Microbreweries and home-brewing activities have gained in popularity of late, with upwards of 1,500 independent brewers now making quality craft beer all over the country. In light of this ever-increasing interest in the art of the brew, the experts at tour company Urban Oyster have teamed up with Manhattan by Sail’s Clipper City Tall Ship to offer a sightseeing and beer-educating experience along New York's world-renowned harbor.
The Clipper City is the largest sailing vessel in New York, and was built as a lumber-hauling schooner in 1854. She was later rebuilt based on the original plans, which are now part of the Smithsonian Institute’s permanent collection. In the 1980s, the Clipper City was in grave disrepair until Manhattan by Sail’s founder and native New Yorker Tom Berton arranged to have her restored. The revitalized Clipper City (refurbished with people in mind instead of cargo) comfortably accommodates 150 passengers and crew. With her sprawling deck, ample seating and full bar, she measures in at 158 feet long and 120 feet up from the deck.
The Clipper City Craft Beer Tasting Sail sets sail every Saturday and Sunday afternoons. As the beer connoisseurs introduce your taste buds to a variety of exceptional locally brewed lagers and ales, not to mention an assortment of cheeses and charcuterie, the yacht makes its way down the East River. As you learned about beer-making and the various distinctions between brews, the topsail Clipper heads for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, offering fantastic vantage points of the Manhattan skyline along the way. She sails back toward South Street Seaport where she began, but not before lingering at Lady Liberty and allowing for great views of landmarks like the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Governors Island and the suspended Verrazano-Narrows Bridge with its massive towers and double decks that connect the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. The views really are stunning, so take advantage of the ship's raised quarter deck for unparalleled sightseeing.
The beer tasting is bookended by opportunities to imbibe at the open bar with a range of liquor, wines and spirits. The crew socializes with the passengers and even welcomes guests to help hoist the sails. At the end of your sail, when you come back to dry land, the South Street Seaport area is a great place to find somewhere delicious to eat, talk about what you learned over a late lunch, and soak up some of that beer.
