Visiting NYC, Where to drink?

[matt]

I'm going to be visiting NYC in a few weeks and I was wondering if there was a "can't miss" beer joint in the city. I figured that since New York is known as a fantastic city for epicurians, there must be something there for beer drinkers.

Unfortunately my research has left me a tad disappointed. I'm from DC, and the beer scene here is pretty stellar. I've read reviews about four places that I'll probably visit, but three out of the four didn't sound all that hot. I won't mention which ones at first because I don't want to taint any recommendations that might come my way. I'm particularly looking for cask beers, but I'm not a stickler for it being "Real Ale" according to CAMRA. (in other words, cask-breathers are ok by me.)

Thanks

[Beer Travelers]

To start: d.b.a. 41 1st ave. (www.drinkgoodstuff.com). 16 or so taps and two handpumps. The blackboard tells you when a keg went on, so you'll have a good idea about freshness. Very well tended beer. Usually beer from Southamption Publick House is available here - if so try some.

Blind Tiger Ale House, 518 Hudson. About 24 taps, with plenty of regional beers. Also well cared for beer.

Stephen Beaumont (www.worldofbeer.com) recently wrote that he was much more impressed with the Ginger Man (11 E. 36th St.) than in previous visits. Has the advantage of being Midtown and having 69 taps.

There are too many places to list, like the Waterfront Ale House in Manhattan or Brooklyn or Mugs in Brooklyn, because it is a big city. A lot of mega-beer and a lot of beer where care is iffy but also a lot of bar owners that are passionate about serving flavorful beer.

Prosit,
Stan

[pubscout]

Goood suggestions above.

For my money, I wouldn't miss a visit to McSorley's Ale House 2nd Ave, E-7th. Burp Castle is also there.

FWIW, The Slaughtered Lamb in the Village is pretty neat as well. Out of the way, not too well known as a tourist attraction, good beers, great pub atmosphere.

I've also always enjoyed the Ginger Man--35th and Madison, though of late some have cavilled about the freshness of the beers and cleanlines of the beer lines.

Buena cervesa!

[matt]

Just returned from my trip and I managed to visit d.b.a. and the Ginger Man. d.b.a. had a fairly decent bottle and tap selection. The two cask ales they had available were Hopback Summer Lightning and another pale ale from Hopback the name of which I don't remember. (tunder storm or something like that...) Anyway, both were well kept, but the beer engines weren't in the best repair. They have one modern Angram that worked well, but the other pumps looked to be about 100 years old and the bartenders had some trouble using them. Once the beer was in the glass it was excellent though. The best part about d.b.a. though was that they will actually serve you Kwak in a real Kwak glass, which is an odd spectacle and actually makes the beer quack when you drink it.

I think I liked the Ginger Man a bit better. They had some intresting sandwiches, I particularly liked the turkey sandwich with curry-apple mayo. The Ginger Man had a larger selection of taps and had two beer engines for cask beer, which I gathered is new for them. Unfortunately I didn't get to sample them because they were still settling. I did get to sample a few beers from the Magic Hat brewery in Vermont, whose beers are not readily availble in DC. I particularly liked the Humble Patience. The menu categorized it as a brown, the waitress described it to me as an Irish Red, and I categorized it as yummy... lovely balance between sweet and toasty/roasty malt flavors with an earthy hop flavor and faint nose. Served from a nitro-keg at a warmer temp than the CO2 beers.

Next trip I'll have to make sure to hit the Blind Tiger Ale house. Thanks again for the recommendations.