This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

FORK SLOPE: Review of Uncle Barry's

A new beer bar is more than meets the eye.

Back in March, an article in Time Magazine entitled “Little Bitty Bourbon,” about the rise of small-batch bourbon distillers around the country, stated that in a down economy, spirits have seen a rise in sales and as a result beer sales have declined. 

This is an interesting and almost counter-intuitive fact. It seems like in a sluggish economy, the other way around would make more sense. My immediate reaction was, “Yeah, tell that to Brooklyn.”

Whatever the trends, and I’m sure accurate statistics show, Brooklyn seems to be going in the other direction. Although I did not gage how the sales of spirits and liquor are doing compared to beer with hard data, a simple look around any Brooklyn neighborhood provides us with enough doubt about the Time article's claim due to the many options of specialty beer bars and shops. 

Find out what's happening in Park Slopewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Park Slope is no exception. At , and pretty much any bar, one can expect a decent selection of beers, which usually includes local breweries like Six Point, Brooklyn Brewery and Kelso. , which opened in November on Fifth Avenue, follows in this trend. 

The beer menu here is exceptional with brews from all over the world and offers a nice selection of types and styles. Some you may recognize, and some you won’t. There are draft choices from Lagunitas, Brooklyn, Victory and Smuttynose and less likely suspects such as Anderson Valley, Mad River, Samichlaus Bier Helles and Dale’s Pale Ale (commonly found in cans, not on tap).

Find out what's happening in Park Slopewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Uncle Barry's, which is owned by the cousin duo Josh Ellis and Jake Trebach (they named it after Ellis' uncle and Trebach's father), has a black lager, a stout, a sour ale and of course an IPA. Most prices sit around $6 with a few at $8. Beer flights are available for $10, which includes your choice of 4-ounce pours of three beers.

If you didn’t come to Uncle Barry’s, between St. Marks Place and Bergen Street, for beer, wine by the glass (Cabernet, Pinot Grigio and Sparkling) is available for $7.

In addition to the full bar, they offer two house cocktails: the Can-hattan, which is Canadian club, maple syrup and bitters, and the Cøktäl made with gin, lingonberry syrup, lemon juice, elderflower liqueur, aperol and soda.

Happy hour is everyday from 1 to 7 p.m. and then again from 2 to 4 a.m. and offers $2 off everything but food and bottled beers.

So far, not much stands out here that you aren’t likely to find in other bars in the area. However, a closer look reveals some great details that separate Uncle Barry’s from the pack.

Similar to a wine bar, they have cheese plates from the local market . Each plate comes with crackers, lemon and homemade tomato and rosemary preserves from a small bakery called Nostalgia Bakeshop for $10.

Also in the food offerings are a small bowl of shelled pistachios ($3) and what one can only assume was a late-night concoction, a mini Twix bar wrapped in prosciutto (one for $3, two for $5). This treat sounds better than it actually is, but it’s far too strange and interesting (and trashy) to resist giving it a try.

Another plus is that Uncle Barry’s has a good deal of seating. The front area in the main room is good for groups and there are tables for smaller parties spread throughout the bar.

During nice weather, be sure to work your way past the Mortal Kombat II arcade game in the back to the small outdoor area fitted with two picnic tables. It’s a perfect way to enjoy your beer while your friends gloat about schooling you in MKII.  

The trend across the country might be leaning towards small-batch liquor and spirits, but when has this city ever followed trends?

Uncle Barry’s, 58 Fifth Avenue between St. Marks Place and Bergen Street, (718) 622-4980, http://www.unclebarrys.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/UncleBarrys

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?