February 7, 2008
Its really too bad this place closed. Also its unfortunate I did not get to review while they were still open. The whole crew was awesome and held great events. The regulars and bartenders were both some of the greatest people and I loved entering the chili contests anually. One of kind place with playing cards magically sticking to the cieling. RIP. ps, you can still find some of the great bartenders downtown at the new Tiger. Also I loved the free popcorn machine.

July 21, 2007
LAST DAYS OF THE COLLINS. NEVER MADE IT OVER UNTIL TODAY. ENJOYED A SOUTHERN TIER SUN GOLD AND REMINICED ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD. BACK WHEN N.Y.C WAS DANGEROUS AND YOU HAD TO BE REAL TOUGH TO COME AROUND HERE. NOW ALL THE RICH PEOPLE FLEE THEIR MISERABLE STATES TO FLOCK TO -THE CENTER OF THE WORLD- HEY GUESS THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE FOR! LET’S SIT DOWN HAVE A BEER AND MAYBE I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT IT? R.I.P. COLLINS BAR!

May 26, 2007
I sometimes feel as though the Collins Bar gets short shrift among all the great beer bars in New York, but it ranks with the best of them. I wonder if the midtown location causes some people to associate it with tourists or suits, but as one reviewer put it, it’s just the opposite -- an oasis of great beer and unpretentiousness. The long, narrow space is dark and comfortable. Eclectic stuff on the walls, from maps (New York state and the world), beer paraphrenalia, abstract art, movie poster). The beer list is extensive and well thought-out, with one tap per style, listed from lightest to darkest. In bottles, a good number of extreme beers -- DFH WW Stout and 120-minute IPA, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. I was there early in the afternoon, and with the place virtually empty I got a lot of attention from the knowledgable bartendress -- when I mentioned I liked anything barrel-aged, she rummaged through the cooler and brought an armful of barrel-aged beers for me to look through.

February 7, 2007 [ Updated July 1, 2007 ]
They don’t have a lot of taps, but the selection is constantly changing and they always have something interesting. Barkeeps are knowledgable and friendly. Prices are fair for NYC, they sometimes have specials, and they’ll buy back, especially if you’re a regular. Decent jukebox, darts, friendly crowd (which is RARE so close to Times Square), clean bathrooms, and free popcorn. You can’t go wrong, a well kept secret in this part of the city, and a place I enjoy hitting up to escape the hustle and bustle of midtown. An oasis of sorts.

July 31, 2006
Good selection...friendly cute bartender...

June 14, 2006
Nice small cozy bar. Dark wood and the typical brewery schwag. Small, but well chosen tap list and a fair number of quality bottles. The bartender knew her stuff when I was in. The beer list and blackboards need serious updating as virtually nothing in there correlated with what they actually had. Still, a good place to pop into if you need a respite from the madness of Times Square.

May 29, 2006
This place is nice and cozy. They have a dart board in the back. Nice beer list. Good selection. The only food they serve is popcorn but popcorn is good. Really nice friendly staff. Good bottle list. Easy to get too. Nice place.

May 3, 2006 [ Updated May 12, 2006 ]
draught beer: (updated 05.02.06)
IPA: Stone IPA (San Diego, CA) Stout: Guinness (Dublin, IRL) Amber: Brooklyn Lager (Brooklyn, NY) Wheat : Brooklyner Weisse (Brooklyn, NY) Red Ale: Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale (Healdsburg, CA) Apricot Ale: Magic Hat #9 (Burlington, VT) Porter: Captain Lawrence Smoked Porter(Pleasantville, NY) Pilsner: Rogue John’s Locker Stock - Love & Hoppiness (Newport, OR) Belgian: Strubbe Ichtegem’s Oud Bruin (Ichtegem, BE) Blonde: Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold Blonde Ale (Pleasantville, NY)

bottled beer:
Achel Extra Avery Beast Avery Samuel Borneum Double Cantillon Gueze DeRanke Guldenburg Dogfish Head Burton Baton Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2002) Fantome Saison Lindeman’s Framboise Lindeman’s Cassis Anchor Liberty Hoegaarden Magic Hat Mother Lager JW Lee Harvest 1999 Harvestons Old Engine Oil (barrel aged) Negra Modelo Rogue Brutal Bitter Chimay Blue Celebrator Dopple Bock Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Duvel Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale Fantome Saison Rodenbach Grand Cru Red Stripe La Chouffe Schlenkerla Wiesse Schneider Aventinus Schneider Weiss Schneider Edel Weiss Six Point Bolshoi Westmalle Tripel Wostyntje Mustard Ale Yuengling