Good Beer 3rd Anniversary

Interview with David of Good Beer (Flash version)

Non-Flash podcast   

Good Beer celebrated its third anniversary on Nov. 9, with complimentary pours of Single Cut 19-33 Queenslagerrr! on draught. We did a very limited post on Good Beer in June of 2011, when first discovering the shop, which has become a near daily ritual. Since the summer of 2011, in addition to the already then established Bierkraft, Whole Foods and New Beer, we're seen an explosion of bottle shops/growler filling stations in NYC. Alphabet City Beer Company, Top Hops, Beer Boutique, Breukelen Beer Merchants, City Swiggers, The Jeffery -- the list goes on, and continues to grow.

David with a rich pour.

Good Beer stands out for their extremely carefully curated selection and fair prices. Their stock is about 80% American craft beer and 20% from countries with established brewing traditions, such as Germany, Belgium, the UK and Scandinavia. Patrons are welcome to purchase both bottles and growlers to go. But only sample sized glasses and pints may be enjoyed on premise, along with light snacks, as a condition set by the Community Board in approving their request for a liquor license. Their food menu consists of organic, local or heritage chorizo, kielbasa, vegan sausage, pretzels, jerky and hot dogs.

Good Beer has also become known for their fantastic events and tap take-overs: Founders, Perennial, Allagash, Dogfish Head, etc. Most of their events take place on Tuesdays during after work hours. They're very vigilant about keeping their BeerMenus listings updated, and you can keep up to date on their events and specials via their Facebook page. In this installment of the podcast, we speak to owner David, as well as some regulars who we know from the Black Top Street Hockey adult rec league, which plays in near-by Tompkins Sq. Park during the warmer months.

A surprised André.

A sign of good beer.

ABC Beer Company

While walking to Petit Abeille for a dinner of beers and moules-frites, by way of the East River Park, we happened upon ABC Beer Company on Avenue C by 6th Street, run by the proprietor of ABC Wine nextdoor. It's one of those new hybrid drink-on-premises bar/take-home-bottles-and-growlers establishments that seem to be popping up everywhere lately. The Ale Street News has a great article about these kinds of shops, with an extensive list, on page 6-B of the latest issue, also available on-line.

The exterior of ABC is pretty stark and plain and gives no indication of the very comfy, warm, rustic, wood ensconsed interior. There were 11 items offered on draft, for consumption in the bar, or to take home. I ordered a pint of Newburgh Brewing Co.'s Smoked Stout, and found it suited the atmosphere perfectly. It was dark, smooth, mildly smokey and slightly creamy.

B.R. "hop-ted" for a different "hop-tion" -- the Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA, which she noted was indeed hoppy! You can hear her comments about it in a bonus, very much abbreviated Beer Hear! podcast.

BR thought-bubble: "ce magasin a besoin de la bière plus français..."

ABC Beer definitely seems to be putting the focus on being a bar more than a shop, using the vast majority of their space for seating, including a massive common table with benches, in the European fashion. They also offer some light fare to accompany the beers. Everything on tap ranged from very good to great, with reasonable pricing.

The bottle selection -- for take away only, not to be consumed on premises -- was impressive, and the pricing was in line with what you'd expect in NYC. Though the selection is far from the variety and quantity offered by nearby Good Beer on E. 9th St. between Ave. A and B or City Swiggers on the East 86th just east of 2nd Ave., if you told me 15 years ago that you'd be able to buy Westmalle and Dogfish Head on Ave. C one day, I'd have found that hard to swallow.

 It's another welcome sign that people want to drink good beer, and harkens back to the day when it was common to go to the pub with a bucket to fill and take home.