Bama's List

Berry Park
This Williamsburg beer hall is a bi-level behemoth, with a 3,500-square-foot ground floor and a roof deck almost as large. Choose from one of the 14 brews on tap (mostly German and Belgian drafts), and then take in views of Manhattan and nearby McCarren Park. 4 Berry St at North 14th St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-782-2829, berryparkbk.com)

Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden
This authentic Czech beer garden offers plenty of mingle-friendly picnic tables, where you can sample cheap platters of sausage and a solid lineup of European and domestic beers (pints $6, pitchers $16). Though the huge, tree-canopied garden is open year-round (in winter, the area is tented and heated), summer is prime time to soak up some rays over a pint. Prost! 29–19 24th Ave between 29th and 30th Sts, Astoria, Queens (718-274-4925, bohemianhall.com)

d.b.a.
The OG beer lover’s mecca still provides plenty of hops-head catnip. There are 250 brews available, from the expensive (a Belgian kriek, or sour-cherry beer, goes for $25 per bottle) to the unpronounceable (Schlenkerla Rauchbier). Paralyzed by indecision? Think it over in the back garden (it’s open year-round). Also check out d.b.a.’s Williamsburg outpost, which offers a similarly excellent lineup of craft brews, plus a spacious back patio for warm-weather drinking. 41 First Ave between 2nd and 3rd Sts (212-475-5097) • d.b.a. Brooklyn, 113 North 7th St between Berry St and Wythe Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-218-6006) • drinkgoodstuff.com

Der Schwarze Kölner
Fort Greene’s first German beer garden has the essentials in order. There are 18 brews on tap (crisp Radeberger pilsner, easygoing Hofbräu lager) and many more by the bottle. And there are plenty of affordable, satisfying small plates—like Berlin’s classic currywurst—plus sidewalk seating. 710 Fulton St at South Oxford St, Fort Greene, Brooklyn (347-841-4495, derschwarzekoelner.com)

The Diamond
In a beer scene dominated by hoppy, high-alcohol brews, credit this madcap watering hole for championing session beers (most $6), a family of brews whose lower booze content makes them ideal for extended drinking. Unlikely picks such as the 3-percent-ABV Berliner Weisse (Budweiser is 5 percent) will keep you buzzed but standing through an evening of horseshoes in the back garden. 43 Franklin St between Calyer and Quay Sts, Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718-383-5030, thediamondbrooklyn.com)

Franklin Park
There’s a handsome bar made from oak and subway tiles inside this former mechanic’s garage, but the real scene is outdoors, where picnic tables packed with locals fill a concrete garden. Join them to sip one of a dozen drafts, like He’Brew’s crisp Coney Island Lager. 618 St. Johns Pl between Classon and Franklin Aves, Crown Heights, Brooklyn (718-230-0293, franklinparkbrooklyn.com)

Fourth Avenue Pub
Generous happy-hour deals make this craft-beer haunt an inviting spot to play hooky. On weekdays from 3 to 8pm, the pub shaves $2 off any of its 27 drafts and its cask ale (normally $6), as well as all of its booze. Explore options including small-batch releases from Long Island’s Greenport Harbor and San Francisco’s Speakeasy Ales and Lagers, then take your brew out to the hops-clad patio. 76 Fourth Ave between Bergen St and St. Marks Pl, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-643-2273)

The Gate
Beer just seems to taste better at this laid-back, bring-your-pet kinda joint—especially on the huge street-level deck. There’s a good chance your favorite brew will be on tap: Look out for frequent additions to standbys like Brooklyn Lager and Guinness. 321 Fifth Ave at 3rd St, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-768-4329, thegatebrooklyn.blogspot.com)

Hallo Berlin
This midtown German gem boasts one of the best beer gardens in Manhattan. Grab a table and wash down heaping platters of schnitzel and sausage with your choice of exotic beers, like the smoky Köstritzer Black. Too crowded? Hallo also has a smaller outpost a few blocks away. 626 Tenth Ave at 44th St (212-977-1944, halloberlinrestaurant.com) • Hallo Berlin Express, 744 Ninth Ave between 50th and 51st Sts (212-333-2372)

Hot Bird
Twelve rotating beers flow from the taps at this former auto-repair garage. Go when it’s sunny and stake out a spot in the spacious front garden (a corner lot that until recently was home to several rusty old junkers). 546 Clinton Ave at Atlantic Ave, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn (718-230-5800)

La Birreria
Biergartens are traditionally Bavarian, but Eataly’s hotly anticipated retractable-roof–rocking brewpub is resolutely Italian, with unfiltered house brews made on the premises and pours from Italy’s Birreria del Borgo and Birreria Baladin. When it opens this May, you’ll be able to enjoy these suds while savoring views of the Flatiron and the Empire State Buildings. 200 Fifth Ave between 23rd and 24th Sts (212-229-2560, eatalyny.com)

Lady Jay’s
Sam Mason’s whiskey-soaked saloon draws drinkers out to its large, no-fuss wood patio to enjoy life’s elemental pleasures: canned beers, bourbon and cigarettes. The most inviting path to drunkenness is paved with dirt-cheap combo deals. Five bucks gets you two cans of Lionshead Pilsner or a “shorty and a shot”—a six-ounce pour of suds with a shot of well liquor. For $8, a PBR tall boy and a slug of Buffalo Trace White Dog (fresh-off-the-still raw whiskey) will lay you out quicker than a rodeo bull. 633 Grand St between Leonard St and Manhattan Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-387-1029)

Loreley
Communal wood tables and a well-shaded garden make Loreley an ideal day-drinking destination. A dozen German drafts are served in bulky liter steins ($12–$16), or smaller glasses for those who sip a little slower. Its sister location, in Williamsburg, offers a similar list of Teutonic brews on draft and by the bottle. 7 Rivington St between Bowery and Christie St (212-253-7077) • Loreley Williamsburg, 64 Frost St at Meeker Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-599-0025) • loreleynyc.com

Mission Dolores
Wait, an industrial stretch of Fourth Avenue isn’t your ideal location for a gorgeous, alcohol-soaked afternoon? It doesn’t matter; after a few pints at this airy converted auto shop, you won’t want to leave. Canines and smokers are welcome in the courtyard. And the craft-beer labels—primarily American, with some European cameos such as Rodenbach Grand Cru—are uniformly excellent. 249 Fourth Ave between Carroll and President Sts, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-399-0099, missiondolores.com)

Radegast Hall & Biergarten
The warm, convivial atmosphere, large wooden benches and retractable roof make this Williamsburg garden a standard-bearer. Drain a giant stein of German or Czech beer, down some grilled wursts and be thankful such pleasures are no longer confined to Queens. 113 North 3rd St between Berry St and Wythe Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-963-3973)

The Sixth Ward
Round up your posse and commandeer a table at this colossal, 1,500-square-foot beer garden and pub, named after NYC’s old Irish district. In fairer weather, join the after-work crowd in devouring burgers and sipping one of 12 drafts in the smoker-friendly backyard. 191 Orchard St between E Houston and Stanton Sts (212-228-9888, sixthwardnyc.com)

Spuyten Duyvil
The list of 150 mostly middle-European quaffs here could confound even the nerdiest of microbrew mavens. Flag down a bartender to help you navigate the menu, then take your brew—and a snack, like smoked meat or pâté—to the lush back garden. 359 Metropolitan Ave at Havemeyer St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-963-4140, spuytenduyvilnyc.com)

The Standard Biergarten
Don’t let the Standard Hotel’s chic pedigree fool you. Everything on the menu here—from suds like the traditional German brews to brats, currywurst and pretzels—clocks in at an affordable $7. Claim a picnic table and get to work. 848 Washington St at 13th St, entrance on Little W 12th St at Washington St (212-645-4646, standardhotels.com)

Studio Square
Encompassing 20,000 square feet of outdoor space and a capacity well above 1,200, Studio Square is more beer city than beer garden. Patrons pack the sprawling yard, all guzzling half liters ($7), liters ($13) and pitchers ($18) of mostly German and American brews. The Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA (half-liter $7, pitcher $18) is a solid all-season refresher. Clouds or not, brats, burgers and other bites ($6–$11) are in order. 35–33 36th St between 35th and 36th Aves, Long Island City, Queens (718-383-1001, studiosquarenyc.com)

Zum Schneider
Beer lovers and German expats from all over the city flock to this Bavarian party house, where the most hotly contest seats are out on the sidewalk under blue umbrellas. The prime people-watching spot—smack in the middle of Alphabet City—is tough to beat, especially when you’ve got a liter stein of beer in hand. Choose from a dozen German brews are on tap, plus more than ten by the bottle. After knocking back a few, you too will be shaking a tail feather. 107 Ave C at 7th St (212-598-1098, zumschneider.com)