Spuyten Duyvil

It has a great, big back yard. High end beer selection.
I was so happy to find Samiclaus on tap! I haven’t had it since 2008.

I stumbled upon this bar a random week night in Brooklyn, late at night. The selection couldn’t be better. The atmosphere was fantastic. It’s size says it all. Check out this bar if you love beer and a good atmosphere.

For a place incredibly hyped for being a mecca for beer lovers, I found Spuytin Duyvil to be extremely disappointing. The selection was good, but it was all bottles. On draft were only 6 beers, and the majority were overly hopped beers. I was expecting more Belgian and German choices. The staff was also surly and not at all helpful with recommendations or information on the beers. A friend asked for a recommendation from tap with a wheat taste and was told to go for the stout. The outside area looked nice and relaxing, but without heaters in the winter, even on a warmish day, it wasn’t really usable. The inside is tiny with a few small tables and a larger communal one which were all taken by large groups of bros. There was even a group literally sitting in front of the door, blocking people from coming in without knocking it into them. For a good craft beer scene, Dirk and the huge variety of great LIC breweries are definitely a better bet.

If you are looking for a great craft beer selection in the area, go to Torst in Greenpoint. It really can’t be beat and the staff is so knowledgable and agreeable. This place has a dumpy feel indoors although a nice outdoor area. Their beer selection may be more obscure than you’ll find at your average bar, but I don’t think particularly well curated. Also, as many have commented before, the service is rude and grouchy. Who has time or patience for that these days? How hard is it to be pleasant? There are much better options out there.

We love stopping in for some gluwein and sitting in the window chairs. Looking forward to the outside area in the summer!

#This place is cool. But it might be difficult to order if you just want a cheap beer that you know of. I don’t know any of these beers. So you kind of just pick one if you don’t care. They can accommodate people that have #gout with wine.

Nice, cozy little bar with cool décor and a large-​ish back open area. Had a Bruery Maple that I didn’t love, a tad too sweet.

Pros: Good selection of beer
Cons: Spotty customer service w mean bartenders :(

I was just reminded about this place when some friends and I were talking about terrible service at bars and I thought I should probably share my experience to save beer fans some grief.
I met my wife here on St. Patrick’s Day. It was early evening, there were a few other people sitting at the bar and maybe a few folks at the tables outside, but any festivities were far from getting started.
My wife was already half way through her beer so I looked over the draft menu to see if there was something I’d like to drink. I decided on a rarer beer, which I’d only seen in Quebec, and began discussing with my wife how great it was that they had this beer.
Well, that’s as close as I got to drinking the beer.
The bartender did not even acknowledge that I was sitting at the bar. We stayed for about half an hour while my wife and I finished her beer and the bartender ignored us. We left without being acknowledged as well. I almost couldn’t believe it.
In the end I was actually glad that the bartender just talked with his buddies, played in his phone, and ignored us; I would not want to spend money at a place with such poor service.
You could not pay me to set foot in this place ever again, and with so many bars now serving rare beers I suggest you don’t go here either.

Dear blonde haired female bartender with the shaved head on the sides, I love this place in spite of you (thus the 3 stars). It takes a lot of energy to be as mean, angry, and rude as you are every time I step into this place. I am tired of trying to kill you with kindness because of your overly tart demeanor. Treat people kind or find a job that does not require dealing with people.

Unmarked red, wrought iron bar exterior. Very small interior with a handful of wooden tables and a cramped bar. Good selection of carefully chosen taps but only about 10 or so. Rotation is written up in chalk. Deep vintage bottle list even though most may not be advertised. Out back is a large beer garden of sorts. Has a homely, old-​school feel. Cheese plate was very good and well presented. Lots of special menu items to pair with the beer. This place has special connections to famous breweries, so that is worth coming here for any releases or big events. Across the street is New Tork Deli Grocery, which serves up some of the most ridiculously good sandwiches I have ever had.

Great beer selection and great place to hangout and drink out back in their courtyard.

This place is okay — nice backyard (though no service back there, just tables/​chairs to use), decent beers on tap and nice bartenders. Also, the crowd is not the typical Williamsburg one (read: untalented weirdos from the mid west turned even less talented hipsters). It didn’t knock my socks off or anything, and the cask beer was pretty terrible. I didn’t have the food, but nobody seemed to be eating it (we went on a Sunday evening 7−9pm) and the prices looked insane. For the charcuterie menu, $ 18 for a selection of 3, and $ 1 for a hard boiled egg? Kind of lame, in my opinion. I think most of its business comes from it being right next door to the Knitting Factory. I wouldn’t avoid it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it either.

I am torn, I wanted to give 5 stars to this place, but a lot of their selections is outrageously expensive. I think I’ll do it anyway, you can avoid the expensive stuff and still have a blast.
Anyway, make sure to take any of the drafts and enjoy one of the best beer gardens of the NY area. If you want to have food go to the pizza place next door. It is pretty good too.

Second time here last night and I’m less impressed
Pros: Strong tap selection, great outdoor space, and nice atmosphere
Cons: Bartender’s attitude was everything that is negative about Brooklyn and I am a pro-​Brooklyn Manhattanite.
Given how many craft beer bars there are in Brooklyn, I don’t know if this bar deserves its elite status anymore.

Très chouette bar, idéalement situé à côté du restaurant St Anselm. C’est parfait pour boire un verre en attendant sa table, ou bien pour y passer une soirée entre amis, le lieu proposant une belle sélection de charcuterie et de fromages… La trancheuse est là pour en témoigner :)
Le lieu est cosy: sièges dépareillés, grands tableaux noirs sur lesquels les boissons sont écrites à la craie, jardin à l’arrière. Il propose une très belle sélection de bières locales et artisanales, de vins, le choix est grand et on vous conseillera avec gentillesse si vous hésitez.

Nice selection of beers, with a nice outdoor patio/​garden in back. Good access to Fette Sau for barbecue too.
Great for selection of Belgian beers, and for an interesting spot to hang out. Hipsters galore.

Not what I expected when I Unilocal for outdoor bar. The bar is inside with about 5 tables but the back garden area is the only reason we stayed as long as we did. I love craft beer but these choices were even over my head! Ordered some meat and cheese, 30 minutes later we went into the crowded tiny bar and finally got it. Small and tiny this place if you haven’t gotten the hint so far but if you want a get away space the back is nice

What a great little bar in Williamsburg. The interior is filled with old deli equipment and board games on the wall. The backyard garden is the perfect place to spend a lazy Saturday or Sunday Funday during the spring or summer.
They have several Belgium beers on tap as well as in bottles. This place is awesome.

If you like Belgian, German and American craft beers this is a great place to come to, especially if you are in Williamsburg Brooklyn. It’s a simple place enjoyed by serious beer drinkers. Whenever I am in NYC I always take the L train and check out this pub.

Great outdoor patio for a chill feeling and a nice night. It is a lot quieter outside than inside and less cramped (at least that one night we went to it). The inside of the bar is pretty darn crowded and you will rub elbows and maybe even boobs with a few folks there that are waiting to get service from the bartender. There isn’t too many spots inside to be able to hang out which we found out once its started sprinkling. We were comfortable outside at the picnic table that we were lucky enough to find until we started to fill the drops start slowly and then faster coming down on top of our heads. We walked right in only to be super crowded and cramped. I did have a glass of wine there and tasted a few of their ‘rare’ beers that are not that easy to find at other places. Service is ok. It is very hipster-​ish type of vibe here so I am guessing unless you fit in, they might not care to really talk to you. Come here for the drinks and a nice homey like hang out spot, but don’t come here if you want great friendly service.
*Walking distance from the Commodore (get the nachos!)

If you want rare beers on tap or by bottle, this is certainly the place to find it. I’m not a big drinker but I was impressed.
It seems to be a shared «garden» out back with a neighboring restaurant and while the bar itself isn’t large by any means, their backyard space makes for a really laid back atmosphere to have a drink or two and a laugh or several on a beautiful night.

After having coming from Torst and being pleasantly surprised there I came here with a brewer friend of mine who came in for a surprise visit. We got in time for the post-​work crowd but it wasn’t too crowded-​probably because the day was so nice that nearly everyone moved to the back area.
That suited us fine we sat in the front and took a look at their draft menu. The bartenders seemed to be pretty preoccupied at the back end of the bar where their friends seem to be. The beer selection was okay, nothing too amazing or extensive and with the lackluster service here there’s really no need to come back.