Read up on Stain Bar: Located next to an old red-brick church, the weeks-old lounge touts itself as the first and only to serve New York-made wine and beer exclusively. The locals-friendly hangout also hosts literary readings and displays the work of up-and-coming artists. Open daily at 5 p.m., the Brooklyn bar also features a relaxing back garden and boasts some of the best "staingria" around.

Under the belief that New Yorkers are rather partial to their area, the owner created a local-friendly bar. Exposed brick, comfy couches and candle-lit tables set the mood. A large outdoor garden keeps the smokers happy, and board games cater to, well, the board. The real local flavor comes into play with the wine and beer selections, all from New York. Among the offerings, Sugar Hill beer from Harlem and Gristina wine from Long Island. Rotating art, readings, open-mic night and a costume contest on the 31st of every month mean you'll have little use for those board games. The happy hour from 5pm to 8pm changes daily, but might include specials on sangria or beer.

 

There's no place like home, there's no place like home--just keep telling yourself that when you order a drink at Stain, where all beers and wines are native New Yorkers. Corona and Turning Leaf have been replaced by the likes of Brooklyn Lager and Long Island's Rivendell City Cab wine, while specialty drinks like the Diablo's Blood (red wine and Dr. Brown's Black Cherry soda, $5) add a little edge. A sense of community pervades this large neighborhood bar and lounge outfitted with comfy red couches and candlelit tables for two; scrawl your thoughts in the notebooks left out on the tables, or head to the spacious garden out back to contribute to the ongoing mural. With its poetry readings, acoustic music, and do-whatever-the-hell-you-want attitude, Stain is sure to make a good impression on the Williamsburg bar scene.

 

The cool kids in Williamsburg have moved their party east, and now they have a wine and beer bar to call home: a raw but comfortable spot with deep couches, high ceilings and a large outdoor garden. Although the name sounds dirty, stain in this case refers to the ring a wine glass leaves on the table. You'll have plenty of chances to witness this phenomenon; there's an ever-growing selection of wines, all of which come from New York state.

 

 

Take Note: Drink Beer and Write the Great American Novel / With weekly open-mic nights and communal composition notebooks on almost every table (each titled "Make Your Mark!"), Stain has the potential for elaborate displays of intellectual indulgence but instead draws in a sedate trickling of East Williamsburg neighbors—less interested in filling their comp books with existence/self-hatred poems than with bubble letters and tic-tac-toe. Owned and run by Krista Madsen, a local novelist with no previous experience in business, the three-month-old lounge serves exclusively New York-made beers and wines, like the Harlem Sugar Hill Golden Ale ($5), Soho Cellars Chardonnay ($7), and the vaguely chocolate-flavored home-brewed Stain Red ($5). Physically spellbinding, Madsen seems to inspire quite a following (one of the first notebook entries: "Krista Madsen is a truly omnipotent, powerful goddess"), and built the bar entirely through friends' donations—money, but also furniture, carpenting services, and installation art involving mermaids, mannequins, and fire hydrants. "This bar is soooo, I don't know, Bedford Ave with a touch of Latin Grand Street," one visitor jotted in a comp book. Safely surrounded by unisex salons and dollar shops (versus cheese cafés and $100-vintage-cowboy-boot vendors), Stain has at least a couple years before the tidy destruction of that ever so slight, hipster-free "touch."

As you walk away from the boutiques and internet cafes of Bedford Avenue and head east up Grand Street, you will find that while the stylish facades fade into outdated storefronts there is a sort of ripened spirit in this part of town that comes not from being fashionable but rather old-fashioned. Yet while Grand Street has remained very much the same over the years, one can take part in many of the hip hobbies associated with its famed brother Bedford. Grand currently boasts an array of activities and venues that many Williamsburg residents and enthusiasts should embrace: spas, gyms, salons, home furnishing and antique shops, Spanish, Thai and Salvadorian restaurants and of course Bedford’s ultimate trademark...bars. Stain, which holds its own and then some when compared to any Bedford bar, looks as though it has always been on Grand Street and although it rivals the seemingly infinite amount of Northside bars in both décor and events, residents and shop owners in the neighborhood have certainly welcomed it into their Grand family. “The creation of Stain Bar, named after the ring your wine glass leaves on a napkin, was such a communal effort,” says owner Krista Madsen. “Stain Bar is a cross between a bigger version of your living room, an arts/cultural center, and a wine lounge.” Serving only New York products (wine, beer, and sodas from across the state), Stain has a monthly rotation of art on the walls, inventive theme parties and a small stage area that is ready for “whatever people want to do here,” says Krista. Wine is served in tumblers rather than stemware, and the decor is a funky mix of used furniture, found objects, “handmade stuff” and deep couches. There are board games, books to read, and a garden with an ongoing mural that is open all year (and smoker-friendly). “It is very important for me to have this be more than just a bar, for it to be a real part of this vital and diverse neighborhood,” Krista sincerely remarks. “I live nearby…and this particular space was perfect, its proximity to the L train, this vibrant section of Grand Street with all its shops, restaurants and foot traffic. It's the first time in the city where I've found myself part of a real community. I thought there might be some small resentment expressed toward the ‘gentrification’ a wine lounge might seem to symbolize...I came to this block because I like it the way it is, not because I'm hoping for the new Bedford to happen here. Everyone's been so nice to me here I can't imagine ever wanting to leave.”

 

This low-key artists den—part exhibition space, part wine bar—is situated in a former bombed-out storefront well away from Williamsburg's main drag. Art school grads lounge on well-worn velvet sofas and play board games on the coffee tables, surrounded by charcoal sketches, magazines, and assorted creative supplies. A rotating cast of photos and paintings hang on the exposed brick walls, but the art here isn't just for admiring: During "PAINTstain" Mondays, patrons are encouraged to knit, sketch, and compose and journal and a 12-foot mural in the back garden is always available for dabbling. Wednesday is open mic night: the rest of the week is a mish-mash of live performances ranging from acoustic music to poetry readings. The inexpensive all-New York drink list includes 20 New York State wines by the glass or 15 New York beers, along with a list of creative wine cocktails such as the "popped cherry" (wine, cherry juice, and Olde Brooklyn Cream Soda), help guest get in touch with their inner Basquiat.