Category Archives: BEER PUB

BLUE RIBBON TAVERN

BEER PUB

CHESTNUT RIDGE, NEW YORK

Just a few minutes away from my Jersey home (across the border in Rockland County) lies friendly neighborhood joint, BLUE RIBBON TAVERN. An unfancy barn-like beer pub with good food that’s proud home to one-ounce bourbon flights, this casual wood-furnished dive with a quaint sportsbar atmosphere is located at an unassuming mini-mall in Chestnut Ridge (five miles north of Pearl River’s Defiant Brewing). Dispersing craft brews since July ’13, its ever-changing dozen-plus taps are spread across the long bar top.

Since it’s the Friday before St. Patty’s Day, tonight’s dinner special is Swiss-cheesed rye-toasted cornbeef with mustard, a good choice to pair with probably the nuttiest Black IPA I ever quaffed.

My wife, daughter and I sit at one of the five tables along the blue-marbled white-based wall across from the 12-stooled wooden bar (with four TV’s, busy liquor shelves and dozen-plus tap handles serving craft beer). A chalkboard lists today’s featured taps and a few dartboards fill the right wall along with shelved tap handles and other ephemera.

John Lennon’s plaintive “Imagine” and Creedence’s rampaging “Travelin’ Band” blare in the background as I consume cornbeef and drift into a bite or two of my wife’s juicy Steak Sandwich and daughter’s crisp Santa Fe Chicken.

After downing Defiant Polar Vortex Black IPA, a richly black chocolate-malted, hop-charred, walnut-roasted bitter with distant grapefruit-dried pineapple fondue undertones, ice water gets consumed to soften my palate for a winningly peculiar witbier.

Bringing an unexpected plastique grouting and floral dusting to the typical Belgian-styled lemony orange spicing, Empire White Aphro elegantly works advertised lavender-perfumed ginger and white-peppered coriander adjuncts into its fruitful vanilla-daubed honeyed wheat base (picking up peachy banana-clove-bubblegum wisps).

For dessert, I thoroughly enjoyed enduringly mellifluous Cricket Hill Brewmasters Reserve #2 Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter, a richly textured mocha-sugared oats-charred full body seeped in Four Roses bourbon oak and graced by mocha latte, caramel latte, vanilla and toffee tones.

A few weeks later, my wife and I share cheddar-cheesed bacon-crisped ABC Grilled Cheese and Swiss-cheesed onion-sauteed Peppercorn Bison Burger. These hearty items went well with superb Ellicottville Chocolate Cherry Bomb, a richly creamed Imperial Stout with black cherry-pureed blackberry and blueberry tartness enhanced by ascending vanilla sweetness and contrasted against embittered hop-charred nuttiness.

Phone: 845 356 4477

www.brtavern.com

1249 WINEBAR

BEER PUB

WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT

Established as a master wine sommelier, cultured Portuguese entrepreneur, Nelson Veiga, opened upscale bistro 1249 Winebar and its neighboring The Good Life Wine & Spirit shop in Waterbury during January 2012. Beguiled by the onslaught of craft beverages and authentic foods inducing health-conscious post-millenial savants, Veiga totally embraced the bourgeoning spirits and culinary revolution.  Besides 1249 Winebar’s exquisite wine menu and locally sourced cuisine, the heavenly hotspot also serves many of Connecticut’s best microbrews on tap or in bottle.

Residing at the fifth largest industrial city in the Constitution State, this fabulous earth-toned gastropub (southwest of Hartford) features a tucked-in 8-seat main bar, elegant dining room (with slate-walled panel, leather-backed booths and wine racks), quaint second-floor Sky Bar martini lounge and black-trellised front patio.

On my initial post-noon February ’14 visit, my wife and I grab a booth near the pristine maroon-hued left wall to try a few previously untried ales alongside wonderful hand-prepared food. Cicerone-certified beer manager, Liz Pliska, comes by to offer her services while lounge Jazz plays in the background. Six upstairs taps and three downstairs taps provide fresh local suds to the growing crowd of families, friends and aged hipsters. Homemade pasta and burgers, bakery-fresh bread, a raw bar, Echo Farms veggies and artisanal desserts satiate a wide variety of good tastes.

We share the 1249 Frittata (eggs with mushrooms, peppers, onions and bacon) and Bita A Portuguesa (steak with poached egg, potatoes, prosciutto ham and wine-sauced burgundy reduction) while getting acquainted with a few hungry destination-bound out-of-towners.

On tap, Greenwich-based 1757 GW Beer (based on George Washington’s original pale ale recipe) brought light caramel toasting to honey-spiced grassy hops for a light-bodied opener. Afterwards, I settle into Narragansett Autocrat Coffee Milk Stout (which combines Natty’s bittersweet stout with Autocrat coffee). Its  brusque barley-roasted hop char embitters lactose-sugared black chocolate and cappuccino coffee tones quite efficiently.

Before leaving, I stop next store at The Good Life to pick up more local brews for home consumption.

www.1249winebar.com

BALLOU’S RESTAURANT & WINE BAR

BEER PUB

 

BRANFORD, CONNECTICUT

In the rustic shoreline village of Branford just down the road from the Long Island Sound, BALLOU’S RESTAURANT & WINE BAR opened May ’12. Set inside a tan colonial edifice with white trim, white columns and roomy front deck, this homey establishment is owned by married couple, Steve Kaye and Debbie Ballou, whose humble beginnings include being a busboy and waitress at IHOP. Across the street from boutique-styled Indian Neck Liquor Store, Ballou’s Branford location competes favorably with their initial award-winning Guilford establishment.

Upon entering, the cozy two-room brown-walled space features a 10-seat bar (with 16 tap handles and small TV), 15-table dining room, pristine walnut furnishings and several wine racks. Though specializing in desserts, coffee, cheeses, fondues, panninis and flatbread pizza, its assorted comfort foods go well with the fine hand-picked wine selection that serve as Ballou’s calling card.

Nevertheless, seasoned beer geeks will find ‘beer guy’ Jeremy Antunes’ craft draft offerings extremely appealing as well.

Visited January ’14 just hours after a heavy blizzard, Antunes tends bar and chats up a storm this snowy afternoon while introducing two new brews. The first, Thimble Island India Pale Ale, crafted a few streets away from this humble pub, brought lively stone-fruited spicing to sharp grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and finished with a juniper-hopped wood parch.

Another local offering from southbound Stratford, Two Roads Route Of All Evil Black Ale allowed wood-smoked chocolate seeding and charcoal-burnt hop bittering to anchor plastique apple-skinned grapefruit-mango-papaya tropicalia. (Full reviews in Beer Index)

Happily, the food was just as worthy as the beer and wine choices. Creamy lobster bisque, chipotle chicken pannini and Turkish goat-cheesed flatbread pizza (with dried fig, prosciutto and field greens) were wholly enjoyed.

Anyone with champagne taste on a beer budget or large expense account will appreciate Ballou’s spirited menu and close attention to detail.

www.ballouswinebar.com

PIES & PINTS PIZZERIA AND PUB

BEER PUB

MIDDLEBURY, CONNECTICUT

In the northernmost New Haven small town of Middlebury, PIES & PINTS rule the roost. Boasting the happy slogan “Something For Everyone,” this glorified pizza joint offers take-out food, gourmet pizzas, homemade flatbreads, seperate ice cream parlor, three distinct dining areas and great draft beer selections from near and wide.

Open 2011, Pies & Pints’ gold-hued white-trimmed exterior features a small canopied patio space while the interior gets broken into a tan-walled open-kitchen dine-in pizza station, rustic left side barroom and hearth-warmed back lounge. Leather and wood furnishings fill out its entirety while antique fans, copper-pressed ceiling tile and an olden piano provide elegant antiquity to the saloon (with three serving stations containing 20-plus beers).

Stain-glass windows, five private booths, four TV’s and nifty collectibles crowd the space as well.

On our initial perusal, my wife and I get situated at the long rectangular 12-stool mahogany bar for lunch on this brisk Saturday at noon in early February ’14. We share a delicious eggplant parmegan pizza while the couple down a few seats enjoy calzone, pasta and salad.

I quaff three hoppy delights and one local winter ale before heading north to four previously unexplored brewpubs that just opened for business within the past two years (Manchester’s Top Shelf; Bloomfield’s Back East; Bristol’s Firefly Hollow; East Windsor’s Broad Brook).

Dry-hopped Belgian pale ale, Ommegang Hop House, placed grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering above candi-sugared sweetness and floral white peppering. New England Supernaut IPA brought woody dryness to sharply perfumed floral hop resin and tangy grapefruit-orange juicing.

Better still, Evil Twin Molotov Cocktail provided barleywine warmth to orange-bruised cognac sweetness and exotic tropicalia for a devilishly complex Imperial IPA.

Locally brewed Back East Winterfest Ale added raw-honeyed herbal spicing to wintry fig-dried pine nut, fern and spruce notions. (Full reviews at Beer Index.)

By St. Patrick’s Day ’14, Pies & Pints will open a brewpub in nearby Waterbury. It’ll serve six proprietary beers alongside thirty well-chosen outside tapped selections. So the future’s so bright…

www.piesandpints.biz

BRONX ALEHOUSE

BEER PUB

    

BRONX, NEW YORK

Inconspicuously perched a half-block down from Jerome Avenue’s elevated train tracks in the Kingsbridge section (bordering Riverdale), BRONX ALEHOUSE became a respected roadhouse-styled craft beer landmark upon opening, 2009. Owned by a few disenfranchised Manhattanites not willing to pay high midtown rents, they quickly went north to the upper Bronx to build their humble saloon. And now, Bronx Alehouse boasts possibly the fastest rotating drafts in the city.

A black-windowed frontage with weathered signpost welcomes neighborhood families, local businessmen, young hipsters and out-of-town beer freaks as I journey inside this cozy wood furnished joint during late January ’14 for Sunday brunch. Its red-bricked wood-paneled interior features rustic slotted wood floors, private left dining, 14-stool center bar, antique gas fireplace and several squeezed-in right side tables.

The Rangers and Devils square off for a historic hockey game at nearby Yankee Stadium on one of the four centralized TV’s at the bar as Weezer’s novel pop charmer, “Sweater,” emulates from the jukebox. I quaff a German Wheat Ale, hybridized Vermont brown ale and local IPA on this initial afternoon trip. For brunch, the massive Fried Chicken & Waffles (with honey-buttered Virginia ham and fried eggs) truly sufficed. Bronx Bomber sliders are also a local fave and complementary popcorn gets served to all the happy diners.

During my 2-hour stay, several of the 17 drafts ran dry and got replaced by similarly styled offerings. A long promenade of one-offs, seasonals, specialties, hybrids and oak-aged elixirs crowd the pro-active tap menu (which give interested customers an actual measure of kegged tap beer remaining). 30 bottles and 10 canned beers were also available, including Cigar City Florida Cracker Belgian White Ale.

Ettaler Benediktiner Weizen’s soft doughy buttering draped spritzy lemon zest and orange-dried banana-clove-bubblegum illusions. Long Trail Belgian Brunette brought dark-spiced dried fruiting to the fore but lacked expectant nuttiness. Bettering both, Singlecut Billy Half Stack IPA loaded bitter juniper hop pining atop grapefruit-peeled peach, pineapple, quince and orange briskness. (Full reviews in Beer Index)

Looking for a cool, unassuming vibe at a local metropolitan watering hole, then this here’s your answer.

www.bronxalehouse.com

 

GINGER MAN

BEER PUB

   

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

 

From its humble Houston digs in 1985, the original Texas-based GINGER MAN was considered the first multi-tap bar in America. Quite a huge statement considering the Lone Star state’s more conservative liquor laws. More than a decade hence, GINGER MAN’s prime midtown Manhattan franchise instantly gained a sterling reputation from beer geeks and snobs far and wide upon opening in ’96.

An Olde World-styled Irish-spirited pub with Gothic lamps hanging above a cozily cavernous wood-leathered interior, this charmingly classicist Herald Square beer haven serves some of New York’s greatest tapped selections alongside excellent single malt Scotches and worthy pub fare. Two bronze-backed serving stations at the 25-stool right bar offer 66 draughts listed on a crowded cardboard menu (alongside 160-plus bottled selections). A back lounge with couches and tables serves as an easygoing alcove retreat.

Sitting at one of the crimson suede-designed left side pews, my two colleagues dig into cask conditioned versions of Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA while I sample six previously untried brews on this dank Monday afternoon. For lunch, the Cobb Salad is crisp and fresh while the Shepherd’s Pie is undeniably rich. For dessert, we get amazing cinnamon-sugared soft pretzels with honey  mustard.

While Dortmunder-styled Riegele Commerzienrat Privat stayed mildly creamed and delicately grassy hopped, dry-bodied old ale Greenport Harbor Anti-Freeze brought soft-toned dewy peat to dark-spiced dry fig and molasses breading. Brooklyn Oishi Belgian Session Ale layered lemony curacao orange above plastique lemongrass tones.

Those easygoing starters were blown away by winningly peculiar Founders Mango Magnifico Con Calor, a tropical mango-juiced fruit ale with throat-clearing habanero burn.  Smooth oak-aged Element ESO (English strong ale) tasted just like dry Scotch and Abita Macchiato Stout featured a monstrously peppery espresso-like coffee roast. Full reviews in Beer Index.

Based on a classic post-war novel by American playwright JP Donleavy, each Ginger Man franchise does the legacy proud with uncommon bohemian ambiance meeting elegantly upscale vintage decor.

www.gingerman-ny.com

THE DRAFTING ROOM TAPROOM & GRILLE

BEER PUB

EXTON, PENNSYLVANIA

A long-time staple amongst Chester County’s newsprung gastropubs, THE DRAFTING ROOM TAPROOM & GRILLE began serving fabulous local brews in ’94 – way before the craft beer renaissance took hold permanently. Back then, Victory, Troegs and Stoudts were just starting to receive underground plaudits as the Keystone State’s finest microbreweries. But nowadays, new breweries and beerpubs, big and small, keep turning up everywhere.

Located at Exton’s Colonial 100 strip mall in a glass-windowed red brick edifice, The Drafting Room also operates a second successful pub in nearby Spring House. Serving fine Americana fare alongside well-chosen wines and spirits, both spots cater to families, local businessmen and beer geeks equally. At Exton, plentiful left side dining is available in two rooms across from the quaint 12-seat marble-topped bar at the far right (with 3 TV’s).

During my initial January ’14 visit, I passed up Sunday brunch for dinner, finding three previously untried draught beers from Pennsylvania Maryland and Illinois at my afternoon session. Though only 13 tap handles (and one hand-pulled cask condition station) are currently on hand, there’s a large cooler with 100-plus craft beers for on-site and off-site consumption plus 70-plus single malt Scotches.

While alternative rock played in the background, I consumed floral grapefruit-yellowed Victory Hop Ranch, cider-sweetened Flying Dog Orchard Ale and barleywine-fruited Two Brothers Revelry (all reviewed in Beer Index).

After getting my daughter at Philly airport from joyful Jamaican jaunt, my wife and I came back for dinner. And we wouldn’t be disappointed. I chowed down chicken wings and delicious Turkey Melt (on pecan raisin bread with aged Swiss cheese, peach lager jam, arugula and sweet potato fries) while my other half enjoyed Warm Tuscan Dip (mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatos, roasted garlic, artichokes and celery).

For dessert, Drafting Room 19th Anniversary Ale (a celebratory Imperial IPA recipe brewed at Troegs) brought mellow Chinook-hopped bittering and wispy grassy-grained musk to tropical grapefruit, pineapple and peach bluster.

www.draftingroom.com

 

REDLIGHT REDLIGHT CRAFT BEER PARLOUR

BEER PUB

Redlight Redlight Beer Parlour is one of the best places to party in Orlando

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

Atop the heap of escalating Orlando beer destinations in the neighborly Audubon Park Garden district lies REDLIGHT REDLIGHT CRAFT BEER PARLOUR, an indisputably inspirational guiding light for the Sunshine State’s latent craft beer revolution. Making its inconspicuous debut inside a downtown Winter Park second-floor hole-in-the-wall in 2005, this intriguing beer pub truly welcomed Central Florida to America’s growing cultural movement.

Formerly a dormant ‘beer scene’ dominated by cheap Bud-Coors-Miller grub, forward-thinking owner, Brent Hernandez, changed the entire scope of business by allowing Floridians to discover craft beer at reasonable prices. Taking its name from Amsterdam’s famous De Wallen-based red light district (where sex shops, peep shows, coffeehouses and marijuana boutiques thrive), the dankly pristine premise also has a rustic pre-prohibition ambiance.

Occupying an unfinished maroon-walled concrete-floored roadhouse mall since 2012, the highly praised Redlight Redlight made Draft Magazine’s 100 Best Beer Bar list recently. Its aquamarine-lettered signpost and neon beer insignia’s (Cigar City, Sweetwater, Anchor Steam, Victory, Brooklyn, Founders, Wittekerke) adorn the unassuming glass-fronted white exterior. Inside, the raw industrial space is consumed by exposed beams, ducts and pipes.

Featuring 23 draughts and a leather-back menu loaded with 300-plus exclusive international bottled beers, its roomy 20-seat, concrete-topped, J-shaped bar gets packed slowly during my initial twilight rampage in mid-December ’13.

Enthusiastic beer slinging manager, Teege Braune, twice voted Orlando’s best bartender,  serves as convivial host by pouring two interesting Belgian strong ales and one wintry German dunkel (reviewed fully in Beer Index) to this perusing northerner. His knowledge of fine wine and beer cannot be underestimated. A snarky poster next to my left side bar stool provocatively boasts “Fuck Art This Is Red Light,” a marvelously snide interjection that’ll form the context of this establishment’s daringly independent vibe and the basic sarcastic attitude surrounding the first beer I’ll drain as the moon comes up ’round 6 PM.

As my lips get captivated by the first drops of To Ol’s ultra-dry saison,  Fuck Art This Is Architecture (Belgian Pale Ale), with its soured yellow fruiting and herbaceous brettanomyces-affected barnyard funk, Braune lets it be known that Redlight Redlight plans to use the mezzanine space above the bar for a small upstairs brewing operation. And a veritable cornucopia of beer styles are expected to be crafted.

While thoroughly enjoying an  ’Immaculate’ hybridized collaboration called Cathedral Square/ He’Brew St. Lenny’s Belgian Strong Ale, with its candi-sugared yeast picking up tangy IPA-like pineapple, grapefruit and orange juicing over peppery hop resin, the beer-centric Braune points to the nearby Randall system. As it turns out, on the last Monday of every month, the pressurized cylinder gets used to infiltrate tapped beers with fresh adjuncts. Recently, Breckenridge Vanilla Porter was put thru crushed-up ginger snap cookies and made quite an impression.

Peter Bjorn & John’s melodically whistled pop gem, “Young Folks,” plays loudly as I consume Weissenohe Monk’s Christkindl Dunkel, a German dark wheat ale layering musky tobacco-roasted earthen rusticity above molasses-buttered nutbread and muted fruitcake illusions.

Though I’ll likely never find half the vintage one-off international bottled selections available, it’s good to see Florida no longer lacks serious craft beer enthusiasts. Hipster beer geeks unite!

redlightredlightbeerparlour.com

 

 

TAP & GRIND

BEER PUB

   

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

Across from the Orlando Fire Department in a small downtown ground floor space carved out of a large parking garage just off Route 4 lies TAP & GRIND, a ‘psychedelicized’ beer-centric tavern that’s become a top destination spot alongside inspirational mentors, RedLight RedLight Beer Parlor. Retaining a relaxed folksy vibe and friendly intimacy, the cozy craft pub began operations during February ’12. And local loyal minions have sung its praises from the get-go.

Hands-on proprietor Jason Chan serves as congenial host for my wife and I as we settle in before dusk on a muggy Wednesday in early December ’13. A revolving Tap & Grind Craft Beer pole and windowed frontage (featuring neon Victory, Green Flash and Left Hand signs) welcome patrons to the narrow black-walled interior.

Celebrating nautical beachcombers as well as sporting landlubbers with ceiling-hung surfboards and wall-bound skateboards, visiting Chan’s delightful cavern is like slipping into a fascinating underground artists’ subterranean digs. Two blackboards list the well-chosen tapped selections and indigenous Florida cypress wood furnishings adorn the 14-seat bar, strewn benches, community tables and trusses. A visually enlightening blue wave gives the bar a bright oceanic atmosphere surrounding one large TV. Provocative philosophical quotes appear when the black lights are turned on in the glow-in-the-dark bathrooms.

Reggae legend Bob Marley gets saluted with memorabilia and a large poster as “Roots Rock Reggae” plays in the background and I get set to imbibe a few previously untried local brews.

“I love beer and started drinking imports after branching away from Bud Lite,” Chan explains while I dig into Green Room 400 Beer Storm IPA and Green Room Royal Palm Belgian Blond (from Jacksonville Beach). “I was hooked on Bud Lite like cigarettes. Then I discovered Killians Red, Guinness and Beck’s. That was when American brewers began crafting better beer. Americans are doing the best job of brewing now. I completely respect English, German and Belgian beer. We borrowed from all those styles and are now better.”

A cool dude with noble intentions, Chan just expanded his rotating tapped selections from 16 to 20 and a refrigerator next to the bar carries 40-plus bottled beers. Though the current landscape for locals is to party hard, he believes they need to be more cultured. And that’s where the prolific Florida craft beer movement comes in.

“We feel we’re giving back to America and it makes me sleep well at night,” Chan quips.

Starting with RedLight Red Light and Rossi’s Italian Restaurant as well as the proliferation of Orlando Brewing Company, Central Florida’s beer scene has increased by leaps and bounds since my last visit nearly a decade hence.

As darkness settles in, I quaff two more worthy local beers: Fort Lauderdale-based Funky Buddha Crusher and Orange Blossom Pilsner Back In The Day IPA (all beers mentioned reviewed in Beer Index). 

Before leaving, the gracious Chan shares a few Brouwerij West beers from San Diego while associate Megan Cheeks serves Dogfish Head Piercing Pils. The daughter of Orlando Brewing’s co-owner, John Cheeks, she recently developed Girl Stout, a peppermint-leafed dark ale with cocoa nibs that received plaudits from everyone who has tried the respected elixir.

Here’s hoping I get back next year when I return to Disney to watch my nephew’s Bergen County Stars football team win the Midgets Football Championship.

www.tapandgrind.com

HOUSE OF BEER

BEER PUB

  

 

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

Along John Young Parkway in the Village of Hunters Creek at Orlando’s western outskirts lies HOUSE OF BEER, a fabulous two-room watering hole in an earthen slated mini mall with a small front patio and totally beer-centric interior. At the 12-seat stainless-steeled L-shaped right bar, I grab a chair in early December ’13 on a Sunday afternoon to drain a few diverse offerings while watching NFL football on one of the three TV’s.

A glorified sportsbar for those well-versed in craft beer, neon Sweetwater and Leinenkugel signposts (plus various craft beer logos) spread across the walls while exposed pipes line the ceiling. A black beer booklet with descriptive reviews lists all 48 revolving tapped beers currently available. A refrigerator stores 200-plus bottled craft beers and several Coastal Wines. To the left, a gorgeous Widmer Brothers mural covers a brick wall and several couches and booths assure plenty of seating. A large Ommegang banner leads patrons to the front hall billiard table.

During my 2-hour stopover, I quaff lactobacillus-derived citric-soured New Belgium Yuzu Imperial Berlinerweiss, zesty citric-fronted herbal-spiced 7venth Sun Intergalactic Pale Ale, dew-dropped reedy-hopped Cigar City Minaret ESB and fruit-caked holiday-spiced St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (full reviews in Beer Index).

Before leaving, I pick up Cigar City’s Jose Marti Porter and Tocobaga Red Ale alongside Inlet Monk In The Trunk Amber Ale and France’s Bellerose Blonde.

On the way back to Disneyland, journeyed quickly to nearby ABC Fine Wine & Spirits for a host of local brews including Cocoa Beach Pale Ale and Not Just Some Oatmeal Stout, Florida Lager, Holy Mackerel Mack In Black, Red Brick Hop Lanta plus Sweetwater Blue and India Pale Ale.

www.hobflorida.com

BEER AUTHORITY

BEER PUB,

Nyc, Nyc trip, Beer

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

Located directly across 8th Avenue’s Port Authority one block from Madison Square Garden in midtown Manhattan’s Hells Kitchen section, BEER AUTHORITY opened April 2012. Inside a spacey two-storey golden browned corner spot, this emblematic beer-centric sportsbar gained initial acceptance from true beer geeks as well as casual businessmen and curious tourists.

Initially visited in the late afternoon during November ’13, Beer Authority’s bountiful brewery banners cover nearly every wall and crevice. Its glass-windowed second floor illuminates the large-lettered gold-on-brown signpost glistens upon arrival. And a spacious open-air rooftop bar with bright blue parasols adds to the overall magnificience of this prime urban hotspot.

Upon entrance, a dimunitive ground level 8-seat bar with antique bronze ceiling tiles, fine wood-shelved liquor, 16 tap handles (of familiar craft beers) and large-screen TV welcomes patrons. Chimay, Rogue and Sixpoint banners proudly display the walkway to the sizable second floor.

A massive oak-furnished, beige-sided, duct-exposed expanse with 20 stooled dinner tables cornering the well-kept 20-seat inner-walled bar and TV’s at every conceivable angle bedecking the beer-bannered wall of fame (featuring Flying Dog, Green Flash, Smuttynose, Founders, etc.), its impressive Stone Brewing murel truly seals the deal.

At the bar, two opposing refrigeration units center the two brass tap mounts (pouring 60-plus tapped beers) and a blue Weihenstafaner flag hangs over the prominent Beer Authority NYC mirror. Formidable red and white wines are available on the Brit-twisted pub-fared menu (Roasted Vegetable and Lentil Shepherds Pie; Beef Pot Pie; Lamb Shepherd Pie; Roasted Wild Boar Sausage). “The Authority,” a petite filet mignon with shallot-buttered onions, deserves to be tried.

As night falls, I enjoy one obtuse South American stout and three unconventional Midwest pale bodies (fully reviewed in Beer Index). Out of Brazil, Guanabara Imperial Stout allowed sour-fruited burgundy to upstage expectant brown chocolate creaming. Underwhelming, perhaps, but slightly intriguing.

While Illinois-bound Goose Island Lolita brought vinous raspberry-soured white grape tartness to the fore, Michigan’s Kuhnhenn showed off sweet and sour sides. Kuhnhenn Fluffer Gone Wild (a brettanomyces-funked IPA with sour Gose-like coriander salting dabbing herbal lemon zest) and White Devil (a mellow vanilla-sugared banana bomb with cane-sugared sweetener).

www.beerauthoritynyc.com

ROCKAFELLA’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL

BEER PUB

Rockafella's Sports Bar & Grill, East Rutherford NJ 07073  l.jpg

Inside a rustic saltbox-styled tan edifice with earthen stone base, East Rutherford-based ROCKAFELLA’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL came into existence during ’97. By 2012, the well-established Paterson Avenue pub (with windowed neon signs featuring Yards, Flying Fish and Dogfish Head) expanded its tap selection to include a host of recognizable craft beers sidling blue-collar Bud-Coors-Miller fare.

During a two-hour October ’13 dinnertime perusal with the wife, we also discovered the delightful pub fare – which included the loaded cheese nachos and garlic chicken wings devoured alongside two previously untried brews originating from Virginia’s Old Dominion and California’s Stone.

Sitting at the left side of the rectangular bar, long-time bartender, Jessica, keeps patrons happy serving pub fare while a dozen TV’s capture the eye at every possible angle. A drop ceiling hovers above the bar area. Bead board paneling covers the side walls and exposed pipes bedeck the ceiling. A dartboard at the entrance keeps a few folks busy.

The mixed crowd consumes a wide range of beers going from macrobrewed faves such as Blue Moon to micros from Ballast Point, Founders, Lagunitas and Southern Tier.

Dominion Gigi Farmhouse Ale (an herbal sour-fruited saison with white-peppered perfumed hops guiding banana-clove wisps) and Stone Farking Wheat WootStout (a bourbon-aged Imperial with oaken vanilla serenading chocolate-spiced toffee, molasses and hazelnut) appeal to both ends of the sweet-sour spectrum.

Behind the bar area lies an open kitchen with ample dining space, one billiard table and 11 more TV’s. All in all, it’s an unassuming neighborhood joint that keeps ‘em comin’ back for moderately rotated craft draughts, light food fare and friendly atmosphere.