May 24, 2012
Small store with lots of coolers a handful of taps and some food which i didnt eat. Really nice and helpful staff. Smaller inventory than some other stores in Manhattan but it’s got a nice vibe. Worth stopping in at.

April 1, 2012
Stopped by here for the first time this past weekend. Essentially, a bottle shop with seating area, taps, and flights available of good beer, get it?

November 20, 2011
Went here with Anne during my stay in NYC in 2011 for the Paleography workshop at Columbia. Great selection of bottles. The staff was knowledgeable and pointed me in the direction of several good east coast brews.

September 6, 2011
Cool store with a lot of refrigerator space. Lots of singles...nothing too exciting like what you might score at Bowery Place Whole Foods or New Beer Distributors. For instance, almost no geuze here save for maybe Boon or something. No 3F or Cantillon. Focus is on things like River Horse, Sixpoint, Captain Lawrence, Founders. Prices seemed a little bit higher. $7 Orval bottles for instance. They do have a bar of sorts with some taps for growler fills or drink on premise pints or tasters. Some pretty decent Victory and Southern Tier beers on tap. Lots of weird bottles are stuck in the fridges here, which doesn’t seem necessary. I picked up some IPAs and pilseners that could benefit from the fridge, but they didn’t seem too fresh so I’m not sure what the point is. Cool store, with a lot of fun for new beer geeks especially if you want to mix and match six packs of unrated random stuff. But not a whole lot here that peeked my interest, probably because I am a spoiled snob. So worth stopping by if you are in the area, but on a step below Bowery WF and NBD.

September 5, 2011
Nice small village place with a decent selection of brews. Most of the common US craft brews are here - though, they were lacking on imports. Several taps are available for tasting and they do sell single bottles.

May 28, 2011
I really took a liking to this place. It is not spectacular or groundbreaking; it is just a really cool little bottle shop/tasting room. The atmosphere is nothing fancy, but if you enjoy walking around looking at beer bottles, it is great. The staff are friendly and knowledgable. There are about 8 tap lines serving good stuff. You can get growlers, samplers, pints, 10 ounce pours and light food items, like cheese plates and pickles, et cetera. When I was there they had a couple of unusual items on draft (including one that was ridiculously overpriced). The bottle selection is first rate and the prices are reasonable. It is a popular spot and it draws in people from all walks of life. I shall return.

April 1, 2011
First off, let me just say that I am a complete sucker for this format of store (primarily a bottle shop, with taps for on-site pints and growler fills). Many of my favorite spots in the US are of this genre, they always seem to attract cool beer people. Slightly below ground, the sotre has coolers all the way to the back on one wall, and rack of beer up front and to the other side. The register / tap station is in the middle, and there are a couple of smaller tables behind. I was happy with a Ballast Point smoked lager and a bit of shopping. Really good vibe, really nice guy working. Selection is certainly below that of New Beer and Whole Foods Bowery nearby, but this place is worth a stop to chill for a few minutes.

February 8, 2011
Went here with Brendan, Streets, and LaCroix. The place is about 2 months old at the point of this review. I was very excited to check it out after reading several articles about it’s arrival to the NYC craft beer scene. When you walk in the whole right side is refrigerators, front to back, packed with bottled beers. Mostly US stuff and arranged by location. The left has 6 packs. There is also a neat island between both sides where you can lean against and have a drink on. Behind this, and In the middle of the place there is the bar/kitchen with about 10 taps... all solid craft beers, but I didn’t see anything rare (BR Heritage, Harpoon Celtic, some Ommegang). About 4-5 tables in the back too. Bottle selection is really good, so many things I wanted to try in the store with plenty of seating and such a nice atmosphere BUT YOU CAN ONLY SIT DOWN TO DRINK WHAT’S ON TAP HERE, WHICH IS LESS THAN 1% OF WHAT’S IN THE STORE!!! ALL BOTTLE MUST BE TO GO!!! So sad, especially cause it’s not that close to a subway, so expect to walk around with heavy bottles or spend cash on a cab. Other Beer Store/Cafes in the City like 9th ave vintner, while they have a much smaller selection, do allow bottles to be opened in there seating area. The guy working at the bar said they created this rule so they don’t attract a bad crowd, since they have some 12oz that are like $2.50. I see the logic, but that’s really annoying... they should just have a certain percent increase charged for drinking bottles on site...I’m sure people would be fine with paying an extra 10-15% for the convenience. A nice spot but unless they allow you drink bottles here or really add to there draft offerings, there is no real reason to go here over New Beer or Whole Foods... unless you live right by Tompkins Square Park or enjoy drinking some draft while you shop for bottles... These other places are are bigger and cheaper and closer to a subway.

January 1, 2011
Great selection of US craft stuff, and some good European stuff as well. Guys there are very friendly and know and love beer, which is what makes the place great. The location is unfortunate (for me at least) since they’re very close to the only two other great beer stores in Manhattan (Whole Foods’ Beer Room and New Beer Distributors). Compared to that competition, their selection is actually a bit lacking, as you’ll find more (and more interesting, especially non-US) at those other stores. Will still return here though, given the good prices, service (try asking most of the Whole Foods guys about beer), and selection of US beers.

November 28, 2010
Nice little shop with a vice that reminds me of a little place that opened up in Rhinebeck about twenty minutes north of me recently. Good selection of bottles, especially for anyone who isn’t the most demanding beer geek (meaning this is a great spot for locals who are just into beer and not ridiculously picky like many of us on RB). Twelve beers on tap for either growler fills or pints or samplers in the store. When I came in there was a party of about six sitting at the table in the back eating and having some samplers and there was a couple seated at one of the front tables doing the same. Prices seemed a bit high for bottles but the growler prices seemed reasonable and I liked that they can do tasting pours and pints. I’m curious how that works since the two places near me that do growler fills and are stores, don’t have that ability.