* The Diamond
image c/o NY Mag
43 Franklin Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Between Calyer Street and Quay Street
PHONE: 718.383.5030
HOURS: Tue-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri 5pm-2am, Sat 2pm-2am, Sun 2pm-1am
CARDS: Visa/MasterCard
MAP: Click Here
SUBWAY: G at Greenpoint Ave; L at Bedford Ave
CITY SEARCH SAYS: The owners of this Greenpoint bar are pushing the doctrine of "session beers," that is, beer that one can drink multiples of and still win at the shuffleboard table. So, strong ales like the dark bottled Oerbier from Belguim are on the menu alongside lighter tastes like the Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted from Scotland. Beer fans--especially of U.S., Belgium, German and English brews--can make friends at the bar, bring their own to the table seating, or shoot Quiots (NYC-sized horseshoes) in the backyard garden. Why the glittery interior and Van Halen on the juke box? The owners have a penchant for "Diamond" David Lee Roth. Sometimes the bar holds "vintage" tastings, which means that you can taste a 1998 version of a beer alongside its 2006 counterpart.
NYMAG SAYS:
Only a full-fledged beer geek would use the word session as a verb--as in, "You wouldn't session eight pints of Aventinus." What you would session, according to Dave Pollack, co-owner (with his wife, Alex, a New York photo editor) of the Greenpoint bar the Diamond, are beers that are lower in alcohol but no less complex than the high-butane monsters most craft-beer bars aim to annihilate you with. Pollack, who cultivated his brew obsession working for the importer B. United International, has also bartended at Williamsburg's Spuyten Duyvil. But the Diamond's list is smaller and simpler, tailored to Pollack's taste, and features a few rarities like St. Georgen Bräu Keller Bier, Pays d'Auge cider, and two notoriously temperamental Belgian brews that come with “buyer beware” caveats. Patrons can supplement their sessioning with rounds of shuffleboard and rubber-ring quoits, the predecessor of horseshoes, and a small food menu the Pollacks hope to launch.
Comments
that pic was taken in the daylight and the bar is darker than this every time i've been in. if you're looking for an awesome backyard, a very impressive beer selection (no, you will find nothing close to an amstel light), a good mixed crowd, and an unpretentious atmosphere, this place rocks. one of my favorite bars in brooklyn.
Posted by: gabriel | August 7, 2008 09:25 PM
The lighting has changed since this picture was taken. I was just in there & it looks awesome. They have a nice mix of people there- young, old, all shapes & sizes. Makes for a much more interesting bar in my opinion. Unless you are hunting for sweet poon all the time.
Posted by: Gretchen Klaus | July 27, 2008 03:54 PM
I saw a pair of "mom jeans" here. They were not worn ironically.
Thumbs down.
Posted by: no | July 11, 2008 09:56 PM
I saw a pair of "mom jeans" here. They were not worn ironically.
Thumbs down.
Posted by: no | July 11, 2008 09:54 PM
On the plus side, there is a nice backyard though.
Posted by: z | June 22, 2008 06:53 PM
On the unfortch tip, the bar IS actually as brightly lit as the NYMag pic suggests
Posted by: ebeth | June 5, 2008 10:46 PM