Venue Review: Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor, NYC



With some of my favorite friends at my new favorite NYC beer bar!

I wasn’t certain Manhattan needed another craft beer bar, but I was certain I wanted one. The more of them, the merrier I am! I realized, however, upon entering Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor for the first time two weeks ago, that Manhattan’s craft beer scene had been missing a certain type of establishment. Arts & Crafts was it.

Arts &Crafts opened this past spring, and the only reason I hadn’t rushed in until now was because up until the end of October, I was home in New Jersey on maternity leave. But now that I’m back at work in Manhattan, I anticipate many happy, happy hours at what I’m already certain is my new favorite NYC watering hole.  

At first, I was a bit anxious about the bar’s 8^th street location, since most bars in this area tend to be overrun by NYU students. No real offense—I myself just recently received my Master’s in Public Administration from NYU! It’s just that we beer judges like an atmosphere in which we can reflect on our drinks without the concern that, due to raucous overcrowding, someone less appreciative of the quality they’re consuming and more interested in letting off midterm steam will knock our order into our lap. But A&C’s basement residency makes the bar nicely incognito, and with no other bars in the very immediate vicinity, the place is protected against pub crawl chaos.

It’s no wonder that the beer is fresh, tasty, expertly poured, and served at just the right temperature—the staff are knowledgeable and dignified (without being the least bit pompous or pretentious), and the glassware, not to mention the venue as a whole, is spotless. Not everyone’s stereotypical image of a beer enthusiast is a neat freak, but anyone who has brewed at home will tell you cleanliness is key in the beer world. A&C’s attention to detail makes it apparent that this place takes its product, and its customers, very seriously.  

The bar’s simple aesthetic makes it clear that no gimmicks are needed to gain a following. The 24 rotating taps of high quality craft beer, (plenty of which even I had yet to try), speak for themselves. And yet, the bar’s atmosphere is strategically inviting: The polished wooden tables’ various sizes accommodate both intimate get-togethers and larger groups, and are all  just a few steps away from the long bar, which also hosts plenty of seats. The tables’ proximity to one another is close enough to accommodate intermingling, yet far enough to appease those who place a high value their personal space.  The golden ambient lighting is also just right—dim enough to create a sense of cozy comfort, but not so dim that you can’t get an easy, accurate look at what it is you’re drinking.

I can always get a good sense of what to expect from a craft beer establishment by taking a look at their menu, and A&C’s descriptions of its brews are fantastic.  Humorous figurative language coupled with recipe specifics and descriptive “beer speak” give beer aficionados and newbies alike an excellent idea of what to order. I recommend giving the menu a look online before you go—A&C uses BeerMenus.com, which allows viewers to get an even more in-depth look at each beer’s specifics simply by clicking on the name. Prices are standard for the location and excellent for the quality, and $5.00 select drafts are available for a daily happy hour lasting until 8:00pm.

When I first walked into Arts & Crafts I was all by my lonesome, waiting a good 20 minutes before my friends were due to arrive. But I was instantly made to feel comfortable and catered to, and from beginning to end, an excellent time was had by all. I can’t wait to go back…again, and again.

Southern Craft Beer Tour Part II

On our way home from my sister's wedding, we had the mighty fine pleasure of stopping at Full Steam Brewery in Durham, NC. Full Steam has a well deserved great reputation, and since I've in fact been to very few actual craft breweries, I was pretty darn giddy about this visit.

I felt a little anxious about bringing our kids into a brewery, but doing so wasn't awkward at all. The atmosphere was very laid back and welcoming, although at the same time, it was impressively well put-together--hipster posh, I'd say. Our daughter Evangeline got to meet a beauty of a dog named Gossamer. She was also quite enamored with the mash tuns.
 

The crew was generous about handing out samples, so between "taste tests" and the flight I ordered, I believe I was able to taste the entirety of the beers on draft that day. I can say in absolute sincerity, that I was extremely impressed by every single one of them. And how stylish is their flight board in the shape of North Carolina? I'm telling you, Full Steam has some thoughtful designers on staff.

 Less thoughtful, however, was the ordering of my beers. Usually, a flight is prepared by arranging the drinks from left to right according to strength of flavor--a person can't taste a Lite Lager if their tongue has just been coated with the deep coffee and chocolate flavors of a Baltic Porter, you see. But even though I said, "...not necessarily in this order, of course..." when placing my order for the stylin' flight you see above, the man behind the bar wrote down and arranged the beers in the exact order in which they came out of my mouth. Big rookie oversight, in my opinion. He wasn't doing his workplace any flavors: Had I not known my beer styles enough to rearrange the flight order once I got back to our table, I would have ended up being far less able to appreciate Full Steam's lighter brews. Of course, this doesn't take away from the tastiness of the beers themselves! My flight consisted of: Full Steam's Cream Ale, El Toro; its American IPA, Rocket Science; its Ginger Pale Ale, Cack-a-Lacky; its Sweet Potato Lager, Carger; and its Hickory Smoked

 Porter, Hogwash. At this point, it may be needless to say that what makes Full Steam especially unique is its creative twists on traditional styles. May I say again, that each endeavor is impeccably done.

My husband bought me a souvenir glass commemorating the brewery's Ginger Pale Ale, Cack-a-Lacky, a collaboration with Southern spice company Cackalacky Inc. Here it is with my pick of the day, Full Steam's Session Nut Brown Ale, Sweet Season. Since Brown Ales are low on my general list of favorite beer styles, I think the fact that I picked this beer out of Full Steam's very impressive lineup says a lot about the brewery's capabilities. Furthermore, Sweet Season is a "session beer," a beer with a low ABV that you can drink glasses of in a continuous "session" without getting drunk or overwhelmed. I tend to equate session beers to elevator music: they help lighten the mood, but they're nearly always forgettable.

Right away, the "nuttiness" of this Nut Brown Ale came through in the aroma. The malt gave off scents of roasted walnuts, pecans, and even macadamia nuts. The flavor matched this profile, while incorporating a delightful dark chocolate taste in the finish. The beer's tastiness was well supported by a medium mouthfeel, which is also rare for a session ale. In spite of the complexity of flavors and the hearty texture, however, this drink retained a refreshing crispness. It was something of a nice anomaly-- a session ale to savor!

 The excellent icing on the cake was that space across the street is commanded by The Pit, which serves up undeniably supurb authentic Southern barbecue that even our picky two-year-old enjoyed.

I had no idea North Carolina had two types of BBQ sauce! That's kind of hardcore.

I'll conclude by saying that if you're ever in North Carolina, a stop by Full Steam Brewery is a good time if you're not a beer lover, and a fantastical time if you are one! And if you're already in the Durham area...lucky!!!

Southern Craft Beer Tour: Part I


Two weekends ago, my family had the pleasure (and the pain) of traveling by car from New Jersey to North Carolina with a toddler and an infant. Fortunately, the destination was a wondrous one--my twin sister's wedding. And as a welcome plus, I got to try some local craft beers along the way. For me, that's an excellent antidote for a tempest of screaming, pooping, whining, and running amok for over twelve hours on the road.

We arrived the day before the wedding, right on time for a familial southern barbecue. And thank goodness, in an off-to-the-side ice chest, there were some local craft beer selections for sampling.

The two I picked up straight away were both IPAs; I wanted to compare them. I wasn't sure it would be a very fair comparison, however, because according to its label, one of the two  was an English-style IPA, meaning it would likely have less intense hop bitterness and flavor, and more of a toasty, caramel quality than its American-style opponent. I tend to be partial to English IPAs, so I was hoping there would be enough similarities between the two for me to compare them objectively.

In above-and-beyond beer maven fashion, I requested that my sister, the bride, pose with both unopened bottles for this blog.

On the left we have the American IPA, Hoppyum, from Foothills Brewing Company, and on the right is the English IPA, Natty Greene's Elm Street. Before that day, I'd never had a beer from either brewery.

Hoppyum was a solid, standard American IPA. A fine beer, but nothing to write home (or here) about. The English IPA surprised me, but not in a good way. While it exhibited English-style characteristics in that the hops were more earthy than citrusy, it lacked the malty sweetness I've come to expect from this type of beer. According to Natty Greene's website, Elm Street has only 55 IBUs (International Bittering Units), but this was a bitter beer indeed. It was almost astringent--without the malt to balance the hops, I felt like I was sucking on tea bags coated I coffee grinds. 

On RateBeer.com, Elm Street scores a dismal 51 in comparison to Hopoyum's 93. The reviewers, however, seemed to pick up on the caramel and malt much more than I did, also pointing out some tropical fruit tastes. Maybe I had a bad bottle. It happens! 

Later on in the festivities, I had two more beers by Natty Greene's, an Irish Red Ale, and a Pale Ale. Both were fairly average in my opinion, but much better than Elm Street. Yikes.