Tonight we were joined by a rare appearance of Brother Pradeep! He was soon followed by "P"" and David. I like Hop Devil Grill. It's a funky little East Village joint with a great selection of taps and an exceptional selection of bottled craft beers, both domestic and foreign. Frequently, they even have beers from Milwaukee's Sprecher Brewery. Sprecher Special Amber Ale was the first true craft beer I ever had and it changed the way I think about beer.

Pradeep and I started with a

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le (6.3% ABV). A nice brew from a relatively new brewery (est. 2011) on the New York City scene. It has a rich brown color and has what the brewery describes as "English style malts meets West Coast hops." It's refreshing! The ever-busy Pradeep left after one, but it was a slow one.

David, who was sporting a nice cast, opted for the Otter River Russian Stout. It's a very nice stout, but at 10.0% ABV, it's too heavy for me to have as round 2. Instead, I opt for the Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale (8.0% ABV). This is a bold beer from an up-and-coming Pennsylvania brewer. Wow! This is an incredible really spicy, slightly sour, "October in a glass!" My only gripes is that it came in a ten-ounce girly glass and it was a little light on mouthfeel. I would definitely have this again, though!

Kevin and Danny joined us. Next up for me, was a Rogue Chocolate Stout (6.3% ABV). This is nice, rich and chocolatey! Adjunct ingredients—basically anything other than water, yeast, barley malt and hops—can be tricky. I've had chocolate ales that taste too sweet; this one is well-balanced.

The Yankees lose 2–6. Our waitress kept referring to how "crowded" it was, but I've been to Hop Devil when it was crowded. Given that the service tonight is slow, perhaps the real issue is that with two bartenders and two waitresses they are a bit understaffed? At any rate, by 10:10 PM, we were done!

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Valhalla Bar

Pony Bar

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#1426

Dad's Night Out—The Home of Thurdsday