beer

Meet the growler. Invented in the late 1800’s, the 64-ounce refillable beer containers have found a new popularity – and life – in New York.

The benefits of using a glass growler are many, say beer connoisseurs: you can have draft beer at home, there are no bottles to throw out  – and you pay $2.50 a pint, versus $6 to $8 a pint at a bar.

The downside is there is a limited time to drink the beer before it goes flat. But if you can drink four pints quick enough – or have others help you – the growler may replace your six-pack for good.

With the close of Election Day,  a microbrewery in Red Hook, will turn the page on one of its best selling products. The Hop Obama, a beer based on the Democratic candidate, will end its run. Some 30,000 glasses worth of the brew found its way into 300 bars, restaurants, and supermarkets across New York City and Massachusetts.

New York City News Service Reporter Mark Morales went to the Sixpoint Craft Ales brewery, the birthplace of the Hop Obama. He finds out why the brewery was inspired by Obama’s run for the White House.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The economy may be down, but it’s no time to cry in your beer.

That’s the philosophy of Erik Ness, owner of The Bullpen, a new Upper East Side bar. He’s hoping his establishment will survive the tough times by offering customers reasonable prices, good food and a “neighborhood feeling.”

He’s got a big challenge ahead as the city’s $10 billion restaurant and bar industry braces for a decline. And with alcohol costs rising and a hops shortage pushing beer prices up, bars could be taking a double hit.