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u/gumbymc

r/DCUnited r/nycbeer r/nycmeetups r/WhatsHappeningNYC
▲ 5 r/nycmeetups

[Tues, 10/13] Meet new people over beer @ Other Half (Carroll Gardens)

Meeting new people in NYC is hard once you're out of school and past the job happy hour scene. This is a weekly beer tasting built to fix that: you sit down with up to five strangers and rate three half pours together. Each beer comes with a question prompt, so you get to skip the "so what do you do for work" small talk.

How it works: You order your first half pour at the bar when you arrive. Then your group picks the next two together, and each beer reveals a new question to the table. At the end you'll see whose tastes matched (and whose didn't). Everyone at the table booked a seat to meet new people, so come solo or bring a friend.

This coming week we're at Other Half's original taproom on Centre Street. Since the group picks two of the beers, there's a good chance you'll try one you'd never have ordered yourself and end up loving it.

📅 Tuesday, October 13 at 6:30pm
📍 Other Half Brewing, 195 Centre St, Brooklyn (Carroll Gardens)
🎟️ $15 to book your seat, plus whatever you order. Fully refundable up to 48 hours before.

Book a seat here

I run Craft Club, so this is my event. Happy to answer any questions in the comments.

reddit.com
u/gumbymc — 6 days ago
▲ 7 r/nycmeetups

[Tues, 10/6] Meet new people over beer @ NY Beer Dispensary (Chelsea)

This is a beer tasting that's as much about the people as the beer. You sit down with up to five people you've never met, share a few great beers, and conversation prompts spark fun, meaningful conversation.

How it works: You order a half pour when you arrive, your group collaboratively picks two more together, and with each beer a fun question prompt is revealed to the table. Everyone at the table booked a seat to meet new people, so you can come solo or bring a friend.

NY Beer Dispensary has 20 taps so there will be something for everyone and you'll probably discover a new beer you like.

📅 Tuesday, October 6 at 6:30pm
📍 NY Beer Dispensary, 223 W 14th St (between 7th & 8th Ave)
🎟️ $15 to book your seat, plus whatever you order. Fully refundable up to 48 hours before.

Book a seat here

I run Craft Club, so this is my event. Happy to answer any questions in the comments.

reddit.com
u/gumbymc — 15 days ago
▲ 10 r/nycmeetups

[Tue, 9/22] Small-group beer tastings @ Hops Hill (Boerum Hill)

This is the most interactive beer tasting you've ever been to. The idea is simple: you sit down with a group of up to five people you haven't met, choose beers based off of your taste profiles, and dive into fun conversation topics over good beer.

Here's how it works: You grab a half pour when you get there, the group collaboratively picks two more, and you end up sharing three beers as a group. Conversation prompts for each round of beers help to skip the small talk and get the group into fun, meaningful conversation. Plan on 90 minutes, though most people stay well past that. Come solo or bring a friend.

This week we're headed to Hops Hill in Boerum Hill. Their curation is top-notch and they bring in beers from all over the world so everyone is gonna find something that is right up their alley. It's $15 to book your seat, plus whatever you spend on your own pours.

📅 Tuesday, September 22, 6:30pm
📍 Hops Hill (533 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217)
🎟️ Book a seat here

Whether you're deep into craft beer or just getting started, you're welcome here. Come meet a few new people over good beer. I run Craft Club so this is my event, happy to answer any questions in the comments.

reddit.com
u/gumbymc — 27 days ago
▲ 45 r/nycbeer

Talea opening in UWS

This was posted on IG about two weeks ago but I just saw it - at a time when breweries are closing around the country it's super interesting to see Talea's continued expansion within NYC. Not sure how they are doing it but always great to see more taprooms around the city.

u/gumbymc — 1 month ago
▲ 1 r/WhatsHappeningNYC

Every Tuesday: a table of up to six at a vetted beer spot, everyone there to meet new people

Hey everyone, I'm Chris and I run Craft Club: a community that is all about meeting new people over good beer. I recently launched Rounds, which is a weekly beer tasting made up of up to six people and it happens every Tuesday.

You book one seat and we match you with other folks who want the same thing - to meet new people over good beer. The table collaboratively chooses the tasting, and there are conversation prompts to get you quickly past small talk into deeper, more meaningful conversation. It runs about 90 minutes, and a lot of folks usually stay later.

Most people come solo. If you're new to the city, work from home, or just want a standing reason to get out on a Tuesday, this is built for that.

There are two upcoming sessions on Tuesday, Sept 8:

  • NY Beer Dispensary (Chelsea)
  • Other Half (Carroll Gardens)

You can grab your spot at either session here.

Happy to answer any questions in the comments. Cheers 🍻

u/gumbymc — 1 month ago
▲ 5 r/nycbeer

How the first two Rounds went, and my hope for the NYC beer scene

Hey everyone, a couple weeks ago I asked for feedback on a six-person tasting format called Rounds and since a lot of folks gave great feedback, I wanted to share how it went and what I hope this can contribute to the local NYC beer scene.

Quick refresher: A Round is a table of six, the table picks three tasters together, everyone picks a fourth on their own, and the app poses a question to the group with each pour. I ran two sessions, the first at Other Half - Centre St on 8/11 and the second at Finback Gowanus on 8/13.

How it went

Some folks signed up not even knowing what Craft Club was and some folks had been to some of the monthly meetups before and were interested in this small group format. One thing everyone had in common though was that everyone wanted to drink good beer and meet new people, and that part delivered. The convos were very lively and the flight definitely added a fun dynamic to it.

My hope for the NYC beer scene

I want to bring back a bit of the magic in the beer scene that existed in pre-COVID times. In today's world where so many folks are either stuck at home and/or endlessly doomscrolling on their phones, I think it's more important than ever for people to meet up IRL and build social connection. Beer happens to be one of the most (if not the most) social beverages in human history, so I was really happy that the first two Rounds were able to bring people who didn't know each other together for a fun outing. I think that our beer scene and beer culture more generally have a special ability to bring people together from all walks of life, and I hope with Rounds I can contribute to this in a meaningful way. Sorry if I sound a bit sappy here, I really care about this stuff!

The next Round

Tuesday 9/1 at Other Half Centre St (same Carroll Gardens taproom as the first one), $15 a seat plus your flight at the bar, booking is on the Craft Club website. If you're curious about Rounds, come hang! Queens folks: a couple of you raised your hand last time and I said I'd add Queens into the mix soon - I haven't forgotten about you!

Question for you all

What did the NYC beer scene have before 2020 that you miss most? For me it was the shared enthusiasm / curiosity / high energy around craft beer among so many people that led to random friendships with people I wouldn't have otherwise met, but curious what you all think.

reddit.com
u/gumbymc — 2 months ago
▲ 12 r/nycbeer+1 crossposts

Update from the Craft Club guy - I'm testing a 6-person tasting format next week and would love feedback on the format

Hey all, me again (I posted almost 2 weeks ago asking for feedback on the Craft Club app - thank you to everyone who gave feedback!).

I'm running an experiment called Rounds and would love your take on it. After hosting 2+ years of monthly brewery meetups, a pattern I've noticed is that big events make a fun night but people mostly talk to whoever they arrived with and/or only have surface level convos with new people they meet. Beer is a great bridge to making new friends, but meaningful conversation typically only takes place in smaller settings.

So next week I'm running the first two Rounds, which are small-group flight tastings (six people) with a specific structure - the group picks three tasters together so they have the shared experience of drinking those beers, then each person picks a fourth on their own. Conversation prompts in the app guide the tasting and are meant to promote fun conversation that may or may not be about beer - the main point is getting to know people in a fun, casual setting. The first two are Tuesday at Other Half in Carroll Gardens and Thursday at Finback in Gowanus, $15 a seat, and a few seats are open on each if anyone here wants in:

What do you think of the overall format? Does the the 3+1 flight structure make sense? My thinking is that picking three together forces the table to collaborate (instant conversation) while the solo fourth gives everyone freedom to choose what they are in the mood for. Would you structure it differently? All four communal? All four solo?

Whatever I learn from the first two sessions next week plus this thread will shape the format - appreciate any feedback you all have.

u/gumbymc — 1 month ago
▲ 5 r/DCUnited

Looking to buy a personalized jersey - which player should I choose?

I've been meaning to get the new home jersey and want to get it personalized - which player should I choose? Ideally I want someone whose impact on the team will be remembered for a long time, but with the current roster I don't feel like there's a 'slam dunk' choice just yet, especially with how bad we've been the past couple of years and the turnover of the roster.

Who would you choose and why?

UPDATE: I ended up going with Baribo. He's been on a heater recently and I really like his work-rate. Also, I appreciate the comments from folks who have met him saying that he's a good human :)

reddit.com
u/gumbymc — 2 months ago
▲ 6 r/nycmeetups+1 crossposts

[Sat, 8/1] Craft Club Meetup @ Finback

For our August meetup, we're doing something a little bigger this Saturday on the upper level at Finback's Gowanus taproom. Come meet new folks over good beer. If you've never been, Finback is one of the best breweries in the city imo, and their Gowanus taproom is one of the more spacious ones with great food options.

📅 Saturday, August 1, 2-5 PM
📍 Finback Brooklyn (Gowanus)
🔗 RSVP: https://luma.com/3b62sppi

About Craft Club: We're a laid-back community that meets monthly at different NYC breweries to explore the local beer scene together. Each meetup blends trying new beers, learning how they're made, and meeting others who are curious about craft beer - whether you're deep into it or just getting started.

Come solo or bring a friend. Always good beer, good conversation, and a welcoming crowd.

u/Naive_Attempt9764 — 3 months ago
▲ 6 r/DCUnited

Home Authentic Shorts

Anyone know why the new DCU home shorts aren't being sold anywhere? Seems like they are available for basically every other MLS team. Adidas shows them as "Sold out", but I'm not sure that they were ever on sale in the first place.

u/gumbymc — 3 months ago
▲ 5 r/nycbeer

I run the Craft Club taproom meetups - I built an app and I'd love this sub's honest feedback

Hey all, I'm the one who's been organizing the monthly Craft Club meetups here in NYC, going now for over 2 years. I mentioned this in my launch party post back in April - alongside these meetups, I've been building the Craft Club app. Now, it's at the point where feedback from people who actually know NYC beer would be really valuable.

Quick honest framing: yes, Untappd exists. Craft Club is deliberately different - no public ratings, no badges, focused exclusively on beer. You log what you drink and the app builds your taste profile that gets better at telling you what you'll actually like. The recognition that does exist works like Reddit karma - it's for writing reviews and lists that help other people, not for volume.

It's free, on iOS and Android. I'm a solo founder bootstrapping this, so every piece of feedback genuinely shapes what gets built next. If you try it, I'd especially love answers to any of these:

  1. Setting aside logging a beer you're already drinking - is there another moment where you'd actually reach for this? Standing at a tap list deciding what to order, planning which brewery to hit this weekend, something else? Or does it not have that job in your routine yet? If not, what's missing?
  2. After logging a handful of beers, did your Tastecard show you anything about your taste you didn't already know, or did it just confirm the obvious?
  3. What's the one thing that would make you open it a second time?

Brutal honesty welcome, that's more useful to me than politeness. And if you give me detailed feedback, first beer's on me at the next meetup 🍻

u/gumbymc — 3 months ago
▲ 17 r/nycbeer+2 crossposts

[Wed, 5/13] Craft Brewery Meetup + Tour @ Niteglow (Bushwick)

For our May meetup we're heading to Niteglow, one of the more distinctive and newer taprooms that's opened in NYC the last couple years. Their head brewer will walk us through the space, the philosophy, and the inspiration behind their beers. Come hang.

📅 Wednesday, May 13 @ 6:30 PM
📍 Niteglow (Bushwick)
🔗 RSVP: https://luma.com/z0fs0l6f

About Craft Club: Craft Club is a laid-back community that meets monthly at different NYC breweries to explore the local beer scene together. Each meetup blends trying new beers, learning how they're made, and meeting others who are curious about craft beer - whether you're deep into it or just getting started.

Come solo or bring a friend. Always good beer, good conversation, and a welcoming crowd.

u/Naive_Attempt9764 — 4 months ago