Alex's Top Picks

My 'Top Picks' are chosen largely by the range of craft beers on offer, but also the general experience that the bar has to offer including service, ambience, and friendliness.

Alex hails from Brighton, England, but has lived in New York City since 1999. Check out his NYC craft beer website and cask beer website. He is actively promoting the Cask Marque quality award for cask-conditioned beer (aka 'real ale') in the NYC area, and actively encourages places to serve traditional cask ales at the correct cellar temperature. He was formerly with Dark Star Brewery in England. You can follow him on twitter as @imbiber or read his twitter feed below

Note that we regularly update what constitutes a top pick so places can be relegated from the list if their beer range dips or there are other significant changes.

Alewife Queens 5-14 51st Avenue, Long Island City NY 11101 Lots of unusual beers on tap and in bottle here.

Augurs Well 115 St. Marks Place, New York NY 10009 A tiny bar with some fantastic and unusual beers.

Banter 132 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn NY 11211 Football (soccer) pub with a number of good taps.

Barleycorn Craft Bar and Grill 23 Park Place, New York NY 10007 Huge beer bar and gastropub, over 10,000 square feet.

Beer Culture 328 West 45th Street, New York NY 10036 Excellent hybrid bar/store close to Times Square.

Beer Street 413 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 Former bottle shop now in its second incarnation as a serious beer bar.

Birreria at Eataly 200 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010 Unique cask-dedicated brewpub on the roof of a high end Italian market.

Blind Tiger Ale House 281 Bleecker Street, New York NY 10014 A very big “don’t miss!”, but time it to avoid crowds.

Brouwerij Lane 78 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11222 An excellent hybrid beer store with on premise drinking, a central meeting place for craft beer people.

Cafe D'Alsace 1695 2nd Avenue, New York NY 10128 Alsatian restaurant and bar with a remarkable beer list.

City Swiggers 320 East 86th Street, New York NY 10028 Hybrid bar and beer store, one of the very best.

Covenhoven 730 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11238 One of the best hybrid bars and beer stores in the city for rare brews.

Gebhard's Beer Culture 228 West 72nd Street, New York NY 10023 Fantastic, multi-levelled bar and store hybrid (more of a proper bar than others).

Keg & Lantern Brewing Company 97 Nassau Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11222 Excellent suburban brewpub with an Irish pub feel, beer is high quality. Cask Marque accredited.

Milk and Hops (Chelsea) 166 9th Avenue, New York NY 10011 An excellent hybrid bar and beer store, the second Milk and Hops to open. Lots of unusual beers.

Mugs Ale House 125 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 A truly pioneering beer bar, founded 1992. A ‘must visit’.

Pine Box Rock Shop 12 Grattan Street, Brooklyn NY 11206 Vegan snacks and craft beer in an old coffin factory.

Proletariat 102 St Marks Place, New York NY 10009 Where even the most seasoned beer geek may not have heard of stuff!

Spuyten Duyvil 359 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 Rare Belgian beers and more in a former barber’s shop.

Taproom No.307 307 3rd Avenue, New York NY 10010 One of the very best NYC beer and food destinations.

The Ginger Man 11 East 36th Street, New York NY 10016 One of the original 1990s NYC craft beer bars and still excellent.

The Well 272 Meserole Street, Brooklyn NY 11206 Aptly in part of the former Hittelman Brewery can be found this cavernous bar, venue (‘The Wick’), and beer garden.

Tørst 615 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11222 High end Scandinavian style craft beer bar.

Upright Brew House 547 Hudson Street, New York NY 10014 Twelve carefully chosen domestic taps, 100 bottles and cans – lots of unusual stuff here.

Honorable Mention

These are pubs I very much enjoyed but they are just a hair below the level of a "Top Pick" or I need another visit or two to confirm that they are worth a "Top Pick."

4th Ave Pub 76 4th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11217 A very decent beer bar on the same block as Pacific Standard.

61 Local 61 Bergen Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 Sizeable community space, mainly local beers.

Albion 575 2nd Avenue, New York NY 10016 13 craft taps and two casks flow here.

Arts and Crafts Beer Parlor 26 West 8th Street, New York NY 10011 Subterranean beer bar, ‘the antithesis of a sports bar’.

Astoria Bier and Cheese (Broadway) 34-14 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106 One of two similar hybrid stores/bars locally.

Astoria Bier and Cheese (Ditmars) 35-11 Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria NY 11105 One of two similar hybrid stores/bars locally.

The Atlantic Chip Shop 129 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11201 Totally authentic British bar-restaurant.

Barcade 388 Union Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 Industrial space with 25 craft taps and as many retro video games.

Barcade (New York) 148 West 24th Street, New York NY 10011 One of a small chain of craft bars featuring old video games.

Barcade (St. Marks) 6 St. Marks Place, New York NY 10003 The newest of NYC's three Barcades, mixing craft beer with retro arcade game machines.

Bar Great Harry 280 Smith Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 Small beer bar with well chosen taps.

Beer Authority 300 West 40th Street, New York NY 10018 Large bar next to the world’s biggest bus station.

Beer Shop and Tasting Table 422 Amsterdam Avenue, New York NY 10024 Narrow, cosy hybrid bar and beer store.

Bondurants 303 East 85th Street, New York NY 10028 Always unusual stuff on tap here, including a cask beer.

Bottle and Bine 1085 2nd Avenue, New York NY 10022 Bi-level modern bar-restaurant, equally promoting good craft beer and fine wine.

The Brazen Head 228 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11201 Friendly locals’ bar that narrows into a triangular shape.

Bronx Ale House 216 West 238th Street, Bronx NY 10463 An oasis in the western Bronx beer desert, worth the trek.

Brooklyn Brewery 1 Brewers Row, 79 North 11th Street, Brooklyn NY 11249 Very well respected craft brewery with a taproom open weekends.

Buddha Beer Bar 4476 Broadway, New York NY 10040 Pleasant beer bar with good food.

The Cannibal (Gotham West Market) 600 11th Avenue, New York NY 10036 In a food market, lots of great bottles and 8 on tap.

Church Publick 78 Reade Street, New York NY 10007 Laid back but upmarket gastropub, almost everything is craft.

Circa Brewing Co. 141 Lawrence Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 A high end, modern styled brewpub with good quality beer and a wood fired pizza oven.

City Hops 1145 2nd Avenue, New York NY 10065 Tiny hybrid bar and beer store.

Crescent and Vine 25-03 Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria NY 11105 Tiny, cave-like bar.

Croxley’s Abbey 63 Grand Street, Brooklyn NY 11249 A sports bar with good beer. 48 taps, the majority being craft (14 are not), including a healthy number of Belgians. Many good bottles also.

Greenpoint Beer and Ale Company(formerly Dirck...) 7 North 15th Street, Brooklyn NY 11222 Good brewpub in an old industrial space from Ed Raven of Raven Imports / Brouwerij Lane. Renamed from Dirck the Norseman.

Dive Bar 732 Amsterdam Avenue, New York NY 10025 One of three Upper West Side Dive Bars (the original).

Draught 55 245 East 55th Street, New York NY 10022 There’s a good range at this popular and friendly beer bar.

Drop Off Service 211 Avenue A, New York NY 10009 British and German owned craft beer bar in a former launderette space, hence the name.

Fools Gold 145 East Houston Street, New York NY 10002 One of the three ‘Beerly Legal’ bars, excellent overall.

The Gate 321 5th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 Since 1997, always good stuff on tap here.

George Keeley 485 Amsterdam Avenue, New York NY 10024 Popular beer destination, hearty pub food.

Gold Star Beer Counter 176 Underhill Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11238 Very dimly lit after dark, this is a shrine to rare beers.

Gramercy Tavern 42 East 20th Street, New York NY 10003 A very upmarket classic American tavern with vintage bottles on the menu.

High Dive 243 5th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 Smart and friendly bar with an excellent range.

Hops Hill 886 Fulton Street, Brooklyn NY 11238 Lots of unusual high end beers are offered in this tiny bar.

Island to Island Brewery and Tasting Room 642 Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11226 A quirky, community driven bar doubling as a juicery with a little brewery in the cellar (9 sixtels from each brew) which produces very limited quantities of good quality beer - some with innovative ingredients. There is a Caribbean theme, notably Trinidad. Not many beers are on tap but it is worth the trek.

Jacob’s Pickles 509 Amsterdam Avenue, New York NY 10024 Interesting beers are on tap at this pleasant bar-restaurant.

The Jeffrey Craft Beer & Bites 311 East 60th Street, New York NY 10022 One of three excellent ‘Beerly Legal’ Irish-owned bars.

Lantern Hall 52 Harrison Place, Brooklyn NY 11237 An excellent, British-managed craft beer bar in a former machine shop space.

Lions Beer Store 104 2nd Avenue, New York NY 10003 Hybrid bar and beer store, lots of Belgians.

Lupulo 835 6th Avenue, New York NY 10001 Upmarket Portuguese restaurant with a very well chosen craft beer list.

Mekelburg's 293 Grand Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11238 A subterranean craft beer bar and gourmet grocery store in one.

Milk and Hops 779 Broadway, New York NY 10003 A great hybrid beer bar and gourmet store selling cheeses, chocolates, and more.

Mission Dolores 249 4th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 Unique space in three sections, lots of craft beer flowing plus a cask.

One Mile House 10 Delancey Street, New York NY 10002 Good choices in the heart of the Lower East Side.

The Owl Farm 297 9th Street, Brooklyn NY 11215 Great bar with a very well curated list.

The Pony Bar 1444 1st Avenue, New York NY 10021 19 rotating domestic taps and 2 casks.

Rattle 'n' Hum West 306 West 39th Street, New York NY 10018 Smart beer bar adjoining the Holiday Inn, newer sister to the Rattle 'n' Hum near the Empire State Building.

The Rochard 1504 Lexington Avenue, New York NY 10029 The fourth in the small chain of 'Beerly Legal' bars in the city, plenty of interesting craft beers can be found here.

Rosamunde Sausage Grill 285 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 Small San Francisco based chain lands in Brooklyn with a bang (and bangers). Excellent!

Spring Lounge 48 Spring Street, New York NY 10012 Early drinking in ‘The Shark Bar’.

The Stag's Head 252 East 51st Street, New York NY 10022 Smart bar, 15 rotating taps.

St. Gambrinus Beer Shoppe 533 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11217 Hybrid bar and beer store near the hideous Barclays Center basketball arena.

Sugarburg 519 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 Pleasant corner bar over two subway lines.

Sunswick 35-35 35-02 35th Street, Astoria NY 11106 Popular corner bar with good taps and a few good bottles.

Threes Brewing 333 Douglass Street, Brooklyn NY 11217 Smart, easy going brewpub with guest beers also.

West End Hall 2756 Broadway, New York NY 10025 Brick walled bar with a great selection.

The Wilky 108 Patchen Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11221 A laid back neighbourhood bar, all taps rotate regularly.

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