| The
Quest for the Holy Grain - Best Beer Bars |
| New York |
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Blind Tiger Ale House This is New York. Get there early. Grab a window seat so you can watch the Village People Sidewalk Show. "Early" means you're going to be foggy before the five o'clock news. This is the Blind Tiger Ale House. Lots of people say it is one of New York's best beer bars. It has two dozen taps, 3 casks, and a small-printed blackboard full of bottles, many of them over $20 each. This is an American beer bar. There may be a few imports but the focus is on a flavorful geographic variety of beers in a variety of styles. I've become a beer snob. The Jay Vee back in Loudon Park Cemetery would be ashamed of me. I would be ashamed of me, eschewing Country Club Malt Liquor for these fancy beers and using words like eschewing! We heard the Blind Tiger was bar No. 1 in New York. I stood before their draft list black board unimpressed. Not by the selection, which had many nice beers, but by the fact that I had had them all and expected more from New York's best beer bar. So okay, maybe it is not "Number One", but it is a damn nice place to catch a daylight buzz in the Big Apple. High wooden tables and enough floor space to tip you to the fact this becomes an SRO joint nightly, greet you when it opens. Operating hours in the Village are approximate. It is dark and woody-looking anchored by two customers' sides of a squarish bar. A comely blonde with Shirley Temple ringlets takes our first order in a friendly, unrushed manner that turns into an all- business attitude as the crowd builds through the afternoon. The beers are good. The Village show outside our window is even better. Part Fellini movie, part runway, part freak show, part cross section of urban America or urban anywhere, the constant parade of New Yorkers and New Yorker wannabes constantly raise and dashes your hopes. I'll have another Left Hand Sawtooth. The bomber bottles of Southern Tier, Great Divide and a lot of nice small brewers are available at a hefty price. Food is not the focus but the pork butt sandwich on focaccia bread is tasty. I'd like three of them but one will have to do. If your hometown has over 250,000 people, you should have a couple of bars with beer this good. But unless you live in New York, you ain't got a bar like this.
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Cooperstown, NY Supposing a Questor finds himself in America's Baseball Capital and is in search of a good tavern? A perusal of the internet yields nothing in the way of beer bars, but a little old fashioned footwork can turn up a few gems. We should mention the bar below the Tunnicliff Inn, located on Pioneer St. just north of Main. It was the bartender at Tunnicliff who helped us locate Cooley's and Sherman's. They had an Ommegang and a pale ale from nearby Cooperstown Brewing Company. |
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Korova Even though the sign now simply reads "BAR" patrons still know this watering hole as Korova. Located on downtown Ithaca's Commons, Korova features 17 well-selected taps, and the 40 or so bottles round out an excellent beer selection. Our barmaid was eager to talk beer with us, and the crowd seemed to know their brews. Original art decorated the walls, and we were informed that the displays change. |
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Pixel Lounge Look in the alley behind the Subway in Collegetown, and you'll find Pixel...all 24 taps and about 18 bottles. The place consists of one big room with a small 10-seat bar, chairs, tables, and sofas. The tap selections cover all tastes, and 21 of them rotate. Owner Jim Frenette was more than willing to talk beer and business, and informed us that the atmosphere is pretty relaxed until 11 PM or so, and then blossoms into a vibrant night scene with dancing on the weekends. |
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The Ithaca Ale House The Ithaca Ale House is located in bustling Restaurant Row of downtown Ithaca. They offer 20 drafts, carefully composed of local and American micros, and imports. There are also about 30 or so bottles, making sure all bases are covered. They offer flights for those who want to sample as many of their drafts as possible. The long angular bar seats about 20, with booths and tables, too. Although the place was jumping on a Monday night in the summer, our barmaid Emma was friendly and helpful in answering questions about the beers and our visit to Ithaca in general. Questors will want to put Ithaca on their list of beer towns in the Finger Lakes area, and underscore the Ale House as a definite stop while in town.
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The Chapter House The Chapter House has the feel of a frat house...in a good way. They have 48 well-selected taps leaning heavily towards New York beers, with some other U.S. micros and imports. Corey, our bartender, was knowledgeable and very helpful in filling us in on the local beer scene. The rooms had a comfortable and well-worn feel to them. The time between this beer and your next beer could be filled playing pool or other games. The Chapter House is just one of the great bars in Ithaca, a landmark college town and beer Mecca that should not be missed by any Questor in the Finger Lakes area.
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Ulrich's Tavern Ulrich's Tavern bills itself as "the German restaurant with an Irish pub", and "Buffalo's oldest documented continuously operating tavern restaurant having been established in the fall of 1868". I can verify the first claim, and trust them on the second given that the place probably still looks pretty close to its original self. The bar has a small but impressive set of taps that included Spaten Mai Bock, Yuengling Bock, and local favorite Flying Bison Spring Bock on two recent visits (bock fetish, here). You won't have trouble finding something worth drinking, albeit more German than Irish (the Guinness tap notwithstanding). The restaurant serves lunch on Monday - Friday and dinner on Thursday - Saturday, and its truly a reason to visit Ulrich's. My over-sized potato pancake came wrapped around a fresh sausage with red cabbage, spatzel and applesauce. Wash that down with a Spaten and your talkin' about a quality old country experience. Ulrich's is a very local place so don't order anything like a spritzer and you'll be OK. Comfort food, great beer, and occasional live music; drink and eat here when in Buffalo.
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Frank & Teressa's Anchor Bar You're here for the wings. Sure, the pizza is great too, but you can get great pizza anywhere in Buffalo . Back to the wings. Anchor Bar's secret is butter; I can say no more. Order 'em hot and crispy. And drink locally. That would mean Genesee Cream Ale, Labatts Blue, or McSorley's Irish Pale Ale...all on tap and local in the spiritual sense. There are a few other taps and maybe twenty or so other beers in the bottle, but try a pitcher of McSorley's with a couple of large orders of wings - a longtime family favorite. Be prepared for a wait mingling with tourists and locals, but it's worth it. And don't miss the gift shop where you can pick up an Anchor Bar souvenir pint glass or a genuine chicken wing hat for that someone special. Or not.
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Scharf's Schiller Park Restaurant I'm in Buffalo . It's almost Easter. And its 38 freakin degrees. But inside Scharf's Schiller Park Restaurant it's as warm as grandma's fresh babka from the oven.
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Pizza Plant The Pizza Plant is nestled in a small plaza in the suburbs north of Buffalo; parking is a breeze. Inside you'll find a bar frequented by beer geeks, a boothed dining area for families, and weather permitting (meaning summer), outside tables with a delightful highway view. There are 13 rotating taps including one for cask conditioned ale, and a similar number of bottles. Beers are largely American craft brews with a few Belgians. Local beers and regional beers on tap during our visit included Aviator Red from Buffalo's own Flying Bison Brewery and Nosferatu from Cleveland 's Great Lakes Brewing Company. Pizzas and pods (a cross between a calzone and a sub sandwich) dominate the menu – where else can you find those little hand cut pepperonis, much less raisins, walnuts, tofu and sunflower seeds, among the toppings. Hey, I thought this was Buffalo for crissake. The restaurant offers periodic beer tastings, beer parties, music on the weekends, and kids eat free on Mondays. Overall, if you can tolerate less than helpful wait staff (observation based on numerous visits…) this is a good place to catch a Sabers game and drink better- than-average beer.
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Ale House 'The Beer Joint of Your Dreams' The Ale House is a small bar in a small strip mall amongst auto dealerships near the University at Binghamton. There are 12 stools at the bar and 10 small tables. A fiery grill is next to the liquor display. They have 36 taps, and no macros. But they have near-macros such as Blue Moon, Guinness, Harp, and LaBatt's. Almost all the rest are regionals. They have several Blue Point, as well as several Cooperstown, Ottercreek and Brooklyn. The ladies tending the bar were pretty friendly, somehow we ended up staying an hour and a half. |
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The Raven Pub The Raven offers 24 drafts and depending on the season, about 70 bottles. One customer described the bar as, " a friendly University crowd with a big beer selection and rock n roll jukebox." Chris, the proprietor, takes suggestions from his beer-loving clientele. "When people request something, I try to pick it up." Or, as one customer put it, "The dude abides."
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165 Walton St. Blue Tusk is located in Syracuse's beer haven known as Armory Square. With one of the area's biggest beer selections, Blue Tusk offers about 65 drafts, most of which are served in 20-oz. imperial pints...23-oz. on Monday and Tuesday! For a complete run-down of the brews, visit the website. This lively establishment can get crowded, especially in the winter, so get there early.
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