November 12, 2009
Visited on a Sunday afternoon and had a pleasant experience here. Chalkboard overhead indicated the taps and the server was very generous in offering samples without having to ask. She was a bit older than most servers, and was very polite and attentive. We never had an empty pint glass more than a minute or so. Prices were about the same as other beer bars in NYC. Atmosphere was mellow with oldies music in the background, though the bathroom was a bit sketchy.

May 15, 2009
I found the bathrooms just OK, but on a lazy afternoon with the warm breeze blowing in the empty bar was a relaxing western saloon of beery excellence. Samples were offered, some exceptional well-served pints were accepted. Bottle selection is good for NYC.I like the vibe, the area and the service is friendly. Close to New Beer Wholesale and Bowery Whole Foods, both directly south. DBA is decent area value..- +2 value points for offering afternoon dollar discounts on all pints, I think from 13:00 to 19:30. Bottle shop stop to cool your dogs!

January 12, 2009 [ Updated August 11, 2009 ]
Overrated. Usually they don’t have the first 2 or 3 bottles I order off of the blackboards. 15 taps are usually put to good not great use, and a couple of cask ales are usually available, it is EXTREMELY hard to get served in this bar. Plain and simple they do not hire enough bartenders. Often gets very crowded and then you can FORGET about being served without a long thirsty wait. **Bathrooms are disgusting, even for a guy** Cozy and comfortable when not crowded. Decent sitting area out back.

December 8, 2008
Nice looking bar. Dim lights, huge chalkboard with bottle list organized by country. Extensive bottle list, with some great stuff on it, but they do not have everything listed. I ordered a Cantillon Vigerrone, and they did not have it. They did have a 2004 Cantillon Iris that they only charged me $18 for! That was an awesome deal! Other than that, it gets overcrowded like most lower east side bars, and the tap selection only offered the general craft stuff such as Stone Smoked Porter and O Haras Irish Stout. I would not go out of my way for this place. But it was cool that they had a nearly 5 year old Unblended Lambic for $18!

August 19, 2008
Pretty decent bar for NYC. Good bottle list but their tap selection just can’t keep with the big boys nearby. They have a pretty nice whiskey selection, though. But this is certainly not the best beer bar in NYC.

July 10, 2008
Was here on a weekday afternoon - so can’t speak to the crowd and noise. It was just us and a few scruffy regulars. Good selection with quality in the 15 or so on tap. We had Stone IPA and Victory Hop Wallop on draft. The bartender didn’t have a clue about the beers. I ordered a dogfish world wide stout and she set all of the dogfish bottles they had on the bar and asked if it was one of them... funny. Pretty cool place though.

March 22, 2008
They tend to have a good selection of beers but never seem to have what I’m looking for. Hopdevil usually has a better selection but I like the overall layout of the dba bar better. More room and the crowd is a little less college night. Also a nightmare going to on the weekend. A nice Sunday afternoon spot.

March 19, 2008
I love this place and the beer and whiskey lists are incredible. The last time I was there (the day after St patty’s thoug) they were out of a lot of things I wanted (mostly Saisons) but they were totally cool about finding me other things to drink.

March 10, 2008
The beerlist is really good, both on tap and bottles. Bit this place very easily gets loud. I visited on a sunday afternoon and it was enough with two men getting alittle drunk to make the whole place noisy.

February 19, 2008
Was there at Christmas time. Best overall beer selection we found in Manhattan/Brooklyn. I can’t believe I was able to order a Westy 12 ($12), Bourbon County Stout ($9), countless South Hamptons and other great regionals, for such decent prices. These are truly hard beers to get, period, especially for those of us on the West Coast. I thought their place in New Orleans was great, but this takes the cake. Loved the bar cat roaming around. An absolute must-visit. Serves very very late. Come and be spoiled.