The Great American Ale Trail - Christian DeBenedetti [124]
PHILOSOPHY
Three sheets to the wind, lads!
KEY BEER
Jever Pilsner, which isn’t too bad, and there’s sometimes a hefeweizen. Come to think of it, there are a few craft beers to choose from, now and again. Or you could drink PBR. Don’t worry about it too much. Worrying is bad for you.
SUNNY’S
253 Conover St. • Brooklyn, NY 11231 (718) 625-8211 • sunnysredhook.com • Established: 1890
SCENE & STORY
There is, at the end of a desolated, cobblestone street in the neighborhood of Red Hook, a bar seemingly cut from pure sail-cloth, burlap, denim, and time. Opened in 1890, Sunny’s is one of the last, best, most authentic New York places; to spend some hours there is to understand what makes the unhip, untrendy New York so appealing to a certain sort of drinker. The owner, Sunny’s grandfather, opened up the place, and it doesn’t seem like it’s changed much, ever. There are electric Christmas light strands and maritime knickknacks left over from its days as a longshoreman’s bar. An old green Willy’s Jeep sits parked in front; the wood floors slope, and at night (it’s only open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.), you crowd in and listen to really good musicians play Western Swing, dancing if you feel like it.
Sunny’s just might be my favorite bar in the world. It’s not for everyone. For starters, Sunny’s is not easy to find. There’s no subway close by, and the bus service is sporadic. Close to the harbor, you can smell the water, and the piers seem eerie. And even though there are some new bike paths and a fancy Fairway grocery store not too far away, on arrival, one immediately understands the meaning of the term Brooklyn Noir, which was invented for long-shadow streets like this. You can’t use a credit card. You bring dollars, and you drink out of the bottle or a can. The bartender does not make faux old-timey cocktails or pretend he’s a character in The Great Gatsby. It’s not a place for the critic. It’s also not really for cowboys, but the bluegrass jam session on Saturday nights makes you feel like you might have been one in a past life. You might just want to spend this life there, too.
PHILOSOPHY
Micro-what? Hey, in 1844, Pabst Blue Ribbon, named for a German ship captain, was a sort of craft beer, too. This is not beer-geek country, but that’s exactly what is so refreshing about coming here.
KEY BEER
The spicy, grainy Brooklyn Lager (5% ABV), if it’s on. It’s a standby throughout the borough. Truth be told, this is a Budweiser longneck kind of place, but Sunny often brings in Italian (mass-produced) lagers like Peroni, too.
Queens
BOHEMIAN HALL & BEER GARDEN
29-19 24th Ave. • Astoria, NY 11102 • (718) 274-4925 bohemianhall.com • Established: 1910
SCENE & STORY
Founded in 1892 in Astoria, Queens, to support Czech and Slovak immigrants to the area, as well as people of Czech and Slovak ancestry, the Bohemian Citizens’ Benevolent Society is housed in “Bohemian Hall” and its tree-shaded beer garden outside is the oldest continuously operated beer garden in New York City, opened in 1910. It can fill up early, so head over early as part of an East New York (i.e. Brooklyn) trek.
PHILOSOPHY
As the Czech proverb says, “a fine beer may be judged with just one sip, but it’s better to be thoroughly sure.” Come for the traditional Czech and Bohemian food like goulash and dumplings, live music, open-air movies, or just beers in the open air. Sundays bring a small arts-and-crafts market, too.
KEY BEER
You can also opt for New York–area craft beers from Blue Point, Ommegang (Hennepin), Chelsea, and Captain Lawrence, but the great, golden-hued Czech import Pilsner Urquell would