This is the fourth in our series on the venues featured in the Brooklyn Beer Book. Today’s spotlighted establishment is The Bell House, the Gowanus bar and music venue best known for live music, comedy shows and other events events including the Connect 4 championship featured in a fancy video produced by Rob Blatt and hosted by Brokelyn’s very own Beth Hoyt (left). Check it out after the jump.
BELL HOUSE
www.thebellhouseny.com
149 7th St. between Second and Third Avenues, Gowanus, 718-643-6510
What it is: In the back, a great venue for rock shows and comedy fests, in the front room, comfy couches and 12 taps.
Why we love it: It’s that rare event space that even feels inviting when there’s nothing going on.
Who to bring: An old friend you haven’t seen in eight years—or a new friend you want to see more of.
What to order: Dub pies and Kentucky beer cheese. When you’re done with your beer, trade up to a cocktail.
Bell House fun fact #1: Whoever wrote the drink descriptions is a genius. The bourbon-and-ginger-ale Tighten Up cocktail is “Like a wedding vow whispered only to you under a willow tree … by a stranger … holding a Louisville Slugger.”
Bell House fun fact #2: The world’s largest Connect 4 board was officially documented at this bar. Watch the video here. Read the rest of this entry »
Today may be Spike Lee Day, but we’re still on the hunt for a showing of Do the Right Thing tonight for those who missed it at Cafe Habana on Sunday. (Anyone?) We did, however, stumble upon a cool blog to bookmark so you never have to miss a free or cheap screening around Brooklyn again. The Kings County Cinema Society, a group of Brooklyn cinephiles, is showing the documentary Lockdown USA tomorrow night, July 1, (with free beer) on the roof of 15 Lawton Street in Bushwick (corner of Broadway & Malcolm X). Read the rest of this entry »
Each week, Dear Penny investigates the answers to reader questions about saving money in Brooklyn. Send your stumpers to DearPenny@Brokelyn.com.
Yes, it can be cheaper to brew your own beer—if you make enough of it. Let’s break down some numbers. According to the guys at Park Slope’s venerable Bierkraft, there are in fact no places in Brooklyn that sell brew equipment. They recommend ordering a kit online at northernbrewer.com; a basic starter kit will set you back $75. You will also need to buy one of their ingredients kits, which range between $20-$40. Finally, you’ll need a brew kettle—any pot 2.5 gallons or greater ($40 at northernbrewer), and 48 to 52 pry-off 12-ounce beer bottles (about $30).
Read the rest of this entry »
In this week’s bag of supermarket circulars:
We know a cute gay hiker type who swears by the men’s department at Sears. We’ll have to investigate soon, but mean time Sears is offering a decent special through June 30. Spend $50 on Levi’s (and a couple of other brands) and you get $50 in “Sears Rewards Cash” by mail. What’s that? A $50 certificate that you can redeem in for more men’s clothes. You can’t use it to buy Land’s End—phooey—but worst comes to worst you get fifty bucks worth of socks, underwear and pajamas. Read the rest of this entry »
How come every Brooklyn neighborhood doesn’t have one of these? We’re loving the new Prospect Heights coupon book full of deals at the fun shops and restaurants along Washington and Vanderbilt avenues. The booklet (left), published by non-profit Heart of Brooklyn, is not only a genius idea, it also looks cute. Inside are 46 coupons that map out a day well-spent (literally) in PH. Read the rest of this entry »
This is the latest entry in our series on the venues featured in the Brokelyn Beer Book. With its ample outdoor seating, Park Slope’s The Gate was made for 60 degrees and sunny.
THE GATE
www.thegatebrooklyn.blogspot.com
321 Fifth Ave. at 3rd St., Park Slope, 718-768-4329
What it is: An old-world tavern that celebrates beer and your love of it.
Why we love it: The Gate has a sprawling selection of drafts and bottles where you can size up the debate over hops vs. malts. They also carry lots of specialty craft brews and unique casks. The porch scene is one of the finest in Park Slope, and spotting people out there is a sure sign spring is on the way.
Who to bring: The bar advertises a welcome to “young, old, feathered or furred.”
What to order: The selections change all the time, but try a specialty Sierra Nevada or Dogfish Head brew that you won’t find many other places.
The Gate fun fact: The bar’s name is Edgar Allan Poe inspired, and a Poe poem is scrawled on a board in the window that contains this line: “What care I how time advances/ I am drinking ale today.”
This is the fourth in our series on the venues featured in the Brooklyn Beer Book. Today’s spotlighted establishment is The Bell House, the Gowanus bar and music venue best known for live music, comedy shows and other events events including the Connect 4 championship featured in a fancy video produced by Rob Blatt and hosted by Brokelyn’s very own Beth Hoyt (left). Check it out after the jump.
BELL HOUSE
www.thebellhouseny.com
149 7th St. between Second and Third Avenues, Gowanus, 718-643-6510
What it is: In the back, a great venue for rock shows and comedy fests, in the front room, comfy couches and 12 taps.
Why we love it: It’s that rare event space that even feels inviting when there’s nothing going on.
Who to bring: An old friend you haven’t seen in eight years—or a new friend you want to see more of.
What to order: Dub pies and Kentucky beer cheese. When you’re done with your beer, trade up to a cocktail.
Bell House fun fact #1: Whoever wrote the drink descriptions is a genius. The bourbon-and-ginger-ale Tighten Up cocktail is “Like a wedding vow whispered only to you under a willow tree … by a stranger … holding a Louisville Slugger.”
Bell House fun fact #2: The world’s largest Connect 4 board was officially documented at this bar. Watch the video here. Read the rest of this entry »
Today may be Spike Lee Day, but we’re still on the hunt for a showing of Do the Right Thing tonight for those who missed it at Cafe Habana on Sunday. (Anyone?) We did, however, stumble upon a cool blog to bookmark so you never have to miss a free or cheap screening around Brooklyn again. The Kings County Cinema Society, a group of Brooklyn cinephiles, is showing the documentary Lockdown USA tomorrow night, July 1, (with free beer) on the roof of 15 Lawton Street in Bushwick (corner of Broadway & Malcolm X). Read the rest of this entry »
Each week, Dear Penny investigates the answers to reader questions about saving money in Brooklyn. Send your stumpers to DearPenny@Brokelyn.com.
Yes, it can be cheaper to brew your own beer—if you make enough of it. Let’s break down some numbers. According to the guys at Park Slope’s venerable Bierkraft, there are in fact no places in Brooklyn that sell brew equipment. They recommend ordering a kit online at northernbrewer.com; a basic starter kit will set you back $75. You will also need to buy one of their ingredients kits, which range between $20-$40. Finally, you’ll need a brew kettle—any pot 2.5 gallons or greater ($40 at northernbrewer), and 48 to 52 pry-off 12-ounce beer bottles (about $30).
Read the rest of this entry »
In this week’s bag of supermarket circulars:
We know a cute gay hiker type who swears by the men’s department at Sears. We’ll have to investigate soon, but mean time Sears is offering a decent special through June 30. Spend $50 on Levi’s (and a couple of other brands) and you get $50 in “Sears Rewards Cash” by mail. What’s that? A $50 certificate that you can redeem in for more men’s clothes. You can’t use it to buy Land’s End—phooey—but worst comes to worst you get fifty bucks worth of socks, underwear and pajamas. Read the rest of this entry »
How come every Brooklyn neighborhood doesn’t have one of these? We’re loving the new Prospect Heights coupon book full of deals at the fun shops and restaurants along Washington and Vanderbilt avenues. The booklet (left), published by non-profit Heart of Brooklyn, is not only a genius idea, it also looks cute. Inside are 46 coupons that map out a day well-spent (literally) in PH. Read the rest of this entry »