearly connected to Jersey’s Hindenberg disaster or dare to miss out on one of the most unique drinking experiences you’ll ever encounter.

EDISON ALE HOUSE

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Edison Ale House Completed.jpeg

NEWARK’S EXQUISITELY DESIGNED EDISON ALE HOUSE ROCKS REVITALIZED DOWNTOWN

Residing across Newark’s sports and entertainment capital, the Prudential Center, in a formerly abandoned broken-down warehouse, the wholly exquisite EDISON ALE HOUSE has taken the downtown area by storm (but closed down a few years hence).

Due to Hurricane Irene, Edison Ale House had a ‘soft opening’ (instead of grand opening) on August 26th, but local politicians, businessmen, and families quickly regaled this seamlessly designed metropolitan hotspot. Part of Mayor Cory Booker’s citywide renovation, this ‘traditionally minded contemporary hybrid restaurant-sportsbar’ maintains a first-rate steakhouse feel.

Tucked inside Edison Place’s one-way street, the eloquently detailed 5,000 square foot space borders the equally charming Loft 47 cocktail bar and Brick City Grill, newfangled upscale eateries worthy of the multifarious clientele representing this ethnically diverse Gateway City neighborhood.

“It’s all about the execution. We want the menu to be the top-to-bottom best. We want the best sandwiches. We don’t want mediocrity. Everything’s made from scratch,” hands-on co-owner, Eddie Becker revels. “You could taste the difference. We don’t have to broadcast how good our burgers are.”

The red-bricked, black-tinted windowed, amber-lettered exterior may seem unassuming, but the gaslight-lined walkway leads to a soft earth-toned interior, with its sublime mahogany furnishings and ample 71-foot bar (Newark’s largest) chiefly specialized by Queens-raised visionary, Becker. Its resplendent copper-tinned ceiling radiates off the porcelain-tiled wood-styled main floor and wood-pitted copper-inlayed raindrop-like bar top. Down the hall from a semi-private dining area are two sterling tile-floored bathrooms featuring vintage granite-topped copper sinks that utilize a classic upside well-watered stream.

Better yet, the modular bar system allows instant access to plumbing and electricity just by pulling off the panels. Moreover, the stainless-steeled, silicon-sealed layout protects against odorous water damage to the broad-ranging bar. No stone has been left unturned.

As we down a few blueberry-pied, phenol-spiced, Graham Cracker-backed Blue Point Blueberry Ales, Becker takes me downstairs to the basement level storage area. Large new American Panel walk-in aging boxes store meats, vegetables, and kegged beers. Becker stresses the importance of fresh ingredients every step of the way. There’s even a few oil recycling bins providing “cheap money” to keep Green. But the true challenge for a new restaurant is to keep the food original, exciting, and consistent.

“Americans accept average food too much. We want to blow people away. When Dinosaur Barbecue rib joint comes in next year, that will test our resolve,” Becker says.

As we head back upstairs, I grab a seat at the bar and get ready for one of the best full course meals imaginable. A leather-branded menu with Thomas Edison gaslight insignia provides tonight’s offerings. After taking a sip from my floral-daubed, topical-fruited, bitter-hopped Flying Fish Hopfish India Pale Ale (prominently glazed by illuminating cantaloupe, melon, pineapple, peach and apricot tones), the sensational appetizers arrive.

The fulsome pretzel sticks awaken the tastebuds when dipped into the champagne mustard vinaigrette or aged cheddar sauce alternatives. Crisply crunched Bavarian Black & Tan Onion Rings, dipped in Yeungling beer, benefit greatly from superb clover-honeyed sesame seeding, setting up the best-selling Fillet Mignon Bites topped with garlic presimien, freshly melted mozzarella and homemade steak sauce.

The main course, Country Chicken, jumps off the dish with a juicily moist mouthfeel deepened by the underlying mashed potatoes and string bean/ asparagus-laden tomato sauce. Too full to try my sweet dessert follow-up, I got home this rainy eve to share the zestful strawberry-pureed, black chocolate-covered, cheesecake lollipop with my wife.

Though Becker claims it took eight months to setup the beautiful mahogany-walled mural behind the bar and there were minor delays for the prepping and permits, Edison Ale House would make the referential Thomas Edison proud.

“We set a goal to open on time and then did so,” well-mannered General Manager Tom Blume offers. “People are creatures of habit. They don’t want to drive somewhere if they could walk to a place they enjoy. There’s a comfort zone. They could get in and out quickly. A large part of our business will be lunch and happy hour. There’s a feel good fit. You could have a beer and unwind. When Disney On Ice comes through, the warm earth tones will have an inviting feel for kids. Despite 60% bar and lounge area, families with young children will feel at home on the other side of the glass partition.”

On top of everything else, at the rear is a stone-facade brick oven for reasonably priced New York-styled pizza, perfectly affordable for cash-strapped parents stuck with ridiculously high energy, insurance, and tax bills. For those in a rush, there are twelve seats at this backend hearth.

While Blume was groomed for his supervising position at Providence-based Johnson & Wales Culinary Art School, head chef John Manzo ran a family-owned Italian restaurant in Union. And the courteous staff they’ve assembled will please clientele.

Craft beer enthusiasts will delight in Blume’s thoughtful tap selection, which includes Magic Hat #9, Long Trail Ale, Blue Moon Belgian Witbier, Tommyknockers Maple Nut Brown Ale and top-shelf product from Victory, Brooklyn, Sam Adams, and Southampton. His well-selected single-batch bourbons, specialty martinis, signature cocktails, plus red and white wines will whet the whistle of any liquor-loving devotee.

Students from nearby Rutgers-Newark University, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Seton Hall Law School have already sojourned to this highly recommended regularly. But perhaps the biggest crowds still await, as the hockey season is about to begin and the New Jersey Devils clearly will have a shot at the Stanley Cup.

“When the Devils and Rangers rivalry heats up, we’ll raise the music louder,” Blume concludes. “Besides, we’ve already, in the space of a couple weeks, got clientele coming back for more because it’s enjoyable.”

What was once a nasty beat-up eyesore I previously mocked (when hometown Ramsey High School won the state hockey tournament two years hence at the Prudential), has turned into a sufficiently sustained backyard alley across from one of America’s finest arena-sized venues. There’s no doubt Newark’s on the upswing. And Edison Ale House tops the list of places to dine and wine when perusing Jersey’s largest metropolis.

PILSENER HAUS & BIERGARTEN

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Pilsener Haus & Biergarten in Hoboken, NJ — I Just Want To Eat! |Food blogger|NYC|NJ |Best Restaurants|Reviews|Recipes

HOBOKEN’S PILSENER HAUS & BIERGARTEN TAKES OFF

Sometimes the waiting is the hardest part. Cutting through red tape and getting local politicians onboard for a new venture could cost many young entrepreneurs the chance of a lifetime.

It may’ve taken three motivated European immigrants two-and-a-half years to finally get clearance for Hoboken’s first ever biergarten, but it has proved to be a resounding success. Fashioned after authentic pre-World War One Austro-Hungarian bistros, yet easily mistaken for a bustling German beer hall, the generic-named PILSENER HAUS & BIERGARTEN is anything but pedestrian. Taking up 10,000 square feet of a factory warehouse in the underdeveloped and roomy northwest corridor of this Mile Square City on the Hudson, the fabulously newfangled venue cornering Grand Street and 15th Street pairs international craft beers with deliciously omnivorous charcuterian cuisine in an Old World setting.

Situated in a rustic red-bricked millhouse, Pilsener Haus & Biergarten’s capacious first floor space features a cafeteria-styled dining area with high ceiling, cement floor, exposed pipes, iron-worked windows, 15-foot wooden communal tables, and an open kitchen adjacent to a smaller sky-lighted wintergarten just off the nine-tabled, tree-shaded, corridor-like biergarten. On my inaugural visitation, the echo-drenched cafeteria section got packed to the hilt on what’s usually a slow night, Tuesday.

While getting this premier beer haven off the ground was no easy task, to make matters worse, its August 9th grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony got postponed due to a flash flood that temporarily drenched the floors. Notwithstanding the chaotic deluge, the resilient Pilsener Haus survived the storm and never looked back. In fact, there was a line around the block for the belated 7 o’clock opening that same evening.

“The mayor and some local councilmen were supposed to be there for the ribbon cutting, but they couldn’t wait out the storm due to other commitments,” co-owner Ladislav Sebestyan says as we settle in before supper time beckons.

A friendly Czech Republic native now residing in Secaucus, Ladi boasts about his homeland’s beer consumption (topping Germany for most guzzling per capita), then shares pertinent information pertaining to the architectural design, construction and objective of Pilsener Haus.

“We wanted to create an unpretentious European biergarten that showed off the heritage of 1920’s Austrian, Hungarian, and Czechoslovakian empires,” Ladi informs. “There’s random signage and a Europa Film Festival emblem that stress the authenticity Czech designer Jirka Kolar captured. We looked in Jersey City, even Morristown, to get the biergarten off the ground. But we knew this space we now occupy would work well. It’s not necessarily a neighborhood bar though we’re within walking distance of the pier. However, we wanted to create a ‘Destination Bar’ that not only targets Hoboken, but also all of New Jersey. We have a ferry a few blocks away. People come in from Manhattan. Ultimately, we couldn’t get the expanse we needed on Washington Street’s main drag due to noise ordinances and the lack of outside space.”

The nearby Holland and Lincoln Tunnel both offer high traffic concentration for this amiable destination. And since there’s a high concentration of second and third generation Euro-Americans in the nearby vicinity, the curiosity factor ought to bring in lots of inquiring beer enthusiasts.

“Naturally, I have a high interest in beer. When I reached the legal age, 18, I developed a taste. At the time, my favorite beer was Gambrinus 10°. I like the lightest degree beer they made. It’s less hearty, not as dry, the color’s paler, and the spicing is lower,” Ladi says.

Presently, there are three individual tap stations with seven separate tap handles in the main cafeteria beer hall. Though each tap serves strictly European fare, that’ll eventually change to reflect the prevailing popularity of new-sprung American microbrews (available only in bottle onsite). Today’s menu consists of such Euro faves as Czech Republic’s Krusovice Imperial Pils, Austria’s Stiegl Lager, Belgium’s Lefebvre Blanche de Bruxelle, plus Germany’s highly touted Franziskaner Dunkel Weisse and Paulaner Salvator Double Bock. Fine Italian, German, French, and Argentinean wines sidle American vino from Oregon and California. And several peculiar cocktails will whet the whistle of adventurous patrons.

To match the impressive array of liquids are several standard European dishes, such as Polish kielbasa, bratwurst, veal sausage, smoked pork, jalapeno-cheddar frankfurters, and Munich Fest’s signature staple, rotisserie chicken. Experienced Viennese bistro chef, Thomas Ferlesch, who had gained renown overseas before heading Café des Artistes in his adopted New York City hometown, keeps the main kitchen going. An avid Austrian gardener, Ferlesch hooked up with Pilsener Haus after spending a few years running Fort Greene, Brooklyn’s premier Thomas Beisl.

Ironically, just as Pilsener Haus endured zoning struggles and compliance restrictions (including a provision necessitating a side entrance exactly 500 feet from the nearest alcohol-related venue), I had to fight heavier-than-usual Route 3 traffic and weather a minor earthquake prior to my initial August 23rd sojourn. Happily, unlike the rest of Hoboken, parking is wide open. There are a few business types at the main bar as I arrive pre-dinner. By 8 PM, my once-empty table filled up with a cute couple celebrating their 2nd anniversary, a former councilman from my hometown, local workers, and Ladi’s fellow Czech partner, Andi Ivanov.

Andi co-founded Williamsburg’s flourishing Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Brooklyn, the archetype for this fresh Hoboken hotspot. Though not restricted to any one beer, he claims Weihenstaphaner Hefeweiss as his favorite elixir.

“Both Radegast and Pilsener Haus try to bring a unique product, ambience, and design to the public,” Andi claims as we share the approachable citric-fizzed German lager, Argo Zwickel. “We hope people appreciate the place. Hoboken was hungry, thirsty, and knew it was ready to change approach. We took a less predictable twist offering something exciting. Not everyone could create something new.”

He’s right. The general business climate in Jersey is restrictive, prohibiting modernization due to antiquated regulations that denigrate innovative ventures, especially in the beer industry. But the collective spirit enlivening brewpubs, microbreweries, and beer havens could be felt all over the state in the past decade. In fact, there are developmental plans in the works for a Hoboken microbrewery that’d hopefully parallel the success of Pilsener Haus.

“We’d like to be more spacious outside. We asked our neighbor if we could expand the biergarten to his adjoining space if he’d sell,” Andi shares. “But we think the place is perfect. Our closest competitor is Jersey City’s two-year-old Zeppelin Hall Biergarten at Liberty Harbor. They own the 30,000 square foot residential building they occupy. But Zeppelin’s closer to a giant sportsbar with TV’s.”

As I chow down the mouth-watering Chicken Paprikash (braised poultry in paprika with lemon zest, sour cream, and spaetzle potatoes), Andi returns with the easygoing, pale-malted, citric-dried, mineral-grained Augustiner Edelstoff, a clear-yellowed Munich-styled premium beer the blonde-haired entrepreneur demandingly exclaims “cannot be underestimate.” The loud crowd drowns out the Bavarian music, but the beers and food are addictive and the feel good atmosphere, contagious.

Furthermore, Pilsener Haus will begin showcasing local tri-state talent. A New Orleans-styled brass band is set to go tomorrow evening. Though there’s nary a TV to be found presently, Andi admits they’d use their projection screen to show Yankees playoff games instead of black & white silent films for the short-term interim.

“Our landlord is very supportive,” Andi concludes. “There was construction getting done upstairs while our renovation took place. So we didn’t bother many workers with all the noise.”

Just as Maxwells defines Hoboken’s indie rock music scene, Pilsener Haus illustrates the necessity for a true craft beer watering hole in the land where Frank Sinatra was born.

ww.pilsenerhaus.com

ANDY’S CORNER BAR FLAUNTS JERSEY’S FINEST BEER

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Image result for andy's corner bar bogota
Tucked into the tiny Bergen County town of Bogota, Andy’s Corner Bar is neither run by a guy named Andy nor on the corner, but it’s definitely the perfect bar for beer connoisseurs frequenting Manhattan watering holes such as Jimmy’s No. 43, Hop Devil Grille, David Copperfields, and d.b.a.
Located along the narrow thoroughfare of Queen Anne Road, bordering Hackensack to the east and just off Route 95 five minutes from the Big Apple, this cozy storefront bar features only the highest quality brews from local and national microbreweries as well as international fare from England, Belgium, and Germany. A truly American family-run establishment, Andy’s qualifies as a New Jersey landmark in my humble estimation.

Opened at its current neighborhood spot in 1999, this vibrant beer hall’s history goes back to 1949, where it was incipiently stationed a few feet away on the corner lot (hence the prevalent ‘corner’ designation). Originally known as Bell’s, current owner George Gray’s father, Andy, began working there in the Seventies when it was called Jerry’s Oval Bar. Becoming its proprietor, the name changed to Andy’s Corner Bar thereafter. It was only a matter of time before son, George, discovered the joys of homemade brews and took over the operation.

“There was a home brew shop across the street that my friends started and I always liked good beer,” George explains. “When we decided to move the place, my son was sitting at a doctor’s office when his wife was pregnant. He ripped out a page in the magazine with a picture of a bar. He knew a guy who made bars. He measured our place and came up with the mural that would maximize our space. I wanted an oval or rectangular bar like the other place, but it couldn’t possibly fit in here. This bar is much longer, 18 feet wide by 55 feet long. Then, my wife’s friend, an interior designer, picked out a color combination with the walls and floors.”

Like myself, George remembers making purchases at Haledon’s Grand Opening Liquors during the late-‘90s. At the time, this beer Mecca, a veritable godsend for beer geeks, sold hundreds of different marketed beers. Personally, I’d buy dozens of different cans and bottles during each stopover to start my own beer compendium (www.beermelodies.com). I owe a debt of gratitude to Grand Opening.

George adds, “Most of their selection was imported beer back then. Half their beer went bad due to spoilage so they cut back on some brands. But they had a helluva selection.”

Admitting a bias towards robust stouts, Belgian beers, and newly fashionable sour ales, the bulky Bogota beer baron professes his favorite beer at the moment is Rodenbach Grand Cru. Though he doesn’t drink while working the bar, the adroit host instead tastes tapped samples before being dispersed to valued customers. Because of work obligations, George doesn’t get away enough to explore loads of brewpubs, yet he shows serious appreciation for Newark’s new-sprung brewpub, Port 44, and terrific New Paltz sanctuary, The Gilded Otter. One time he visited all five Major League baseball facilities in California, sojourning West to take in a few good beer joints along the way.

“San Diego and San Francisco all had good beer bars, but not Oakland. I’ve traveled around the country with my brother-in-law watching baseball games. We usually do a long weekend trip,” he says.

On my February 2011 visit to Andy’s Corner Bar, my wife settled into a tapped German wheat beer, the luxurious lemony banana-clove-draped Franziskaner Weiss, while I quaffed the previously untried Six Point Pilsner from Brooklyn. Sitting across the 12-stooled right hand bar in one of the six opposing black tables, we immediately encountered a gray-haired man claiming to have consumed at least one of each of the rear refrigerator’s one hundred-plus beers and ales. This boast was no joke since there’s at least a hundred people listed on the wall of fame plaque situated behind my head. As we speak, George’s cordial, diminutive wife, Barbara, working alone at this point, poured our servings with great care, adding a pretzel to the thin stick hanging out from inside the beer glass perimeter.

 

No doubt about it, Andy’s Corner Bar maintains a winningly rustic saloon appeal, with its gorgeous mahogany mural sprawling top-shelf liquor across the shelves and two olden TV’s (probably installed before high-definition became all the rage) clandestinely tucked into the corners. The hunter green-walled, red tile-floored space may be dwarf-sized, but the selection is fabulous and the ever-changing taps and cask-conditioned lines are clean as a whistle, allowing impeccable flavor profiles to shine through.

Before I met owner George Gray, I’d seen reviews on BeerAdvocate gloating about his bar’s immaculate tap lines. And I’ll be damned, the first time I chatted with George he was cleaning the cask lines for tomorrow evening’s Troegs Brewery celebration. He graciously apologized for being out of cask beers this evening, though no one’s complaining.

A tidy small town alehouse patronize by the older male crowd this early Tuesday evening, its clientele usually changes to younger adults by nightfall.

“Wednesday night is geek beer night with unique seasonals and unusual fare. Last week we had the new Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA alongside Belgium’s Gulden Draak. The kegs were both gone by the end of the night. There is a changeover crowd. The younger ones come in later. They’re almost all beer geeks. And almost as many are female now.” He adds, “I’ve been very impressed with the latest wave of 25 year-olds coming in. They know their beers. Twenty years ago, nobody had a clue.”

While the front jukebox plays classic rock like The Who’s “Going Mobile,” two bar frequenters join in on my typically sarcastic banter as I dip into Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale, a caramel-toasted dry-spiced seasonal with brusque fig-date illusions. These long-time clients, one blue collar and the other white, live at least fifteen minutes away from Andy’s, but always make time after work to down a few great microbrews.

Naturally, the limited edition tapped brews are key to Andy’s growing success. I return the next day at 3 PM for the 9th Troegs Promo event. Immediately I reconnect with Jimbo, the retired gray-haired postal worker whose legendary beer consumption’s earned him a spot on Andy’s coveted ‘100 Beer Club,’ where trusty devotees quaff 100 different beers over a one-year span to receive territorial hall of fame recognition.

I decide to break tradition and quaff the heartier dark beer prior to the two new lighter-hued medium-bodied India Pale Ales. Full of brown chocolate sweetness, Troegs Old Scratch #41 Chocolate Stout layered cedar-burnt pleasantries above piquant chocolate-caked vanilla, toffee, coffee, black cherry, hazelnut, and cola nut illusions.

The dozen or so customers seated next to me at the bar concluded the best of Troegs three special offerings was Old Scratch #40 IPA, a sumptuously mellow caramel-malted, crystal-sugared delight draping soft peach, grapefruit, orange and grape tang across mild juniper bittering and neutral celery snip.

Neatly complementary, Old Scratch #39 IPA Simcoe revealed woodier hop dryness and sharper piney recess to deepen lemon-soured grapefruit bitterness above winsome pineapple-peach-melon tropicalia.

As the sun disappeared, the time was right to try Troegs two regaled cask conditioned amber ales, both richer and bolder than typical stylistic competitors. Soothing caramel-malted, apple-candied, spice-hopped Troegs Hopback Amber Ale retained truly subtle crystalline effervescence in its cask version. Better still, Troegs Nugget Nectar imparted creamy tropical fruiting to ample wood-dried easement, gaining grapefruit-peeled pineapple, mango, clementine, and tangerine tang.

George concludes, “I cater to my clientele and get the people I want. It’s not everyone’s game. I’m not looking for a power drinker or someone who is looking for the strongest beer we’ve got.”

www.andyscornerbar.blogspot.com

 

JIMMY’S NO. 43

BEER PUB

JIMMY'S NO 43, New York City - East Village - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

DUSKY MANHATTAN WATERING HOLE ROUSES EAST VILLAGE

Dank basement-level hangout, JIMMY’S NO. 43, makes a strong case for Manhattan’s best watering hole. Located down the street from New York’s famed Mc Sorley’s Old Ale House on 7th Avenue in the East Village and within walking distance of Tompkins Square Park, this diminutive three-room catacomb will satisfy any beer connoisseur, or wine enthusiast, for that matter. Featuring an interestingly diverse (and ever-changing) tap selection of a dozen craft brews to go alongside fabulous bottled beers, prestigious limited edition wines (chosen by wine importer, Neal Rosenthal), and admirable organic gourmet food, Jimmy’s No. 43, opened during 2008, couldn’t be any cozier.

Stale cigarette smoke and mucky compost bring a strange odorous waft to this narrow tomb-like neighborhood joint as the mid-afternoon Saturday crowd settles in, November 2010. These foul-smelling issues would slowly dissipate as the small back kitchen started cooking up exquisite dishes. Since I only came to enjoy a few ‘pops’ while my daughter, Nicki, attended a matinee rock show at Webster Hall a few blocks down, I didn’t get to sample the dinner menu, but needless to say, reasonably priced oysters, oxtails, veal cheeks, and duck confit make exquisite Euro-influenced entrees.

The grungy left side bar with cramped eight-stool area sidled a right side dining space and a smaller section with interesting mounted tap handles donning an apricot-mauve speckled wall. Behind the bar, a 35-seat dining area for parties and affairs completes the score. Fine wines from Argentina, Spain, Italy, France, and nearby Long Island complement the beer ‘carte du jour’ that highlighted four commendable libations I hadn’t previously discovered.

Friendly owner, Jimmy Carbone, a husky Italian-American brew freak I originally met at one of Chelsea Brewing Company’s Cask Ale celebrations, stopped by to say hi as I began consuming a ruthless rye, strong pilsner, German-styled schwarzbier, and two stouts. Carbone takes pleasure watching beer geeks, like myself, get into the handpicked offerings emanating from his busy taps. The antique, unfinished feel of Jimmy’s dingy cellar dwelling provides a centuries-old ambiance true brew hounds will find appealing. And the little porch at the entrance enables smokers and telephone callers to get a retreat.

To make things even more intriguing, bustling Irish-styled sportsbar, Standings, located upstairs, also offers great selected beers on tap and in bottle. These adjoined pubs render a rugged one-two punch that’ll knockout any needy ingurgitating visitor. A few guys from Country-Cajun band, Doc Marshalls, were seated next to me sharing thoughts on beer and music.

My first pint, Long Island’s Barrier Ruthless Rye, had an immediate grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering reinforced by juniper berry, black tea, and white rye illusions. Next, light-bodied Michigan-based Atwater Uber Ursa Imperial Pilsner featured a soft, supple crystal-malted lemon-sugared entry leading to a grapefruit-peeled peach-apricot-tangerine tang with vegetal undertones.

Brought in from the Netherlands, lactic full-bodied De Molen Rasputin Imperial Stout saddled its creamy chocolate-vanilla malting, viscous anise goo, and burgundy tranquility with mild hop-charred oatmeal graining. This rewarding li’l number was given stiff competition from Massachusetts’ Pretty Things Babayaga Stout, a robust ebony-hued full body lacquering molasses-soaked black cherry, black grape, and blackberry notions to liqueur-like anise gluten.

Pudgy-bottled Oregon-brewed medium-bodied schwarzbier, Full Sail Session Black Lager, brought dewy rye-breaded sour malting to dry black-purple grape esters and moldy fig-date astringency (with bourbon hints gaining a late foothold).

POST-SCRIPT: A few weeks later, on Pearl Harbor Day, quaffed four sour ale-related tapped beers and one superfine IPA (reviewed in Beer Index). Barrier’s Belgian Dubble Down Brown and Bulkhead Red Ale plus Allagash Interlude (2010), and Kelso’s cask-conditioned St. Gowanus were worthy. Bear Republic Ryevalry proved even better.

During May ’13, brought a few friends for dinner to Jimmy’s No. 43, consuming fantastic chorizo sausage with broccoli rabbe, lamb sliders and oysters with three sour ales and one cask ale.

First up, Freigeist Abraxxxas Berliner Weiss retained tart Band-Aid-wafted Gose-like lime salting, spiced lemon zest and lightly creamed cotton candied sweetness over yellow-peppered apple, peach, plantain and guava fruiting. Peekskill Simple Sour brought sour lemon-juiced carbolic spritz to lactic brettanomyced musk above rustic corn-dried wheat chaff and vinous grape acidity.

Though not officially a sour ale, Stillwater/ Brewer’s Art Debutante Saison saddled musty Belgian yeat with botanical floral aspects and white-peppered herbal notions, picking up sour fruited illusions along the way.

Check out Jimmy’s No. 43 website for current info: www.jimmysno43.com

Full reviews of each beer could be found in the Beer Index of www.beermelodies.com

HOP DEVIL GRILLE TAKE OVER MANHATTAN’S ST. MARK’S PLACE

BEER PUB

Open since 2008, HOP DEVIL GRILLE, and its smaller, demure Belgian Room next door, have fared well in the East Village. Located towards the end of S. Mark’s Place next to a pizza parlor cornering Avenue A, this hellishly-dubbed aluminum-fronted mustard-browned hole in the wall serves great food and better beer. Truly, the fabulous draft selection competes favorably with ‘older uptown sister’ bar and grill, DAVID COPPERFIELD’S.

Just a few steps from Alphabet City’s Tompkins Square Park, Hop Devil’s semi-Industrial sportsbar appeal invites a mostly young crowd. Stainless steel front door leads to 12-seated left bar with shelved high-caliber liquor and select beer bottles above 25 tap handles. Several TV’s and metal brewery banners line the rustic green-marbled wallpapered interior and a devilish figure giving the finger peers out from the bar’s blackboard.

On my first visit, March ’10, I discovered Mikkeller Whiskey-Barreled Breakfast Stout, Flying Dog Garde Dog, and Green’Flash Palate Wrecker on tap (reviewed in Beers A-Z section). Several fine Belgian brews could be found at adjacent Belgian Room.

On Wednesday, April 14th, a mix of beer connoisseurs, cute college gals, and long-time locals gathered for Kuhnhenn Night to taste several worthy selections from awesome Michigan pub, Kuhnhenn Brewing. I caught an early evening buzz while chowing delicious South O’ Da Border grilled chicken fajita. Had top-line Cask-Conditioned Loonie Kuhnie, White Devil, Double Rice IPA, Extraneous Sixtel, and Mayhem Belgian Dark, plus cloying Play in The Hay Blueberry Lambic (reviewed at Beers A-Z section).