I'm gonna go ahead and say something that I might later amend, but I believe that Sixpoint may be the best NYC brewery. This is of course just my very very humble opinion, but I've liked all of their brews just a little more than average, and I think they do well in a wide variety of styles, versus, say Brooklyn, whose heavier offerings rock and lighter brews suck. (no offense Brooklyn, you're not a total failure)

I've also said in the past that I don't like hops. This is also proving to be false- I've found a lot of well balanced hop-heavy beers recently that are, in fact, awesome. Bengali Tiger goes in that category. I get this on tap at Puck Fair quite often- it's a go-to as a first-beer-of-the-night. It's spicy and full of citrus and flowery hops- really strong on the nose and the tongue (and the brain, as it generally goes). It's got a good sweetness in it too, and the light-to-medium feel makes it super easy to drink. Way too easy to drink.