The Manhattan Beer Scene (Part 3)

In Part 3 of this Manhattan drinking trilogy, we'll examine Blind Tiger on Bleecker Street, nestled within the Village. Although a bit more of a trek than the first two places I visited, as I would find out, it would certainly be worth the effort...

West Village (Or The Village, as it's affectionately referred to as) is located within Greenwich Village, between Chelsea and Soho on the west side of Manhattan. I've explored this burrow quite a bit during my time in the city, and the Village is definitely my favorite place to hang out. More relaxed than most other neighborhoods, far from the bright lights of Times Square and the crazies (in tents and suits) of the Financial District, the Village is home to hippies, yuppies and their offspring - hipsters.

Blind Tiger is the type of place I would love to own some day. Seating comfortably only around 50 people, and jam packed at about 70, it mirrors the close quarters many New Yorkers are accustomed to. It's decorated in mostly earth tones, with a rustic wood floor, bar and tables, as well as a stone fireplace to complete the atmosphere. Only one small TV can be seen in the back corner, usually set to ESPN, so naturally this does not draw the Sunday NFL crowd, but instead a steady stream of the aforementioned hipster and other locals.

On the night I arrived, shortly after 5 from taking the subway down from Midtown, it was already nearly packed. Fortunately I found a nice spot at the end of the bar, in full view of the chalk board beer list. Despite having a somewhat shorter list of craft beers on tap (mostly American, many local), it still blows any place we have in the South Bend area out of the water with their 28 different beers, especially considering its size. In the spirit of my tradition of trying beers that I wouldn't normally have access to, I went with a Toxic Sludge (American Black Ale, 7%) from Blue Point, located in Patchogue, NY. Despite the mediocre reviews, as I later found out, I enjoyed this beer quite a bit. The roasty aspect of it was front and center while the obvious appearance of hops balanced it all out.

Next up, because of a phase I was going through during this time, was a Green Flash IPA. I cheated a little with this one since I've had it from the bottle, however I wanted to try a fresh pint on tap. This is definitely one of the best IPAs I have ever experienced, and went down very smoothly while I was chatting with my Wall St. neighbor next to me. Come to find out, he was a big Founders fan, which sparked a great beer related conversation.

After visiting the "Top 3" craft bars that Manhattan had to offer, Blind Tiger edges out as my favorite of all, with Rattle 'N Hum a close 2nd. The combination of a relaxed, unpretentious environment, a huge, mostly American, craft beer lineup that is always up-to-date (online and on the chalk boards), and being located in one of the hippest locations in the entire city, makes this a great place to enjoy a pint. If some day I am able to open a bar, it will certainly be modeled from my favorite aspect of each location I visited, but will likely resemble Blind Tiger the most. With that said, if you have some disposable cash and would like to invest in the next best craft beer bar in the South Bend area, drop me an email!

The Manhattan Beer Scene (Part 2)

Within an hour of landing in Gotham last month, I set out to find one of the top 3 craft beer bars in Manhattan. The Ginger Man (which I wrote about here) was up first due to its proximity to my hotel and my definite need for a drink, but after my 90 minutes of reconnaissance there, I set out for Rattle 'N Hum on E. 33rd between 5th and Madison.

Aside from a great beer lineup, Rattle 'N Hum shares nothing in common with the aforementioned Ginger Man. I will go so far as to say that Rattle 'N Hum, despite it's shorter list (not by much) of available beers, has far more American craft beers on tap, which I prefer over a larger selection of imports. They must have a large warehouse as their cooler, because they also tend to swap out a lot of beers on a regular basis, which could be due, at least in part, to their massive popularity. 

Like many restaurants in Manhattan, RnH was deep and narrow, with a very long bar spanning about 3/4 of the length of the pub. On the night I arrived, every bar stool (roughly 20) was occupied, so I saddled up to a chair at a table in back.

Although this was far from the typical sports bar we are accustomed to here with BDubs, Between the Buns, and others, there were a few reasonable sized TVs turned to the Giants and Jets games. The patrons were also a bit different in style from those at The Ginger Man (and Blind Tiger in the Village, as you will soon learn), cheering for their teams with their favorite NY football team jersey on. The walls were adorned with beer paraphernalia and dozens of tap handles hanging from the ceiling. The atmosphere was similar to how TGI Fridays used to be, but with beer schwag instead of random rubbish. 

So back to the beer... the first night I visited included a huge lineup of beer from Sixpoint, a popular Brooklyn based brewery. Fellow beer geek, Dave, had been drueling over one of their IPAs, Bangali Tiger. Although I'm always happy to try something new, Bengali Tiger was a bit on the bland side, with a sweet malt focal point. Not a bad beer, but far from the west coast hop bombs I've grown to love.

With a manageable buzz and no reason to drive, I settled up my tab and set out to explore the city, but I definitely planned to come back another night.

Later in the week, after my work obligations were done for the day, I decided to grab dinner at Rattle 'N Hum again. This time I found a spot at the bar, next to a noticeably over-indulged and festively robust New Yorker. Nothing smooths the edges of a long day like a hoppy brew, so I went with a steady stream of Bear Republic (California) Racer 5 IPAs . This particular IPA was certainly an improvement over Bengali Tiger from earlier in the week, with a great medium bodied hop explosion. Racer 5 hit the spot as an appetizer, counterpart to the spicy chicken sliders (very good btw) I had for dinner, and as a refreshing dessert. Even though this is available at times throughout Michigan, I've yet to have this on tap until my visit to RnH.

If there was a place like this around the South Bend area, it would probably be my new favorite place to hang out. It's obvious they take craft beer as serious as anyone, probably more so, without having a pretentious atmosphere. What's even more amazing is that people are able to watch football, soccer, whatever, while drinking a pint of great beer, instead of mugs filled with fizzy yellow swill. If you ever find yourself thirsty in NYC, make sure to stop by! 

Hopcat (Grand Rapids, MI) - Best Beer Bar Ever

"Don't put too much horseradish sauce on your pretzel, you'll feel it burn in your nose!" --Wife

I'll get to the quote in a moment, but first I would like to tell you about the best place I've ever visited for a beer - Hopcat in Grand Rapids, MI.

Maybe it was the weather (sunny, low 80s), or my company (my wife came with me), or the fact that I had already consumed some very high ABV beers at Founders Fest, but my time at Hopcat was about as good as it gets. Sitting in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids on Ionia Avenue, Hopcat is a restaurant / bar that specializes in a ridiculously long beer list and some damn good food.

Only a 5 minute walk from Founders, we decided to grab a bite and see what all the hype was about. Meandering Walking from the festival to Hopcat at about 6:30pm, I was surprised to find that there was no wait at all. Sure there were a ton of people in there, but there were still plenty of tables open. We made sure to grab a high-top in the middle to get a good feel for the atmosphere, and of course to be close to the tap handles. If I owned a bar, this is what it would look like, with lots of wood, exposed brick walls and huge windows in the front.

Did I mention their ridiculously long beer list? Go ahead, take a moment to look, but don't forget to come back. It's really hard to choose something from that, where to even start? I'm a bit on the roasted side by this time, so I went with something that had big flavor and lower ABV - Odd Side Ales Citra Pale. I have no idea what the stats are on this, but it is brewed primarily with Citra hops. What a mighty fine choice, this was a very solid beer. What did my wife have? I couldn't tell you, as I was starting to get a little fuzzy. Time to eat something...

We started out with a pub pretzel with cheese sauce and horseradish sauce on the side. I've never been a huge fan of horseradish, but hell, I'll give it a shot. As I'm taking a piece of the pretzel, and a massive dip of this devil sauce, my wife says, "Don't put too much horseradish sauce on your pretzel, you'll feel it burn in your nose!" What does she know anyways? I'm a man, I can handle a little spice. Apparently this is a bit different than the habanero burn I've grown to love... this felt like being stung in the nose by bees. It was one of the worst experiences of my life, but fortunately I had a cold beer to wash it back, making my respiratory system return to normal.

Aside from the horseradish sauce, the food was pretty damn good. I had a turkey wrap and some awesome fries; great buzz food. It was time to call it quits on the beer for the night, so after finishing our dinner and brew, we decided to get moving. After walking out, I wished I could walk back in and do it all over again. When I come back for the Founders KBS release, I will definitely make more time for the Hopcat.

Overall, downtown Grand Rapids is a really cool place to hang-out, especially when the weather is nice. There are plenty of places to dine, get a drink and relax. If you get the chance, this is a great place to spend a weekend.

"The Pub" in Mishawaka Tap List

For those of you who haven't been to "The Pub" in Mishawaka since they started serving craft beer instead of the macro swill, here is their tap list, thanks to one of thebeerisgood.com readers. I've never been to this place, but now I'm definitely going to make a point to swing by!

Victory Golden Monkey
Pilsner Urquell
Two Brothers Monarch Wit
Bell's Two Hearted
Great Lakes Brewing's Burning River
Left Hand Sawtooth
Left Hand Milk Stout
Dark Horse Crooked Tree
Stone IPA
Paulaner

Delicious brews at Fiddler's Hearth!

Tipping back a Two Brothers Cane and Ebel (7% Rye). Pretty hoppy and very tasty! They also have Upland Preservation Pils, Dogfish Olde School and He'Brew Jewbelation, along with Alpha King, Sierra Nevada Pale, Bells Two Hearted, etc.

It is quiet around here right now, so stop by and help me put a dent in this beer!

Founders KBS night at Fiddler's Hearth

What's good here?  Just kidding, I'll have the KBS.

Another great night at Fiddler's Hearth as they tap a keg of Founders KBS, a fantastic brew of chocolate, coffee and bourbon that is very difficult to find outside of their Grand Rapids Brew Pub. 

A lot of "who's who" in the Michaina craft beer community showed up, including Matt from World Class Beverage, Ben from Indiana Beer, guys from Belmont Beverage and several other enthusiasts.

A special thanks to Jeremy (Bar Banager) and Kim (Bar Tender) from Fiddler's for their hospitality, making a random Wednesday evening very enjoyable.  By the time you read this, I'm sure KBS will be sold out, however they are THE craft beer pub in South Bend, so check them out.

In the coming week or two I will have a dedicated review of Founders KBS, along with Fiddler's Hearth; make sure you stop back by TheBeerIsGood.com for more!

A Dark Horse Experience

Recently I paid a visit to Constant Spring in Goshen to celebrate Michiana Beer Nut's success and longevity with beer blogging for the Elkhart Truth, but just as important was the opportunity to taste a few of Dark Horse Brewery's offerings.

Dark Horse is yet another really great brewery in the state of Michigan.  Their lineup consists of over a dozen different beers such as IPAs, scotch ales, brown ales and a entire series of stouts that were featured in Draft Magazine.  I had the opportunity to sample four overall, some of which you can find around here and some that will give you a good reason to travel to their brewpub in Marshall.

4 Elf Winter Warmer Ale is a seasonal brew that is only available for purchase at their pub, but Dark Horse was kind enough to bring a few bottles to be shared among a some of the beer enthusiasts.  This holiday ale pours dark leathery brown with a creamy tan head.  Definitely fitting the whole winter/keep warm category, it features a big, spicy flavor and obvious alcohol warmth.  Although a few months late, this certainly reminds me of Christmas, with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and gingerbread.  At 11.5% ABV, there is little need to lounge by the fire to keep warm.

Double Crooked Tree was another robust beer full caramel, pine, citrus and fruit flavor.  The appearance consists of a dark amber color with a light off-white head that dissipates quickly.  Similar characteristics to Barleywine, this was another heavy hitter.  I enjoyed this Double IPA very much, and only after I finished my small glass did I realize it clocks in at over 12%.  When it comes to this type of ale, sampling just a few ounces at a time is a great way to enjoy a variety of beer without overdoing it.

After starting my out evening with some really great craft beer that I haven't tried before, it was time to switch pace a bit and enjoy the Dark Horse IPA that was on tap.  Crooked Tree is like Double Crooked Tree's little brother, half of everything.  Half the hops, half the malt, and not nearly as powerful.  This is a great looking beer, pouring an orange/copper color and white head.  There is much to enjoy about this smooth IPA, with a very flavorful citrus taste and very slight sweet malt.  I am definitely looking forward to having this one again.

Last up for the night was a snifter of Scotty Karate scotch ale.  Considerably different than the previous three I tried, this is a very sweet and rich beer.  Not normally my favorite style, Dark Horse did a great job with this by making the caramel and toffee really pop.  The alcohol is certainly easy to spot at nearly 10%, but it wasn't over-powering.  Not something I would want often, but a very enjoyable beverage and great way to cap off the night.

With the exception of 4 Elf, I've seen all of these available in bottles in the South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart area at one point or another.  Dark Horse makes some very solid beer, and for that reason, I will be traveling up to Marshall for another round.  Look for my post in the coming weeks!

-Andy

Constant Spring Bar

For many of you, what is the first thing you think about when someone mentions Goshen, IN?  I won't fault you for saying "Amish," I do it too.  Aside from an Amish-like ending to my evening, which I'll get to later, I'm going to attempt to dispel our preconceived notion.

Last night, Dark Horse Brewery rode into Constant Spring in downtown Goshen for a special night of great beer in bottles and on draft to celebrate two years of the Michiana Beer Nuts blog being partnered with the Elkhart Truth.  Never having visited Constant Spring, and only experiencing a few of Dark Horse's offerings previoiusly, I wasn't sure what to expect.

Constant Spring is another one of those rare pubs in the Michiana area that cares about craft beer, which is evident from having several of them on tap and many more in bottles.  In addition to the Dark Horse I was drinking last night, other heavy hitting microbrews they had included Rogue, Dogfish Head, Stone, 3 Floyds, Left Hand, Brooklyn, Bell's and many more.  Not only do these guys have great beer, but they actually know how to serve it.  I've grown far too accustomed to many local pubs that serve certain beer far too cold, or much worse, in a frosted glass! The beer I received came in the proper glass and at the correct temperature.  When you combine the right serving elements with really good beer, well, it doesn't get much better than that.

The atmosphere was very cool with rich wood tables, exposed brick walls and many of their drinks written in colored chalk on blackboards.  Although I didn't have anything to eat, I've heard good things about their food and the service was top notch.  To give you an idea of how much I enjoyed my stay, I intended to write a post about Dark Horse, with snippets of Constant Spring woven in, but after leaving, I knew both deserved to be featured independently.   

Oh, and you probably want to know more about the Amish comment I made earlier.  As I had finished the last sip of my Dark Horse IPA, the lights suddenly went out.  Maybe their Amish influenced lifestyle only permitted lights to be on until 8:30?  The cause was much more simple than that; a blown piece of electrical equipment outside.  According to the Michiana Beer Nuts blog posting, this didn't hinder their great service, or the flow of beer, but instead everyone continued to have a great time by candlelight.  I made this trip alone last night, not wanting to impose 90 minutes of driving on others while not knowing anything about this place myself, but next time will be much different.

-Andy

The Livery Brew Pub

It's Oscar Sunday, and what does that mean?  Nothing at all, so I may as well cap off a great weekend by making yet another Brew Pub trip!  This time, I headed up to Benton Harbor in Michigan with two good friends of mine, Ed and Flo, to The Livery (www.liverybrew.com).  I had been hearing about this place for a while now, but after hooking up with them via Facebook and finding out they give tours of their brewing operation on certain Sundays, I decided it was time to give them a try.

The Livery is situated downtown on 5th street, right off of Main street, in what I've been told is the art district.  In an otherwise struggling town, this area displays what Benton Harbor once was, and again could be.  Contained within a fairly unassuming big brick building lies an upstairs and downstairs bar area.  From what I could tell, the upstairs portion had a handful of their beer on tap, while downstairs had far more of their "hand-forged microbrews."

We were a few minutes early for the brewery tour at 3, so we decided to pass the time by drinking some beer; we collectively chose the Karhu IPA.  I don't recall what the IBU was, however I'm guessing it is somewhere around 70, with an ABV of 6.5%.  Karhu has a very nice golden orange color with a thick white head and an unfiltered yeast cloudiness.  The aroma was of grapefuit, citrus and floral hops, which according to their website comes from the use of Chinook, Amarillo, Centennial and Mt. Hood hops.  I could tell how well my friends enjoyed their choice, as the glasses seemed to empty quickly.

While we were enjoying our first beer, we also had the opportunity to walk outside, across the patio and into the brewery.  Although small, they seemed to make use of every space possible, even converting a storage room into a space for aging beer in casks.  They had several varieties of beer in the fermenting tanks where they'll stay until the desired characteristics have been met.  Much to my surprise, there is no bottling operation at this time, but I was assured that they have plans for this in the future, and I'm certainly looking forward to buying their IPA at my local shop.  Tours are given the 2nd and 4th Sunday between 3-5, so if you are a beer enthusiast like me, make sure you check it out.

Back into the Pub for another beer, this time selecting a German Dunkel (of which I don't have the stats on), with the guys trying the brown ale and stout.  This is turning out to be a really great find, and not too far of a drive from South Bend.  For the remainder of our stay, we took in the atmosphere, told jokes and remarked at how good the beer was.  Getting out of town and trying something new in our area seemed to pay off.

My thoughts - this place is great.  The service and selection was outstanding, the surroundings were comfortable and the place invites you to have a good time.  Without a doubt, the beer is good, and I recommend you give it a try too.

-Andy
andy@thebeerisgood.com

3 Floyds Brew Pub

My Wife - "The kids are away Saturday night, would you be interested in checking out 3 Floyds?"
Me - "Hell yes."

Date night was on.

We made the trip down to Munster, IN, approximately 75 minutes from South Bend.  In the heart of an industrial park sits 3 Floyds (or FFF to some) brew pub.  To avoid long lines and get back home at a reasonable time, we left at 2:30 and arrived just before 3 local time.  Our plan to avoid lines didn't work, as there were already 15 people waiting before us, the parking lot was full and cars lined the narrow street.  In most restaurants, this line would have move quickly, but not here.  We found that once people get in, sit down and start receiving their beer, they don't want to leave!  We waited in line for about 45 minutes, something I would never do for most places, but this was different.

The heavily tattooed and pierced doorman finally permitted entry.  We made our way into the dimly lit pub and to our table with a window view of the brewery.  The overall atmosphere of this place is really cool, with punk/metal themed artwork filling the walls and random flags hanging from the ceiling.  Unlike most pubs which would be playing some sporting event, FFF was showing a Bruce Lee movie.  Their menu was far less stylish and much more straight to the point, with beer occupying roughly 2/3 of it.

I was a kid in a candy store... With so many beers to choose from, how could I be expected to pick just a few?  There were some favorites you can find around here such as Gumball, Dreadnaught and Alpha King, as well as many you can't.  In the mood for my favorite style, I went with Cortez, a single hop (El Dorado) Pale Ale with 45 IBU and 7% ABV.  There is no room for beer judging on date night, I didn't even take notes.  With that being said, this was a mighty fine brew, crisp, clean and refreshing.  As good as this was, the next choice was even more important.  Knowing that I have to drive, and the trip was fairly long, the next selection would have to be my last.  Next up, Robert the Bruce, a scottish-style ale with 6.5% ABV and 24 IBU's.  This was another really solid beer, with roasted malts and a full body.  If you are in the mood for something different, they also have a lengthy list of guest brews, both on tap and in the bottle/can.  Much to my surprise, they had PBR... I hope that was a joke.

An hour and a half later, our meal and beer finished, it was time to go.  You didn't think I would call it quits with just two beers did you?  I was sure to pick up a growler of Pride and Joy, a mild session ale, on our way out.  Overall, I was impressed with 3 Floyds and thoroughly enjoyed my time there.  The Beer Is Good, the atmosphere was unique and although slow, the service was great.

Although I'm no restaurateur, I suppose a few of you care about the food... it was good.  You're not going to find roast duck or foie gras, just really good pub food.  The pizza I ordered rivaled that of many NYC pies I've had, and my wife had an incredible roast beef sandwich.  If you can convince a designated driver to accompany you, I'm sure they'll be satisfied with the food.

After this experience, I will undoubtedly be there on April 30th for Dark Lord Day!   

By the way...

If you plan to tour the brewery (which I had hoped to), call ahead to reserve your spot.  Tours were given at 1, 2:30 and 4, unfortunately I was unable to see any of them.