This place doesn’t exactly look like a craft beer mecca, but apparently, it’s trying to become one.

When you’re looking for bars that serve an extensive list of craft beer, a celebrity-backed bar full of pop-punk fans and emo kids adorned by grimy knicknacks and a stage for live music wouldn’t be the first place you’d consider.

Well, Angels and Kings in the East Village is apparently trying to change that perception. Maybe they’re trying to show that craft beer is trendy. Or maybe Pete Wentz has a secret love for craft beer and he dreams of one day appearing on the cover of Draft Magazine.

Their draft list is now 12 strong (previously, it was exactly zero strong, serving only bottles and cans):

Abita Purple Haze
Blue Point Toasted Lager
Brooklyn Pennant Ale
Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale
Lagunitas IPA
Magic Hat #9
Ommegang Witte
Otter Creek Vermont Lager
Sierra Nevada Summerfest
Sixpoint Brownstone
Victory Donnybrook Stout
Wolaver’s Organic Oatmeal Stout

The two stouts kind of make me shudder on these eighty-degree days in May, but getting craft beer into the hands of celebrities and rockstars could be beneficial for the industry, provided they don’t go making more products like this.

By the way, Angels and Kings is having a beer trivia night this Thursday at 8pm.

From Sarah DiGregorio of the Village Voice comes this head-to-head battle of Brooklyn-born and Brooklyn-bred IPAs: Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, Sixpoint Bengali Tiger IPA, and the new Kelso of Brooklyn IPA. Or… she tried. Unable to find Kelso’s IPA, she pitted Brooklyn and Sixpoint’s entries against each other. Check out her writeup to see the results.

By the way, Sarah, keep looking and you’ll find Kelso’s IPA sooner or later. It’s tough to find, but I just had it last weekend at The Gate, and BeerMenus.com says that Moonshine in Red Hook has it on tap right now.

May 1st is National Homebrew Day. All across the country, homebrewers will be brewing up batches of beer to celebrate. 

A lot of New Yorkers wonder how I can manage to homebrew in a tiny apartment in the East Village. I insist that it’s pretty easy, as long as you know what you’re doing. Thankfully, the folks at Brooklyn Brew Shop prove it’s easy to do, especially on a small scale in their one-gallon kits and carboys.

You can even do it tomorrow. Their kits are available at the Whole Foods Bowery Beer Room and tomorrow in Fort Greene at the Brooklyn Flea.

Happy brewing!

Ooh, what a clever name for a beer! Nifty packaging, too.

Oh, wait, what? It’s not really beer? Darn.