“We trust these guys to put out a great product,” said Jestice. “We know that not everyone will like the same beer and we want the brewers to be able to play around and be creative.”
Granting this artistic license allows for specialty brews like Smuttynose’s Gnome – a cloudy, golden, hoppy brew with more than a hint of banana, or Captain Lawrence’s Smoked Porter – an in-your-face, dark beer aged in cabernet and merlot barrels for 11 months.

I’m drinking my own Brooklyn Blast right now,” said Brooklyn Brewery’s brewmaster, Garrett Oliver. “This barrel came out of my personal storage and it’s almost gone so I figured I should drink some.” You can bet a beer is top-notch if it commands such reverence from the brewer himself. The Blind Tiger Ale House commands respect in its own right. After hassling with neighborhood associations and liquor license militants, the bar is once again amassing its long list of craft beer un-tasted in other watering holes. “The Blind Tiger is back to claiming New York’s best beer bar,” Oliver said, all smiles. “The city was served a great injustice over the past year, but all is well now.” Oliver and Dogfish Head Brewery’s owner, Sam Calagione, drank and joked together in the spirit of friendly competition that these revolutionary craft breweries have initiated (left). In another corner, David Yarrington from New Hampshire’s Smuttynose Brewery and Reinke drank to each other’s achievements (below, left). “The Blind Tiger is different because they respect the people who make beer,” said Yarrington. “We’re not treated just as suppliers; we’re treated like we craft something unique. And they don’t just put anyone on tap here. I think, ‘Wow, if they think my beer’s equivalent to the others they have up, I’m honored. I’m in good company.’” Russ Hornbeck, a writer and home brewer, had his home brew listed on the revered chalkboard above the bar. His Buster Brau, brewed locally in his apartment, gathered critical acclaim. “Did you try this?” asked John Melone, a sales representative form Union Beer Distributors. He held up a glass of the deep blonde-colored Buster Brau. “Someone here made this right in their own home! It’s amazing.”

For the Blind Tiger, and its Tigerites, beer is not just beer. Beer is art.
“Beer should not be homogenized,” said Jestice. “When you think of all the social ramifications that a bar has as a place for great conversation, why should the beer be boring? We’re passionate about un-commonality.
It makes things a lot more interesting.”
“Beer is alive and well in New York,” said Hornbeck.


Links:
Blind Tiger Ale House
Smuttynose Brewing Co.
Captain Lawrence Brewing
Brooklyn Brewery
Union Beer
MurphGuide's Page for Beer Lovers
Jackie Beach
And Then What Happened