The 14 Best USA Craft Beer Bars.*

*That we've visited.  

Alright, keep your shirts on.  We know there's a bewildering number of mind-numbingly awesome Craft bars there are out there, and we're aware of how many more there are for us to visit.  And it is our QUEST to get to every single one of them - (oh hey, do us a solid and add your suggestions to the comment section, will you?).  In the meantime, it's time to celebrate some great locals.  Check out these terrific Craft Stops:

First, one of our most recent stops, in Midtown Manhattan; Beer Culture. Just next to the Hirshfeld Theatre in the Broadway District, this new watering hole is also a bottle shop.


Winner of Best Beer Bar in NY in 2013? Check. Long Island City? Check. Amazing owners? You've gotta meet the folks at Alewife NYC.  


We happened to stop in to this spot in Hollywood a few years ago, and even though it's weathered some storms it's still going strong: The Blue Palms Brewhouse.


No NYC Craft Beer Bar experience is complete without a visit to Jimmy's. And if you're very lucky, you'll get to hang out with owner Jimmy Carbone, (or Jimmy Pots & Pans), a legend in the NYC Craft Community. Come home to Jimmy's.


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HOPCAT. The Midwestern Craft Beer Mecca in Grand Rapids, MI. We didn't shoot video here, but dammit, we visited. And we came away very, very happy.  By the way, HopCat is opening a new location in Downtown Detroit this year, and we hear it's going to be massive.  Beer hear!


Pacific Standard, on 4th Ave in Brooklyn.  We're pretty sure that this is what the dorm rooms at Beer Appreciation College look like.


Tucked away in the Berkshire region of Western Mass, MOE's Tavern is the bar you always dreamt about. No seriously, it is.


Adobe Blues - This may be the best reason to ride the Staten Island Ferry.  Over, and over, and over. You'll 'flip' for this place...


Pizza and great Craft in Amish Country?  Yup. We've seen rare beers at The Fridge in Lancaster, PA, that we have a hard time finding in a city of 8 million people! 


Truly not to be missed, Proletariat is a tiny (and we mean tiny) place in the East Village of NYC that sports some of the rarest worldwide Craft we've ever seen. A bucket list bar.


Ah, the Pony Bar Hell's Kitchen on 45th and 10th Ave in Midtown Manhattan; the bar that helped turn the Craft Beer wave in this part of NYC into a Tsunami.  We were there at the beginning.


This place in Minneapolis was Craft long before it was cool: Mackenzie, the Bar Next Door to the Theatre is the place you've always wanted in your neighborhood.


Ever been to Portland, Maine?  Once you've seen our episode featuring The Great Lost Bear, you'll be looking to book your ticket.


And lastly, in memoriam: The Collins Bar, which sadly is long gone now, reduced to a hole in the ground on 8th Avenue NYC that's on its way to becoming a tall shiny expensive set of apartments. We fondly remember discovering flavors of Craft here that we never knew existed.  Still one of our favorites, and deserving of the memory.  And as you can see, also one of the first places we ever shot.

That's how our list starts.  What's on yours?

Video #48: Farewell P&G Cafe'.

The Guys make their way to the Upper West Side of Manhattan to say goodbye to a gem of a bar, family owned since 1942. Rising rents are forcing the P&G to move uptown. Will their patrons follow? We can only hope so. But in the process, the owners will have to take down the oldest neon sign in New York City. Join us for yet another goodbye.

Fair winds and following seas.

The Makings of a Home Happy Hour.

Well, I’m straying a bit from my usual blog subjects, but I thought this one was worth it. We focus on places to enjoy a unique and memorable Happy Hour. Well, there’s nothing that says that place can’t be your own home and I’ve found a place to help you do just that. In Long Island City, nearly in Astoria, in the Costco buildings on Vernon Blvd. is KHH Liquors. KHH is not affiliated with Costco, but obviously has some sort of working relationship with them as they have stores near Costco in CO, CT, and another on the way in MA. Simply put: KHH has some of the best prices on wine and liquor (they don’t sell beer at the NY store) I’ve come across. Atmosphere is not the name of the game here. KHH is literally a warehouse with palettes of merchandise, and that’s what allows them to keep their prices low. I find them most useful for everyday wines and spirits, but they do carry some high end products, as well. Bear in mind that items and prices change frequently, but here are some representative selections from my most recent visit:

Penfold’s Rawson’s Retreat

Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon

Alamos Malbec St. Francis Chardonnay

All of these are fantastic wines to share with a party or at your home happy hour and all is under $10 at KHH. Well under, which is a great deal. Moving up the ladder a bit we have:

Frog’s Leap 2004 Zin

Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages ‘02

And a number of other high end wines for well below expected prices. Their liquor selection is equally varied. Well worth the trip! Watch for upcoming Hip Pocket Video on our very own home Happy Hour!

McReilly’s Update:

I continue to visit McReilly’s and am now recognized by the bartenders. Soon, I may be able to consider myself a regular. This latest visit, I wandered in during a Yankees/Mets game. The place was raucous with friendly but pointed bar banter being tossed the length of the bar. I sat smack in the middle and watched the same two fellows that had a baseball debate go to town again. Great fun. The bartender even checked in with me to jokingly make sure I hadn’t come in for a quiet meal. I hadn’t. I got exactly what I came in for: a third place in full swing!