Spuyten Duyvil   (Photo: Robert K. Chin)

124 Rabbit Club
124 Macdougal St., at Minetta Ln.; 212-254-0575
This tiny subterranean beer bar boasts more than 40 semi-pronounceable and delicious imported brews, from the Scottish Old Engine Oil with hints of licorice to the sweet, frothy punch of the monk-made Maredsous.

Blind Tiger Ale House
281 Bleecker St., at Jones St.; 212-462-4682
The idiosyncratic list of 30 versatile draft beers includes everything from the Sly Fox Irish Stout to a sweet Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball, plus rotating cask ales and small-batch vintage selections like Bigfoot barley wine.

d.b.a
41 First Ave., nr. 2nd St.; 212-475-5097
May just as well stand for “drink better ale”: The bar boasts more than 250 (!) varieties of beer, from hand-pulled ales and seasonal boutique microbrews to fruit-infused lambics.

The Diamond
43 Franklin St., nr. Calyer St., Greenpoint, Brooklyn; 718-383-5030
Co-owner Dave Pollack cultivated his brew obsession working for the importer B. United International and bartending at Spuyten Duyvil, and the Diamond’s list—full of rarities like St. Georgen Bräu Keller Bier—is especially tailored to a beer geek's taste.

Spuyten Duyvil
359 Metropolitan Ave., nr. Havemeyer St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-963-4140
No bar in the city pays a more loving and thorough homage to beer—specifically Belgian beer, arguably the world’s best. In a neighborhood where $2 PBR rules the day, it's built an almost cultlike following around obscure imported microbrews.