Noted

As seen outside the Grayson on First Avenue... photo by Vinny & O...

Attention Kmart drinkers...

Word from a tipster... if you were headed over to Kmart on Astor Place to stock up on various beers and tall boys of Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Ritas... Uh-Oh!



The refrigerator signage notes:

Attention Kmart Shoppers!

We are currently unable to sell alcohol while our license is being renewed.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will be to usual ASAP.

Thanks to Steven for the photos and headline!

Noted

Spotted at Queen Vic on Second Avenue at Fourth Street... for those of you making plans for the coming week.

Paloma Rocket looking to land in the East Village

[Photo Friday by @RatedRuwan]

Several EVG readers noted the recent arrival of for rent signs on the Paloma Rocket storefront, 7 Clinton St. just south of Houston on the Lower East Side.

The self-serve craft beer bar — there's a price-per-ounce-pour — opened in April 2016. Are they closing? Moving?

In an email, team Paloma Rocket (the owner is East Village resident Graham Winton) said that they are very close to signing a lease to move to a new location in the East Village.

"Our landlord is facilitating the process by offering us other locations and incentives to move. For us it will enable us to hopefully move to a larger location and expand our tap offerings to include spirits and mixed drinks as well as have space for birthdays, etc."

I mentioned that some people thought they might be closing.

"We have carefully run this business with an eye on longevity and we are now secure that both the concept and system are valid and strong and reliable, thus our comfort level in moving forward. It also helps that our original lease in retrospect is aiding in the process and we are guided by some very knowledgeable and experienced operators whose wisdom has been indispensable in navigating the horribly treacherous real-estate terrain ... greed hath no fury like an NYC landlord and being able to stay in business now more than ever is solely about rent. We have chosen not to be shortsighted and sell what is left of our soul ... by running a messy operation for short-term gain."

Meanwhile, Paloma Rocket remains open here on Clinton Street... here are their hours...

Whole Foods Market® Bowery replacing beer with coffee in prime corner spot

Meant to mention this much earlier, given how popular posts about the Whole Foods Market® Bowery are... So, the store has shut down its sizable Beer Room (as of April 17) on the corner of Chrystie and East Houston ... signage points to an incoming Coffee Bar, likely a much better all-day draw than a beer store. (One employee said she thought that the Coffee Bar would be two levels.)

However, WFB isn't done with beer... the sizable suds stock has been moved into the main part of the store... though without any kind of growler service (WFB did away with its homebrew stock in 2013) ...







This is just the latest in WFB enhancements for the 10-year-old store ... including a rebooted bakery and prepared foods region.

There was news yesterday that Albertsons may make a bid to buy Whole Foods.

Key Food will no longer sell loose beer on Avenue A

Meanwhile, in the beer aisle/section at Key Food...noting a recent change in the way beer is sold here on Avenue A at Fourth Street...

How do you feel about Key Food's recent decision to stop selling single beers?

This will likely cause me to drink more because I will have to buy full six or 12 packs.

It's actually a better deal to buy a full six or 12 pack or case, research has shown

It doesn't matter because I get my beer delivered via Fresh Direct

I only binge drink on weekends

Beer Store!

 

pollcode.com free polls

Papaya King will start serving beer next Monday on St. Mark's Place

Via the EVG inbox yesterday...

Starting Monday, November 24, you can have a beer with your meal at 3 St. Marks Pl. 12oz Heineken Light Bottles and 12oz Brooklyn Lager Cans will be available to start, with new items being added each season.

The beer will be available Sunday through Thursday from 11:00AM – 10:00PM and Friday & Saturday from 11:00AM – 11:00PM. You must purchase a food item off the menu to buy and enjoy a beer.

Unlike the other Papaya and Hot Dog copycat restaurants in New York City, Papaya King on St. Marks Pl. is more than a grab and go location. With a giant projection screen along the back wall, old school arcade games in the front, foosball in the back, loud music and a long picnic table down the middle, it is a place to rub elbows with your friends, neighbors, classmates and someone new.

The Papaya King owners were turned down for a beer license back in May 2013. According to CB3 documents, the St. Mark's Block Association and 8 St. Mark's Tenants' Association submitted letters and testimony in opposition to this application.

CB3 again turned down their application in September 2013, citing a failure "to provide substantial community support from area residents." While five people spoke out in support of the license, only one of them actually lived within the CB3 boundaries, according to CB3 documents.

So it looks as if Papaya King made some concessions, cutting back the proposed hours for beer sales. (They originally wanted to sell beer until 4 a.m. Thursday through Sundays.)

Papaya King opened in the East Village in May 2013. Papaya King opened on East 86th Street in 1932.

Welcome to the East Village — home of beer

We've been watching the ad mural for Modelo come to life on East 12th Street at Avenue A … (former home of the "Girls" mural).

Last Saturday!



A few days later!


[Photo by Bobby Williams]

Today!



Not sure who these folks are in the ad… People who some ad executives think live here … people who some ad executives want to drink Modelo… people who are just random people on a mural…

And now, 'Liquid Lent: 40 Days of Beer'

Speaking of Lent... via the EVG inbox...

East Village to Celebrate "Liquid Lent: 40 Days of Beer"

Inspired by a blogger who decided to live on beer for Lent, Beer Sessions Radio™ will team with seven East Village craft beer establishments to celebrate Lent with a series of tasting events and dinners that focus on Trappist and Monk’s brews. From Ash Wednesday (March 5th) through mid-April, Beer Sessions Radio™ will join the following establishments for events and tastings:

• ABC Beer Co., Burp Castle, dba East Village, Eastwood, Jimmy’s No. 43, Malt & Mold, and Top Hops will each host a featured event plus tastings

Beers will include a selection of Trappist ales from Orval, Westmalle, Rochefort and La Trappe, along with the St. Feuillen/Green Flash collaboration brews. Plus, Timmermans Lambics, Empire’s Aphro White, Finback Brewing’s Double Sess, Ommegang/Duvel, Nøgne ø Tiger Tripel, and many more TBA.

More information can be found here.

Woo, Beer Marathon

Photos via Dave on 7th.

Alphabet City Beer Co. opens tomorrow

[Photo last week by EVG reader Nathan Archambault]

Last week, we pointed out the signage at the coming-soon Alphabet City Beer Co. on Avenue C near East Sixth Street... and the owners passed along more information, which we'll post part of here...

Alphabet City Beer Co. will open its doors on Thursday, 17th to serve the East Village, just two doors down from the current Alphabet City Wine Co. on Avenue C. The store will sell upwards of 350 bottled beers, a dozen draft lines for growlers, and provisions to go as well as have small fare, tasting flights, and pints to eat and drink in a tasting bar and seating area at the rear of the store, which will accommodate approximately 25 people.

Alphabet City Beer Co. (or ABC Beer Co. for short) will carry over 350 domestic craft beers, handcrafted imported beers, and craft cheeses with a sharp focus on good value, customer service and education. Customers will be provided with magazines, newspapers, comfortable chairs, and free WiFi.

The store will be owned and operated by David Hitchner, a co-owner of Alphabet City Wine Co. and In Vino Wine Bar at 215 E 4th St, and local resident Zachary Mack.

[Via Facebook]

Get your bladder-busting 100-ounce beer tube!

Last noticed this 100-ounce special at Cafetasia on Avenue A back in May ...

Now, EV Grieve reader Kurt spots a new happy hour sign... don't recall the beer being served in a tube last time...

After careful investigation, Key Food is still the least-expensive beer option of East Village grocery stores

After yesterday's hard-hitting post on Key Food raising the price of Pabst from $3.60 to $4.99, we decided to take an undecidedly unscientific poll of what other East Village grocery stores charge for cheap beer.

For your reference...

Key Food:
Pabst — $4.99
Natural Ice — $4.79
Milwaukee's Best Premium – $3.99

So.

Met Foods on Second Avenue near Sixth Street...
Pabst — Crap, I forget. It was more than $4.99 though.
Natural Ice — $5.19
Milwaukee's Best Premium – $4.99

So, would it be safe to assume that prices would go down the further east you go? No!

At the Associated on Avenue C at Eighth Street, the Pabst was $11.49 a 12-pack. (A six-pack of Budweiser in cans? $8.49! No Pabst in six packs.)

And at Fine Fare on Avenue C at Fourth Street...

Pabst — $6.99
Natural Ice & Natural Light — $4.99

...but the handy-dandy bro-pack of 24 is $19.99....

Bonus cheap beer tip:

The 12-packs of Natural Ice & Natural Light were just $6.59 at the Rite Aid on Avenue D...

Assume they are the same price at the Rite Aid locations on First Avenue and 14th Street. Enter at your own peril.

Where to get your 100-ounce beer today on Avenue A

Cafetasia on Avenue A. Photo sent along by Shawn Chittle.

Coming to 14 Avenue B: East Village Brewery and Beer Shop

14 Avenue B is on tonight's CB3/SLA docket. (Read the CB3/SLA history of this space here.)

And the proprietors have outlined their very specific plans for 14 Avenue B with a letter and menu posted on the front door of the building. (By the way, as you may recall, Discovery Wines is moving next door to 16 Avenue B in the coming weeks.)

Here's the letter — not sure how well you can read it here...

"Our goal is to produce an in-house, award-winning craft beer to be consumed and sold on premises, complimented by a fine cocktail and wine selection paired with a foodie restaurant with a steak-based menu.

"We additionally plan to create a retail space similar to the Beer Room component of Whole Foods in order to offer craft beers and beer-related dry goods to neighborhood enthusiasts."

And here is their proposed menu...

Hop to it: Good Beer NYC now open

The craft beer shop opened yesterday on Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. Good Beer received a blessing from the 9th Street Block Association last summer... They're open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Per their mission statement: Good Beer is "dedicated to providing customers with the best draft and bottled beers, charcuterie, cheeses, sausages and hot dogs with an emphasis on organic, heritage and regional products."

Here's an article on the place via Thrillist... Chris O'Leary wrote about the shop back in July at Brew York, New York.

[Photos via Facebook]

Retro beers at Yankee Stadium

Oh. Chalk this up as one of those "posts that I never got around to posting." Anyway... you can buy retro beers at Yankee Stadium... a mere $9 for an old-timey 16-ounce can of Schlitz or Pabst... As everyone in the line was saying, "these aren't retro prices..."




No griping... someone has to help pay for AJ Burnett's contract...

Craft beer shop coming to East Ninth Street

There's a CB3/SLA meeting tonight and I still haven't written about all the approvals from last month... During last month's get-together, the committee OK'd a beer license for Good Beer to operate at 422 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue...



Good Beer received a blessing from the 9th Street Block Association... and there are some stipulations: GB will operate as a retail beer store, serving food during all hours of operation; the hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturdays, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. And there won't be any standing bar or stools or DJs or club crap.

But there will be some tables inside for a few beers and food.

Chris O'Leary at Brew York, New York has some details:

"Food will be comprised of local, organic and heritage products that pair well with beer so cheese, cured meats, pretzels, hot dogs, nuts and some chocolates," says David Cichowicz, the brain behind the operation. Patrons will have the chance to grab a seat at one of the tables in the store and pair the food with some of the 12 beers they’ll have on tap. The beer selection will be mainly local, sustainable products, but David says they'll occasionally throw in some West Coast, Belgian, English, and German beers as well."

The store is expecting to open in late August/early September.

[Thanks to Neighborhoodr for the link]

Not so hot

Last week I noted a sign that I was likely misreading at Klimat on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...Hot beer?



Perhaps that I wasn't the only person confused: The sign has been changed

A new label for McSorley's

Drew Friedman designs the new label for McSorley's. He says he will be paid with beer. (Via BoingBoing)