West Village and East Village

Best time: Any day. Start at TALEA or Blind Tiger mid-afternoon and reach Burp Castle after it opens (5pm on weekdays, 4pm at weekends). d.b.a. and Blind Tiger pour until 4am and ABC Beer Co. until midnight (2am Friday and Saturday), so there's no rush at the end. Opening hours change, so check each venue before you set off.

The stops

1. TALEA Beer Co.

   102 Christopher Street, New York, NY 10014 · Christopher St-Stonewall (1)

   Bright Manhattan taproom and cocktail bar of Brooklyn's TALEA, with lots of natural light, cosy nooks and a small patio: flights of its sours, hazy IPAs and lagers, plus wine, cocktails, coffee and snacks (pretzels, cheese plates). Open noon to 10pm Sunday to Thursday and noon to midnight Friday and Saturday.

   Open in Google Maps

2. Blind Tiger Ale House

   281 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10014 · Christopher St (1) or West 4 St

   Manhattan's best-known craft beer bar, at the corner of Bleecker and Jones: 28 rotating draughts, 3 cask ales and over 50 bottles, with a live online list (roughly a dozen New York State beers on any given day) and good bar food. Open 11:30am to 4am Monday to Friday and 10am to 4am Saturday and Sunday.

   Open in Google Maps

3. Burp Castle

   41 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10003 · Astor Pl (6) or 8 St-NYU (R/W)

   The 'Temple of Beer Worship': a monastery-themed Belgian beer bar with murals of monks, lute music and one rule, whisper. Bartenders shush anyone too loud. Beer only (no wine or spirits), served in goblets: Chimay, Duvel, Rodenbach, La Chouffe and American-brewed Belgian styles. Opens 5pm Monday to Friday and 4pm Saturday and Sunday, until about midnight (2am Friday and Saturday).

   Open in Google Maps

4. d.b.a.

   41 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003 · 2 Av (F)

   East Village institution founded in 1994 by the late Ray Deter, a pioneer of good beer in New York: around 20 drafts (lots of local beer plus Belgian imports), a long bottle and can list sorted by style, serious bourbon, and a large heated back garden. Dogs welcome; order in food. Home of the annual Crown of New York brewery tournament. Open noon to 4am daily.

   Open in Google Maps

5. ABC Beer Co.

   96 Avenue C, New York, NY 10009 · 1 Av (L) or 2 Av (F)

   Alphabet City Beer Co., open since May 2012: a bottle shop up front (350-plus beers, including lots of Grimm and other New York brewers) and a rustic bar in the back with 12 taps, 10 of them rotating, half pours on the menu, a big communal table, and coffee and pastries from 9am. Open 9am to midnight Sunday to Thursday and 9am to 2am Friday and Saturday.

   Open in Google Maps

Getting there: start on Christopher Street in the West Village; TALEA and Blind Tiger are about 250 m apart.

Blind Tiger to Burp Castle (about 1.7 km) crosses Washington Square Park, the most scenic leg in the guide.

Three of these are classic beer bars rather than breweries, which is how Manhattan drinks; the borough's brewery taprooms are spread thinly (TALEA, Other Half at Rockefeller Center).

Proletariat on East 7th Street, long a fixture of this crawl, closed in April 2026 (see 'Rejected').

Bars card everyone: bring a passport if you're not American. Tipping (around $1–2 a beer or 20% of a tab) is expected.

Prefer a guide?

We may earn a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.

GetYourGuide

Brooklyn NYC: 3-Hour Custom Walking Tour with Pizza and Beer

From US$262 · check dates

Affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

Tasting quantities and inclusions are set by each tour operator and can change. Check the listing before you book.