GREENPOINT: Tapping into beer at Torst

See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.

By Danielle Furfaro

Brooklyn Daily

There’s more than 99 bottles of beer at this new Greenpoint brew bar — but you’re not going to see any of them on the walls. Nor will you see any decoration, for that matter.

The new Manhattan Avenue beer hall Torst combines a stunning 21 drafts and more than 100 bottles, each more obscure than the next, with a minimal aesthetic that makes suds its sole focus.

“Whoever is making the best beer out there at the moment, their beer is going to find its way here,” said bartender Mike Amidei.

The best beers of the moment currently include Hof Ten #9 Grappe, Evil Twin Danbic Cranberry, and Beachwood BBQ Amalgamator, and many of the brews come from 12 Percent Imports, a Brooklyn distributor that specializes in hard-to-find alcoholic drinks from around the nation and Europe.

The bar itself boasts the simple decor typical of Scandinavian tastes, with rows of narrow tables and cupped wooden chairs surrounded by art-less walls. The beers change so often — or the aesthetic is so pervasive — that the taps themselves are logo-free wooden handles adorned with numbers.

But there is something flashy that you can’t find at IKEA: a futuristic, glowing red “flux capacitor” tucked behind the bar, which allows bartenders to adjust nitrogen and carbon dioxide to deliver the perfect pour, no matter the beer.

Co-owner Daniel Burns said he is planning to start a restaurant in the space sometime over the next few months, featuring a five-course tasting menu that will change every few weeks.

But, of course, the beer is the main attraction, and only a week after opening, the bar has already attracted hops tourists from far and wide.

“The day we opened, there were 25 or 30 of them in here,” said Amidei.

Torst (615 Manhattan Ave. between Nassau and Driggs avenues in Greenpoint, www.torstnyc.com).

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