Destinations: Pony Bar - Hop Sun by Southern Tier

Another day in New York, another New York Beer! Hop Sun by Southern Tier is really a summer wheat beer, but they release it in March. Perfect timing for those first really warm weekends of the year, like this one. Golden, luminous, and crystal clear, hop sun is Meyer lemon yellow, and the happy friendship of wheat, barley, and hops. The result: crispy and light, yet the hops have a good kick without ever being overbearing. It's an energizing, refreshing, and easy-going beer that's very easy to have a crush on.

 New York City through a glass.

One Woman enjoyed the hop sun at the Pony Bar today, where she and Mom met up with This One Guy. Mom chose the toasty, Sly Fox O'Reilley's Stout, and This One Guy selected the Long Trail Brew Master Reserve Double IPA.

Pony Bar has amazing beers, tasty bar snacks (tempura battered string beans - um, yes please!!), and a game that you can enter into, where you fill out a sheet to 100 beers you've had there (once you reach 100, you win a Pony Bar shirt). On 10th avenue and 45th, it seems like off the beaten path, but no. At 6 pm on a Sunday afternoon, it was packed full with a beer loving crowd that calls out 'beer!' in unison when the bartender clanks on an old empty keg to signal the tapping of a new one. At any time, expect 20 exciting and unusual American craft beers on tap (today's selection included Green Flash Le Freak and Dog Fish 60 minute IPA on tap, and Otter Creek Brew Quercus Vitis Humulus on cask, and many, many more). Oh, and did I mention, all beers are $5.00?! 

Musical Pairing: If One Woman played beach volleyball, this would be the perfect beer to drink. But otherwise, it's a good bebop beer. And since the Pony Bar (located just a few blocks away from the epicenter of Times Square) is much closer to Birdland than to Hermosa Beach, the musical pairing is dedicated to the Bird, aka Charlie Parker and his version of "Cherokee/Koko." Light-headed, fuzzy, smoking hot.