Tap Beer Opens On East 19th Street And Avenue U

We love it when new businesses open, and the stranger, the better. Tap Beer, at 2081 East 19th Street (off of Avenue U), opened just a few short weeks ago, and its quirky setup and offerings are definitely… unique.

Walk into this original enterprise, and you’ll find a very tiny storefront selling a sliver of the usual bodega fare: chips, canned foods and tampons. But all the real action is behind the counter that divides the store. A wall of, you guessed it, beer taps. They sell more than a dozen draft beers, ranging from cheap domestic to mid-priced imports – the latter usually from Eastern Europe. Ask for one, and they pop on a  plastic liter bottle, fill it up, and seal it – without the usual bottle deposits a growler or keg might incur.

In the glass display case, they also have a variety of smoked meats and fish. Just be warned – the older couple that runs this place have a very limited English vocabulary, leading to all kinds of hijinx when we stopped by to give it a try.