Beer Hall Near Me by Port Authority: Beer Authority's 90 Taps

Beer Authority has more than 90 beers on tap across three floors at 300 West 40th Street, on the corner of Eighth Avenue directly across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Weekday happy hour runs from 11am to 7pm, when house cocktails such as the classic margarita drop from $16 to $13. If you searched beer hall near me with a bus to catch, a Broadway curtain at 8 or a long layover in Midtown, this is the biggest tap list within a block of the terminal.

Beer Authority opened in the summer of 2012 as a larger spin-off of Rattle N Hum, the craft beer bar that built a following among Midtown beer geeks. The building is stacked rather than sprawled: at street level there is a small room with a short bar, a flight of stairs leads up to the main hall with a 63-foot mahogany bar and seating for about 150, and one more floor up is the rooftop.

That middle floor is where the beer hall feeling lives. Long tables run along the windows over Eighth Avenue, the bar backs onto a dense wall of tap handles, and TVs show whatever game matters that night. The rooftop is the space the bar pushes for private parties, with skyline views across Hell's Kitchen; outside party bookings it is the corner of the building with the most air.

With more than 90 taps, including some cask ales on hand pumps, plus a separate list of bottles and cans, Beer Authority has one of the largest draft selections in New York. The list rotates constantly, so treat the printed menu as a starting point and look at the board. Cask ales poured by hand pump are the move for anyone used to Brooklyn IPAs; they are served cooler than room temperature and less carbonated, which makes a better first pint before a long show.

A practical approach on a list this long is to choose a style first, then ask the bartender which keg in that style went on most recently. On a busy night, standing at the 63-foot bar rather than waiting for a table is the fastest way to work through a few half pours. If somebody in your group does not drink beer, the house cocktail list runs from a $16 margarita to $18 martinis.

Happy hour runs Monday to Friday from 11am to 7pm, a much longer window than most Midtown bars offer, with an amaretto sour, a classic margarita, the house red sangria, a Sex in the City and a tequila sunrise each at $13 instead of $16. Brunch cocktails are served all day, every day: a Bloody Mary made with the house mix costs $12, and mimosas and screwdrivers are $8.

The regular list includes a Tito's espresso martini and a Pornstar Martini at $18, and a build-your-own mule at $18 with a choice of Tito's, Irish, Kentucky, Mexican or Caribbean spirit. The fall additions are a spiked hot apple cider with Jack Daniel's Honey or pumpkin spice vodka, an Irish coffee with Jameson, Tullamore D.E.W. or Baileys and house whipped cream, and a hot toddy, all at $18. Non-alcoholic versions of a negroni, a mojito and a sparkling apple cider are $12.

Most Broadway evening shows start at 7 or 8pm, so a pre-theater pint here works best if you sit down by 6pm and leave 20 minutes before curtain; the theaters on 44th and 45th Streets are about seven minutes away on foot. For bus riders, the terminal doors are across the avenue, so you can watch the clock rather than the line.

If you want a seat at the long bar on a weekday, arrive before 5pm, inside the happy hour window. On weekends brunch brings a different crowd from late morning. If the main floor is full and you have less than an hour before a show, skip the wait and use the small street-level bar for one quick round, or walk a block west to the bars along Ninth Avenue.

Beer Authority books private events and offers party packages through its website, and the rooftop space is aimed at parties and celebrations. For groups of more than eight on a game night, book ahead rather than walking in, since the long tables near the TVs are the first to go. The kitchen serves bar food from opening to close, so you can eat at any hour the bar is open.

The crowd is mixed in a way few Midtown bars are: beer fans who know the list, office workers from the Times Square towers, out-of-town visitors with theater bags, and commuters checking the departures board on their way out. For event questions, the bar's website lists (212) 262-1200 and a general manager email.

The address is 300 West 40th Street at Eighth Avenue. The 42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station, for the A, C and E trains, has exits at 40th Street, steps from the door. Times Square-42nd Street, with the 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W and S lines, is a five-minute walk east. If you are arriving by bus, cross Eighth Avenue at 40th Street from the terminal's south building.

Before or after, the Theater District starts a block north: the Shubert Alley block between 44th and 45th Streets is a seven-minute walk. For dinner, Ninth Avenue's restaurant row between 42nd and 57th Streets has Thai, Turkish and Italian rooms within a few blocks. Bryant Park is a ten-minute walk east along 40th Street if you want air between rounds.

Address: 300 West 40th Street, New York, NY 10018, at Eighth Avenue. Phone: (212) 262-1200 on the bar's own website; the NYC Tourism listing shows (212) 510-8415. More than 90 beers on tap, including cask ales, across three floors with a rooftop. Happy hour is Monday to Friday from 11am to 7pm, with $13 cocktails instead of $16. Order a cask pint first, sit at the far end of the long bar, and book ahead for groups on game nights.