Jan, 2012. NewYork Post. Big brews here!
Forget the keg or the six-pack. For tomorrow’s Super Bowl showdown, in-the-know New Yorkers are picking up growlers — refillable jugs of the beer of your choice — thanks to a slew of growler-friendly bars and shops that have recently roared into town. Here’s where to get your fill for tomorrow’s game — and guzzle a quick pint while you’re waiting.
Top Hops
94 Orchard St.; 212-254-4677, tophops.com
Belly
up to the gently curving aluminum bar at this two-week-old Lower East
Side space, and tour the world via the emporium’s 600 bottled brands,
which come from far-flung lands such as Sri Lanka, Peru and Colombia. Or
keep it local with a pint from breweries such as Greenport Harbor on
Long Island and River Horse in Lambertville, NJ. Growlers to go come in
32- and 64-ounce jugs (both $5), with fills ranging from $6 to $34.
Owner Ted Kenny says he wanted to fill a gap in New York City’s burgeoning beer market. “New York has so many great wine stores, so I wondered why they don’t have any great beer stores,” he says.
Growler Station
26 W. Eighth St.; 212-777-2337, growler-station.com/nyc
Tech
prowess is the highlight of this NYU-area newcomer: Two iPads at the
front are loaded with a “Beer Wizard” app that helps you pick your
poison. The app, currently loaded with 500 craft beers and updated in
real time, sorts suds by brand, style and the type of food you want to
eat with it, and is adjustable according to beer bitterness, color and
alcohol content.
Sold in 2-liter plastic bottles (“beasts”), as
well as 32- and 64-ounce growlers, beers range from $6.99 to $36.99.
“The main goal is to educate the customer [about beer],” says vice
president Tony Lane. So far, popular sellers include the Brooklyn-based
Kelso — a bourbon-barrel IPA — and O’Reilly IPA. The suds shop also
sells locally made snacks to go, such as Kings County Beef Jerky ($9.99)
and dips by Brooklyn Salsa Company ($5.79).
One Stop Beer Shop
134 Kingsland Ave., Brooklyn; 718-599-0128, 1-sbs.com
Best
sellers at this month-old shop include the Piraat, a Belgian IPA ($9
for an 8- to 10-ounce pour), and the Pumking ($8 per pint), a sweet,
hearty winter ale aged in oak. “It’s a strong beer, but not overly
hoppy,” co-owner Ben Roshia says of the Piraat. “It’s very much a unisex
beer.” Empty 64-ounce growlers are $4.
While you’re waiting, try
the $9 beer-inspired concoctions, such as the “Simply Original,” made
from vodka infused with fruity and flowery black tea and topped with Original Sin Hard Cider. “It’s one of the more
simplistic drinks — for people who say, ‘I don’t know the whole beer
cocktail thing,’ ” Roshia says.

