NY, Brooklyn, Park Slope -- a great place for a bear

According to Men's Journal Brooklyn is one of the great places to have a beer.

[NYC] is home to more young, finicky drinkers than any other city in the country. The result: the greatest beer-bar scene in the U.S. More than 20,000 bars and restaurants operate within the five boroughs, and even dives carry great imports such as Jever and Hoegaarden.

Where to Drink: Brooklyn. It’s perhaps the best place in America for a pub crawl. Start with Gaffel Kölsch at the cavernous “middle European” beer hall Radegast. Continue the binge a 10-minute walk away at Spuyten Duyvil for smartly chosen Belgian brews. Then either finish the night on the patio of Park Slope’s extreme-beer-focused the Gate or sipping magnificent, wallet-busting rarities (think $50-plus bottles) at nearby Beer Table.

Beer Culture: Nearly every week, the Blind Tiger in the West Village lets brewmasters from around the world hijack its taps to pour their own creations; it’s the only bar we know of where this happens.

Hoppy Beer for the Summertime

I love hoppy beer in the summertime. I found a new one: West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing based in San Diego, California. The first sip was almost two hoppy, too overpowering; but the more I drank it the more I loved the different flavors. They describe it as "extravagantly hopped." I couldn't agree more.

They used Simcoe for its unique fruitiness and grapefruit zest, Columbus for a strong hop pungency, Centennial for pine and citrus notes, and Cascade for floral aroma.

Columbus and Centennial are the two dominant flavors when it first hits your tongue but then the Simcoe and Cascade add to the mix. It's aroma is pure grapefruit zest. Delightful. By the way, don't want to sound more knowledgeable than I am. If they didn't say which hops they used I wouldn't have been able to tell you.