Tørst

You may have noticed a few of your beer nerd friends in Brooklyn behaving strangely over the past week—perhaps skipping out of work early, or not answering text messages in the evenings, or looking jetlagged in the mornings (though I assure you I’ve done none of these things!) If you know someone who fits this description, it’s a safe bet they were at Tørst, the most eagerly anticipated beer bar to open in North Brooklyn in recent memory.

The primary reason for the excitement is Tørst’s carefully curated beer list and pedigree; the bar is a joint venture between Evil Twin brewmaster Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, DBGB beer sommelier Jon Langley, and chef Daniel Burns of Noma and Momofuku. The menu features 21 beers on draft and 150 in bottles, including many one-off and hard-to-find brews, as well as bar nibbles, with restaurant service starting in May. Another special feature, Tørst’s custom-built “flux capacitor” allows each draft line to be adjusted individually for nitrogen, CO2, and compression. There’s also four temperature settings so you’ll be sure to get your stouts served at a proper 52 degrees and your pilsners at a brisk 38 degrees.

On my two visits, Tørst delivered on all fronts. The space is warmly lit and features wood paneled walls, reclaimed wood tables, clean Scandinavian design, and good music played at a moderate volume. Large picnic tables and smaller tables that can be pushed together provide seating options for groups, while the elegant marble bar is perfect for couples. Drafts progress from light to dark along the back wall, and the handles for each draft line match up with the beer color. The list covered plenty of unexplored terrain, including a number of sour beers. I went with Jolly Pumpkin’s Maracaibo Especial, a malty brown ale that has just a touch of tartness, as opposed to going for full lambic sourness. The Cazeau La Tourney Triple was a lovely hoppy triple, and I probably should’ve steered clear of the Evil Twin Tørst Front Room, a face-flushing 11% ABV barley wine. The winner, for me, was the De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis 666, an amazing Imperial stout aged in cognac-soaked wood chips, with complex chocolate, coffee, and vanilla notes.

View of the shaded draft handles, with the red dials of the flux capacitor at lower left. One design quibble: The menu can be difficult to read on the reflective surface.

I liked Tørst so much that I’m already planning my next visit. And judging by the opening week crowds, the rest of New York’s beer-loving folk are too. As the saying goes, “good people drink good beer,” so at least we’ll be in fine company.

Tørst
615 Manhattan Ave between Nassau Ave and Driggs Ave, Greenpoint
Sun-Wed 12pm-12am, Thurs-Sat 12pm-2am