Kegs in NYC

February 15, 2005 1:54 PM

Where do we get a keg of good beer in Manhattan? My friend is having a party and the best keg they have found is Yuengling, which is good, but we want better. Like Unibroue, Ramstein (local to the area and quite good), something really good like that. The boroughs are unfortunately out as apparently this keg is getting to the party in a taxi. The party is on 13th street, so the closer to there the better.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim to shopping (10 comments total)

It's really funny that no one has responded. Are kegs legal in NYC? Maybe no one's apartment is big enough?

If they are legal, you may have to try Brooklyn. Otherwise, it's cases and cases of beer.
posted by ParisParamus at 3:25 PM on February 15, 2005

Google tells me Mama Joy's at Broadway and 113th has kegs. Nothing Belgian styled (good taste!), but Rogue makes some good beer.
posted by pmbuko at 3:27 PM on February 15, 2005

Brooklyn Brewery used to deliver. I can't find any info on the website, but it might be worth a call as they brought cups and buckets too. Also a car service from North Brooklyn (where there are many distribtors with cheap kegs) would run you about ten or fifteen bucks, which might still be cheaper than Manhattan-based kegs.
posted by dame at 3:44 PM on February 15, 2005

Kegs are still legal, but there's apparently some new government police state paperwork and extra deposits these days. It's just that everywhere he calls has Bud and Miller.

Mama Joy's seems to be closed, but thanks for your superior Google skills, since I never even found that page.

I like the whole Brooklyn / car service idea. This guy definitely doesn't want to go to Brooklyn, and it's his party, so I ain't, but for the next party definitely. So if anyone else has any good suggestions keep 'em coming, even if we do have to settle on Yuengling for this party.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 3:59 PM on February 15, 2005

Kegs are legal, there's a new rule about doing some paperwork and depositing $75. It's a pain and you have to keep the paper strapped to the keg in case the police come to your party. In Williamsburg, you can try Brooklyn Brewery (super expensive, like ~$130/half barrel), Beverage World, and ABC. If the party is on East 13th street, a cab from any of these places will be cheaper than most Manhattan locales (it'll be about $10 and take about 15 minutes). West 13th St is another story, but I seriously bet getting a keg to east 13th street is going to be 10x easier from Williamsburg than anywhere else.
posted by jeb at 4:26 PM on February 15, 2005

I tried searching for "manhattan keg" on chowhound.com and got some older responses ( ie The totalbeer.com one seems to be dead ) That may be a better place to ask as well.
posted by stuartmm at 4:34 PM on February 15, 2005

It's Brooklyn, but not far and easy to get to- Thrifty Beverage, at 256 Court St., has the best keg selection I've seen in NYC.

You're going to have a very hard time finding a keg in Manhattan, unless you know someone who runs a bar. They're just too big to store cold in a deli.
posted by mkultra at 4:48 PM on February 15, 2005

Try Flair Beverage. It's way, way, way uptown (207th St. & Ninth Av. in Upper Manhattan), but they have a great selection spread over an area larger than a city block. Lots of European beers and microbrews. It's been a while since I have been there, and I have only bought bottled beer and tiny kegs there, so call first to make sure they have regular kegs.
posted by mds35 at 6:53 AM on February 16, 2005

Heartland brewery, union square, (ignore the flash doo-doo and just call em.) Good microbrew, used to have kegs, at least a few years ago, if you talk to the actual brewers and they are the same people I spoke to they will hook you up, nice guys, must be all the beer they drink.
posted by Divine_Wino at 8:01 AM on February 16, 2005

Another Brooklyn/Car Service suggestion, though it's deeper in than Thrifty, is the East Coast Beer Co. A few years ago, I used to live a block up from it and found the keg selection to be pretty good (we used it for parties a couple of times). It's easy to get to off the BQE, too.
posted by safetyfork at 8:08 AM on February 16, 2005