Uncle Barry's Bar Opens

Uncle Barry may not own his namesake bar, but he sure drinks there.

Uncle Barry’s Bar, which opened its doors on Thursday, is owned by his nephew Josh Ellis and his son Jake Trebach.

“He’s a character and has been very supportive of this place,” Ellis said of Uncle Barry, who was drinking Palm during their soft opening on Wednesday night. 

The 35-foot long bar serves liquor, wine, four bottles of beer and 18 draft beers from American brews like Dale’s Pale Ale, Lagunitas Lil’ Sumpin, Allagash White to foreign beers like Ayinger Celebrator, De Struise Brouwers Pannepot and Gaffel Kölsch.

But at Barry’s it’s not all about the craft brews, it is also a humble drinking joint.

“I drink a lot of Miller High Life,” said Ellis, who hails from Madison, Wisconsin. He moved to Fort Greene this past summer in order to open the bar with his cousin.

The exposed brick walls, naked Edison bulbs hanging above the bar, candle-lit tables and a $10 cheese plate (Fourme d’Ambert, Parrano and Pecorino Brigante with Maiden Preserves and crackers) from Blue Apron Foods, on Union Street, make for an intimate, cool place that can serve as a romantic nook or a local watering hole to party hard, especially considering the Mortal Kombat II arcade game in the back room.

Beers range from $5 to $12, wine is $7 (Cabernet or Pinot Grigio) and cocktails are $8, with an interesting “Can-Hattan” made with Canadian Club whiskey, maple syrup and bitters or a hot apple cider with bourbon, cinnamon and pumpkin spice.

Happy hour is from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and from 2 a.m to 4 a.m. everyday, serving drafts and well drinks for $2 off. 

On Thursday afternoon, Ellis was making sure everything was in place for the first night, “something’s going to go wrong,” he said while behind the bar.

But Ellis did end with a foreboding note:

“It’s a good night to be a bar,” Ellis said, offering no explanation other than it was Thursday and, man, people are thirsty. “This will be a good beer bar, a laid-back neighborhood place.”