A bar with 70 taps isn’t necessarily a great beer bar, but when three of those taps are devoted to Dogfish Head, they’re clearly on the right track. At The Ginger Man in Midtown Manhattan, they’re on the right track a hell of a lot. So often that the bar consistently rates with Manhattan’s best.
The Ginger Man originated in Houston and spawned several spinoffs, including the Manhattan location in 1996. As for the name, our bartender said, “It’s a book by J.P. Donleavy about the tales of an outrageous drunk. You should check it out.” The space features a long wood bar, wood booths, high ceilings and unique chandeliers surrounded with exposed-filament bulbs.
If you’re indecisive, The Ginger Man will pose a serious challenge. They divide their draught beer list by Stouts & Porters, Amber Ales, Bocks, Cider, Barley Wine, Lagers, Specialty Brews, Cask, Pale Ales, Fruit Beer, Wheat Beer and Et Cetera. They then further subdivide by country. Bottled Beers are organized by country: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Netherlands, Norway, Thailand, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Scotland, Japan, Switzerland, Mexico, United States, New York (since New Yorkers think that highly of themselves). As a sign of the times, they also had Gluten Free, Organic and Vintage sections.
Unfortunately, we were en route to dinner uptown and couldn’t devote the necessary time to “research.” Dogfish Head isn’t widely available in Los Angeles, so it was important to try Sam Calagione’s innovative brews. We enjoyed glasses of rich, caramelly Palo Santo and their hoppy 90 Minute IPA.
We were only at The Ginger Man for an hour and there was a lot to absorb. After the fact, we noticed they sell Growlers for $28 and four-pour Flights (4.5 oz. each) for $11. A flight would have been a better option for variety’s sake. Next time.
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