Beer nerds, god bless them, love beer stores, especially since they are invariably run by other beer nerds who never tire of talking about enzymatic degradation, hop varietals, etc. etc. But they love beer bars even more, because where else can you try ten different abbey ales in one sitting?
One of the last great Bleecker Street haunts to survive the Midtownifaction of the Village, the Peculiar is still dark, woody, filled with students, and has three million kinds of beer.
If there was ever a great drinker's bar in New York, this is it. It gets a little crowded, but the cask ales, beer and liquor selection, and the general boozy feeling here makes this a Mecca for the tipsy.
A fabulous beer bar by any standard: the rowdy / artsy atmosphere, the Teutonic airs, the growlers and flowing ales: just a great place to drink.
A somewhat undistinguished looking West Village bar, Blind Tiger nonetheless has one of the biggest beer selections to be found in New York -- one reason for its otherwise inexplicable continuing popularity.
A subterranean gastropub, Jimmy's is under the radar both literally and figuratively, but the place has an impeccable, beautifully curated beer selection and constantly overachieves with its creative, meaty menu.
This vast downtown store has all the Whole Foods Market stuff you expect, plus an immense dedicated beer mart.
What started out as a place best known for its Belgian beers and great burger now has taken its place as one of the city's premier purveyors of whole animal cooking. Their "large format feasts" are perfect big groups of carnivores, and there's a meat bar next door called Cannibal. And of course the Belgian beers haven't gone anywhere.
The old East Village was above all an Eastern European neighborhood, and this beer bar celebrates that tradition with dozens, if not hundreds, of brews from that part of the world. A great break from the bro-holes that pollute the neighborhood nowadays.
This immense Brooklyn beer hall echoes its sisters in Astoria, Munich and Prague: that is to say, it's very big, very fun, and serves a lot of very good beer and sausages.
Do you love beer in all its vast diversity? Do you love your dog? Do you wish there was a beer bar that allowed dogs? Well, you are in luck.
The west side's greatest beer selection is to be found at this Hell's Kitchen tavern, which carries a huge range of Belgian bottles, American craft ales, and specialty brews.