Sunday, May 9th, 2010—Bar 119
Day 119—Saturday, May 8th, 2010
Stag’s Head
Okay, yesterday I reported that Patrick Di Primo from Westchester generously donated ten bucks with the condition that I spend it on a couple of craft beers. He even went out of his way to send me an email of a bar that specializes in craft beer called, Stag’s Head which is located on the upper east side of Manhattan. I checked out the website and saw they not only have a ton of craft beers, they have a specialty cheeseburger called, The Stag's Head Burger which is grilled sirloin, bacon, glazed onions and melted St. Pete's bleu cheese, perfect for my Saturday Night Cheeseburger! And so it’s onwards and upwards to the east side of Manhattan to Stag’s Head.
Okay, we're going to the Union Square Subway Station in the park. It's a nice day today and a lot of people out and about.
Hmm...what's that smell in the air...it smells inviting, what is it...oh, I know that smell...
It's free booze! The Chateau Renaisssance Wine Cellars has a table here in the park on Saturdays and not only sell wine, they give out free tastings. Check them out here: The Chateau Renaisssance Wine Cellars.
One for the road! Salud!
Okay, here we are the Union Square Subway Station.
And by magic of the internet we're magically transported to The Stag's Head bar.
Entrance, stage right!
There's a decent-sized crowd for an early Saturday night, but I spy a seat at the bar, so I take it,
And Ben the bartender serves up the first craft beer of the day. Ben and the rest of the staff were very informative and happy to help in my selections for the day. The first one I tried was a craft beer called, Chelsea Checkered Cab.
It was delicious! Cheers to Patrick for suggesting this place!
Jess and Dave live right across the street and are regulars at Stag's Head. They're such loyal Stag's Heads that Jess was studying for a final exam in the bar! That's dedication!
Some of the specials and events going on at the bar.
Xan, the lovely manager stopped by and said hello and explained to me about the ever-changing beer variety in the bar and that Paste Magazine had voted them one of the top 30 beer bars in the country. Not just in New York, but the whole country! Pretty impressive!
Just some of the many craft beers available at Stag's Head.
Kelly and Ryan were in from Denver to sample beers and they had just run a race upstate.
Todd not only served me my third beer but he wrote the name in my notebook for me, it was a Ballast Point "Callico Ambec." Another delcious choice. And for the record, my second beer was a Monarch Wit, which I also enjoyed. I may never drink Budweiser again!
And now for the main event, the Saturday Night Cheeseburger! It's their signature burger, The Stag's Head Burger and it's one of the best burgers I've had in New York City!
Steffen had stopped in after work and was enjoying the beer and conversation at the bar.
Ben was talking beer with these two, so I decided to pop over and say hi.
Meet Lynyrd and Sherrall. They were visiting from Cambridge, UK and this was their second time in Stag's Head on their vacation.
All of a sudden, just like a bomb went off in the place there was a sea of orange shirts in the place. What the fuck?
It turns out they were on their own bar crawl in honor of this man's 29th birthday. Happy birthday, Chad! A pleasure to meet fellow bar crawlers on my journey!
There's tables for dining upstairs.
And here's a door leading to...
An outside beer garden! This place is full of wonderful surprises, thanks for suggesting it, Patrick! And goodnight, everybody!
Review
If you’re into craft and specialty beers, Stag’s Head is your bar. And if you’re not into craft beers, but want to learn what this growing beer craze is all about, Stag’s Head is also your bar. The bartenders and wait staff here are all knowledgeable craft beer people, but have no attitude if you’re new to the craft beer revolution and are happy to explain beers and give you free samples to help you on your way to enjoying the different varieties of beer. And you’re never going to get bored with the selection in here, the varieties are ever-changing, so you can try new craft beers in here all the time. It’s a friendly atmosphere with a nice mix of neighborhood locals, business people and tourists popping in for a taste of the latest in craft beers.
The bar has a rustic, woodsy feel to it and there are several HD TV’s which are usually tuned into sporting events. In addition to the 16 draft beers and 30 bottled beers, there’s a full bar and they offer specialty beer cocktails such as, The Stag’s Head which is Jim Beam Cherry Red Stag Bourbon, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup and Chelsea Checker Cab Blonde Ale. That has to pack a punch! And to soak up all the suds, they also have an extensive food menu that runs the gamut from your standard pub grub like chicken fingers, buffalo wings, nachos and potato skins to more exotic treats like: Gaelic Chicken, Shrimp Penne Puttanesca and Penne alla Vodka.
In addtion to the beer, comfortable bar and eclectic food menu, the bar has a hidden gem on the second floor, an outside beer garden with communal wooden tables. No wonder this place got picked as one of the 30 best beer bars in Paste magazine, check out their review here: Paste Magazine’s 30 Best Beer Bars (go to page two at the bottom for Stag’s Head review.) They’re in the top 30 in Paste and number 119 on 365 Bars, cheers!
Stag’s Head
252 E 51St. (Near 2nd Ave.)
212-888-2453
2 References
Reader Comments (11)
Impressive! Sister bars look interesting too.
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Free wine, craft beers and one helluva cheeseburger, looks like you had a great Saturday! Great bar and the beer garden looks cool!
stag's head rules, best bar in the hood by a longshot!
"I may never drink Budweiser again". That sounds familiar. I think I said the same thing over 37 years ago when I made it to Germany as party of my Army bar crawl that lasted for the next three years. I had my first genuine German beer less than thirty minutes after getting off the plane, and there was just no comparison with the standard American beers. None what soever. When it comes to beer, I was spoiled rotten early in life on the very best!
Is it just me or is Xan the hottest manager of the crawl so far ???
What is a beertube? Sounds dirty...therefore, I'd like to try it some day. This place looks comfy and fun. That beer garden is awesome! And that cheeseburger made me drool from hundreds of miles away. I'm definitely going to try this place next time I'm in town. And, by the way, nice seating choice - right in front of the sarcasm sign!
P.S. Happy Fifth Annual 29th Birthday, Chad! I'm on my Eleventh.
woo ! This is my kind of bar !!!
a beertube is (I think) what we call "Girafe" in France, it can contain between 2,5 and 5 liters of beer! photo here
TOO CRAFT BEERS!!!!!
To Craft Beers!
I am a total fan of Stag's Head's bar!
holy heck... more hot chicks!
Stag's Head is one of the best! Not least of which because they are a sponsor of BeerMenus.com.