Great Lakes is Anti-Great Lakes

FIPS reader Paul is non too pleased with the beer selection at Great Lakes. Here's why:

Park Slope has 43 bars, according to New York Magazine, making it second only to Williamsburg (in Brooklyn), which has 77. While this seems like it could only be great news for our Park Slope alcohol enthusiasts, not surprisingly, many Park Slope bars seem to have an identity crisis. I’ll start with Great Lakes.

I’ll be honest; I go to bars for three reasons: to drink, hook up, and escape the summer heat because I’m a writer and a jazz musician, so I’m clearly too busy saving money for much-needed booze to afford A/C. Naturally, I’ve been spending a lot of time at the bars of our lovely garden district this summer, having just moved here in July from the city. Being a Great Laker myself, hailing originally from Michigan, my Minnesota roommate and I recently decided to finally check out Great Lakes. Only, did you know that Great Lakes doesn't have a single fucking Great Lake beer on draft!?

Don’t they think the midwest you snobby east coasters always make fun of brews good beer? In a New York Times beer tasting from earlier this year, the No. 1 and No. 4 beers, out of 20, were both from Dexter, Michigan: the Oro de Calabaza, from Jolly Pumpkin; and the Good Harbor Golden Ale, from Leelanau.

So Great Lakes is fucked up. But what’s even more fucked up is that you could walk across the street to the stellar High Dive during the month of July to find beers from Jolly Pumpkin and Atwater -- a Detroit brewery -- on draft. Walk south to Barbes, and you’ll find the kicks-the-shit-out-of-any-Brooklyn-Brewery-beer Founders Rye P.A., of Grand Rapids, Michigan, on draft. The High Dive and Barbes are respectively crushing it, not only with beer, but with free popcorn and basically free live music (suggested donation).

I’ll be back to report on the other 40 or so bars in Park Slope that I haven’t belittled here yet. Maybe Union Hall will be up next -- I know I’m new here, but what the fuck is up with their Dave and Busters meets Mystery Theater vibe?

Is Paul alone or does anyone else give a shit about this Great Lakes/Great Lakes sitch?