If you noticed an increased number of gigantic beer bottles turning up at late-summer BBQs and recent tailgate parties, congratulations: You’ve been keeping company with this season’s “it” drinking accessory—the growler. A glass jug with either a screw-on or hinged gasket cap, the growler has been a fixture of breweries and brewpubs in England, Australia and the U.S. since the late 1800s. With Americans becoming ever more besotted with beer culture in recent years, it was only a matter of time before these super-sized carriers found a new following in the fashion-conscious brew lovers of Park…

Here at Slope Suds HQ, we’ve been counting the days until the buzzed-about beer garden/ beer hall/ whatever it is going to be at 555 7th Avenue between 19th and 20th streets opens its doors to the public. To keep other restless natives at bay—and put inaccurate rumors to rest— we snagged an evening interview with bar baron and owner Ted Mann, of Bar 4, Cubana Social and No Name Bar. Here, Mann sets the record straight and makes us salivate over his 13,000 square foot space due to open in October.1. The Official Name is Greenwood Park.2. Don’t Call It A Beer Garden.  “I feel like we got …

When Kevin Stafford of 18th Street started homebrewing five and a half years ago, he was inspired to do so by his friends as an outlet for their passion for beer. Now, as members of the The Knights of Bruklyn, his friends still inspire him, but they are also competing in a year-long war to see whose brew is best. “My signature beer is the 'Narwhal IPA,'" said Stafford, who won second place in the competition last year with an IPA, an intensely hop-y brew. Knights? Narwhals? What now? The Knights of Bruklyn, a social club and secret society of sorts, meets monthly at Union Hall to don Fez hats…

“No Sleep Till Brooklyn” proclaim a bevy of postcards plastered across Slope storefront windows. But this time, it’s not being chanted by The Beastie Boys. Instead, the rally call comes from small-scale beer makers located at the tip of Long Island’s North Fork—Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. The 2-year-old brewery will be the star of Bierkraft’s Thursday Tap Takeover series tomorrow, featuring 14 kegs and 2 casks of their whale-emblazoned wares. “Basically, each month we invite a brewery to bring as many beers as they can and tap them from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.,” explained Matt Barclay, one of …

Is Brooklyn in the midst of a German-beer invasion? All signs point to “Ja.” In three years, the better borough has welcomed no less than five biergartens (Radegast, Loreley, Old Rooster, Berry Park, and Spritzenhaus) offering everything from light hefeweizens to stormy schwarzbiers. But just because none have actually opened in the Slope, there’s no need to get your lederhosen in a twist. For those looking to tap the Bavarian trend without boarding the G train, our very own Beer Table is offering up an authentic and economical experience this weekend. On Saturday, May 28th, owner and beer …