I met up with Mark at the logical starting point for most of my little excursions, and that was, of course, Pete's Waterfront Ale House. I got there a bit before Mark, but then I just had to walk a few blocks and he was coming in from Queens. While I was waiting those interminable five minutes for him to show, I decided to have a beer. As usual, they had a nice selection to choose from.
Pete's Daily Specials
A mighty fine selection, as usual. I decided to try a new Brooklyn Brewery offering that I hadn't seen before, Brooklyn Bright Golding.
Bright And Golden, As Advertised
This is an English Strong Ale that comes in at a comfortable 7.5% alcohol. It does have a bright golden color to it and a creamy white head. It had a nice crispness with hints of citrus, mostly lemon. Also a hint of floral hops to it, but not over-powering by any stretch. Of course my taste buds are somewhat desensitized to hops due to all of the over-hopped IPAs I have been drinking lately. I thought it was a very drinkable alternative to either an IPA or a lager. It seemed to fall somewhere the two and would be great sitting on a beach or in a boat on a summer's day. The alcohol is noticeable, but in a good way. A very dangerous beer. I wonder if they sell it in six-packs.
Mark wasn't too late and he quickly joined me in a beer. I suggested that he have the Brooklyn Bright Golding as well and I switched over to Blue Point Sour Cherry Stout after the bartender, Gerry, poured me a taste.
Gerry, The Bartender
Mark, Bar Man, And Beers
I guess it would be no surprise if I told you this stout had both chocolate and sour cherry tones to it. You also pick up the aroma of both in a very pleasant combination. There is also some very nice maltiness. It pours dark, almost black, but with a pretty white head. This runs at a healthy 9.2% alcohol but it is so flavorful that you don't notice the alcohol at first. However, at the end of your swallow you do feel a nice warmness in your tummy. Now this is an excellent winter beer. Would be nice to drink in front of a warm fire after you just came back from using the outhouse.
Mark said he enjoyed his beer and we decided to finish up our stay at Pete's with an Ephemere (Apple). This little number is brewed by Unibroue in Quebec, Canada. It had a nice apple nose, but the flavor didn't quite live up to it. This seemed to be a bit of a cross between a cider and a beer. Not exactly sure what they were trying for here. It looked a bit like a cider, but with only slightly more of a head that didn't stick around long. It was a decent 5.5% alcohol, but it really didn't do anything for me. If I want a cider I will order one and if I want a beer I will order one. I don't think I would pour both into the same glass though. Oh well, win some and lose some.
Mark wanted me to show him a few bars in the neighborhood and I knew if we didn't head out soon we would end up settling in. One of the must see bars in my neighborhood is Montero, of which I have written about before, and more than once.
Sitting in the, in her usual place and keeping up with the events of the day, was my favorite gal, Pilar.
Peek-A-Boo
Of course I had to go over and give her a big hug. She always seems so happy to see me, although for the life of me I don't know why. I really should stop in here more often.
Bar Man and Pilar
I guess one reason I don't stop in here too often is because it is pretty much a beer and a shot place. Not that there is anything wrong with that, not by any means. It is just that I kind of like to try out different beers most of the time and this isn't the place for that. There is a pretty convivial crowd in here, when there is a crowd. Otherwise you can just chat with Pilar and, if you are lucky Jackie.
Jackie, The Bartender
Mark and I had a couple of shots of Maker's Mark and a Budweiser. Mark was wondering what might be the worst hard liquor you might be able to buy in a bar and the consensus among those at the bar was generally the house gin. We didn't check it out for ourselves though.
Mark and Bar Man and Beers and Shots
We spent a bit of time here looking at all of the stuff hanging from the ceiling and hanging on the walls. It really is worth coming in here just for that. This isn't like a TGIFridays where they order the decor from a warehouse, this stuff is all for real. And if you see something interesting, ask about it. Pilar, or someone, will be more than happy to tell you the story behind it. And some of the stories are interesting indeed.
Our next stop was Last Exit. This bar, you may remember, occupies the space where Pete's Waterfront Ale House used to be. This is another one that I don't get into very often, but it is pleasant enough with a most eclectic interior. A lot of the local artists hang there work here and, well, local artists are often not very famous for a reason. I shouldn't be too harsh, it just wasn't anything here that I would want hanging in my place. The pictures did add a bit of color to a nice little back sitting area though.
Bright Back Room
For some reason it seemed appropriate to have a Maker's Mark Manhattan with a Bass Ale chaser in here. I guess Last Exit has a bit of a cocktail feel to it. Mark and I were in kind of early though so we were the only two there.
Bar Man In Brooklyn With Manhattan
Mark and I had a most enjoyable afternoon and I am going to try to get him back for an evening one day soon. A few of the bars nearby like Floyd and Magnetic Field don't open until later and are well worth visiting. So many bars, so little time.
Speaking of so many bars, Mark and I decided to stop for one last beer on his way back to the subway and I am going out on a limb here saying it was O'Keefe's. But, to be honest, neither Mark nor I could really remember. Now you know we had a great day.
The Mysterious Last Beer
If whoever took this picture remembers where we were, please let me know.
1 comment:
Mentioning cider and beer - in the UK when I was growing up (many years ago) a half pint of cider and a half pint of lager could be combined into what was known as a "snakebite". This was in fact more or less lethal, to the point where many bars refused to sell them!
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