Featuring McSorley's Light and Dark beerssold only2 at a time in any combination for $3.00. McSorley's is our traditional starting point for lunch. An appetizer plate of cheese and onions with hot mustard is best washed down with a few rounds. The lunch special of corned beef hash w/ red cabbage and turnips was a favorite with the Brookmoor crowd. McSorley's is one of New York's oldest pubs and has the distinction of being the last to allow women inside. It was not until 1970 that women were finally allowed to drink at the bar. It is rumored that there was not a women's restroom for an additional 10 years.
My favorite pub on the crawl. Has an outstanding selection of beers in bottles and on tap including hand drawn real ales. We tried Dent Brewery's T'owd Tup Stout, Norfolk Nog Old Dark Ale, Bateman's XXX, and Boddington's Bitter, and Brooklyn Pilsner. For more information on what's on tap check out the d.b.a website
Barrow Street Ale House (15 Barrow Street between W. 4th and Bleeker)
After d.b.a., we found that there was not much unusual on tap. They had some interesting bottle beers however. We had draft Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Redhook ESB and moved on.
Chumley's was an old speakeasy and is still is unmarked from the street. The bar was supposed to open at 4:00 PM. The door was unlocked, so we went in and we were greeted by 2 barking retrievers who quickly retreated to their previous resting places. Despite what looked like a good selection of beers on tap, we were forced to depart and continue on our way when the kitchen help declined to serve us and no bartender had arrived by 4:25
Back Fence (one block from Peculier Pub on Bleeker St)
The Back Fence was an unscheduled stop when we discovered that we had a 30 minute wait for the opening of the Peculiar Pub. Not much of interest on tap, so we settled for bottles of Sam Adams Boston Lager, Pete's Wicked Ale, and Pete's Wicked Summer Brew. On a positive note, they provided all the peanuts in the shell that we cared to eat - shells on the floor.
Peculier Pub (145 Bleeker St at LaGuardia)
The Peculiar Pub was said to have a good selection of beer on tap, despite being characterized as a wretched NYU frat-boy hangout. We had several pints Moreland's Old Speckled Hen and some marginal sandwiches. Mike broke down and ordered a Budweiser.
To find out more about pubs in NYC, check out The New York City Beer Guide