Of Bikes, Bars and Beers
By Sean Patrick Farrell - New York Times
July is a month of cycling bliss. The weather is perfect for long rides and, for much of the month, the world’s best riders battle for the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.
July is also a big month for beer; good beer, to be exact. This month, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg officially proclaimed July to be Good Beer Month in New York City. Approved good beer bars will get a Good Beer Seal.
As a part of the month of good beer cheer, bar owners are encouraging patrons to Bike to the Bars, where they can enjoy artisanal beers, in moderation, of course.
“We’re not saying go to 10 bars and get drunk,” said Jimmy Carbone, owner of the bar Jimmy’s 43, in the East Village, and one of the masterminds behind the Good Beer Seal and the Bike to the Bars ideas.
Jimmy’s 43, and many of the other Brooklyn- and Manhattan-based Good Beer Sealed bars — seriously, no good beer in Queens, the Bronx or Staten Island? — serve local craft beers and harder-to-find European specialty brews, which are meant to be savored.
“Europeans get it,” Mr. Carbone said. “After a good bike ride or a run, people have a beer somewhere.”