LAID-BACK CALIFORNIA DRINKIN’ IN BROOKLYN, NY

I kinda flipped when I learned there was an entirely Boston-themed bar (that is, a bar made entirely in tribute to the city of Boston) in San Francisco, but would you believe a Northern California-themed beer bar in Brooklyn, New York? Yeah, that’s what I said too: “I hope that means loads of IPAs”. Well as it turned out PACIFIC STANDARD is even better than that. The bar is located near the Park Slope neighborhood in what I believe is called Cobble Hill, but don’t quote me on that. Let’s just call it New York City to be safe. Walk in the door, and you might as well be at “The Bear’s Lair” in Berkeley, California. There are “Go Bears!” pennants, pictures of Victorian houses in San Francisco, cable cars, and other ephemera from around Northern CA. To be fair, they don’t overplay the theme – it’s actually fairly nondescript since it’s so large, and it almost looks like they’re still sort of working on the overall décor. That said, it’s a really cool place, and on a Wednesday night at 10pm, it was pretty much ours for the taking & didn’t have that jam-packed New York feel.

One thing I really dug was that it wasn’t a California beer bar per se – sure, there were items from ANCHOR and SIERRA NEVADA on tap, and as I’ve been told, that’s actually kinda special in this neck of the woods. But they also made a wanderlust-stricken San Franciscan very happy with their assortment of TROEGS, CAPTAIN LAWRENCE and VICTORY offerings as well – things I can’t get unless someone mails them to me or I hop on a plane. So here’s what I tried:

SIXPOINT RIGHTEOUS RYE (on cask) – Made right there in Brooklyn by SIX POINT CRAFT ALES. This rye ale had a slight bite to it, and maybe even a touch of the “funk” – the good kind. Hopping was medium; that is to say it was there and it made a difference. I got the sense that perhaps this was a beer that might’ve worked better off the cask and with its “natural” carbonation. I’ve had better rye beers this year, but this wasn’t bad. 6.5/10.

TROEGS DREAMWEAVER WHEAT – Ah, yes. Spicy and very strong, this wheat was delicious. I am finding that North American brewers of all stripes are finding ways to kick the wheat beer into a new strata – tarting it up, smoothing it out, injecting extra hops, and generally experimenting. I think it’s the trend du jour of 2007-08, and I love it. Only other TROEGS beer I had (PALE ALE) I didn’t like – not the case at all here. 8/10.