The Diamond

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Only a full-fledged beer geek would use the word session as a verb—as in, “You wouldn’t session eight pints of Aventinus.” What you would session, according to Dave Pollack, co-owner (with his wife, Alex, a New York photo editor) of the Greenpoint bar the Diamond, are beers that are lower in alcohol but no less complex than the high-butane monsters most craft-beer bars aim to annihilate you with. Pollack, who cultivated his brew obsession working for the importer B. United International, has also bartended at Williamsburg’s Spuyten Duyvil. But the Diamond’s list is smaller and simpler, tailored to Pollack’s taste, and features a few rarities like the 2005 Prize Old Ale, Two Brothers Long Haul Ale, and two notoriously temperamental Belgian brews that come with “buyer beware” caveats. Patrons can supplement their sessioning with rounds of shuffleboard and rubber-ring quoits, the predecessor of horseshoes, or something off the small food menu. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

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