Good happy hours and a great selection of German and German-esque beers. Super accommodating for a large group work happy hour.

Love this place. Absolutely love it... EXCEPT one thing. What's with the lack of air conditioning during Babies & Bier? This is the 3rd time we have had to abandon ship because the heat was unbearable inside the place. The minute we left it was like stepping out of a sauna. Not very baby friendly in that sense. I really love that this place provides such a wonderfully smart social time for parents but I must say, we won't be back until the winter months as my baby is still recovering from the heat exposure. :-/ read more

Good beer. Takes the rest of the weekend to recover. But, that's probably age...

I love this place. I have been going since it opened. Great atmosphere and cool vibe totally make up for the terrible bar food.

The service was great, the wait staff brought my friend and I samples everything we were interested in. The pretzel is amazing, and the bread on my chicken sausage was so warm and good!!! I will be back for more goodies. read more

Typical Bier Garden food (meat, pretzels with mustard etc), have some really good higher alcohol (8.0-9.0) beers that don't have to necessarily be dark which I enjoy. They are a little pricey around $8 but I think the beer is worth it based if nothing else the taste and alcohol content. Cool vibe, the area is great and regular seating with also cafeteria seating as well and outdoor seating when nice out. A good time. read more

BEERFEST!!!!!!!!!! We went on the first night of Octoberfest this year and it felt like you stepped into Germany. All of the staff wore full German attire and seemed so happy to be there. There were contests (holding your beer shoulder height for as long as possible.. full beer... oh and btw - I got third place!!!!!) Very fun place... they do need more restrooms. read more

This is a terrific place where you dont need to feel guilty about spending a weeks groceries money on one meal. Because meals can be $5-$8 and the food is quality and hearty. The pea soup has amazing flavors and the bretzels are that great cross of soft and chewy on inside and crispy on the outside. Great beer offerings and a serious TV for big sporting events. Enjoy! read more

Two stars for lack of service. Our food order never made it into the kitchen so that took about an additional 30 minutes. Otherwise good selection for drafts. read more

Not sure what the problem is here -- it's a beer hall, of course it's going to be loud! Don't like it? Move to the country....... The good: great beer selection, EXCELLENT bratwurst (great for soaking up the booze), and some drop-dead gorgeous waitresses! The bad: it's too friggin' small. That outdoor space had better be there by next summer! read more

Came down here for an afternoon beer that turned into 4 or 5 and turned into.... Overall solid atmosphere and 4 star beer. They open up the windows in the afternoon, which helps to air out the smell from the hipsters not showering. Also the red velvet cake next door that they allow you to bring in ain't too shabby either. The issue: The owner looks like a poor man's Thomas Jones, but none of the hipsters or 8 year olds that frequent this place know who TJ is even though he ran for over 1400 yards last yr for the J-E-T-S. The owner, Thomas Jones, is not the problem, in fact, he's the man (5 star owner). It's the hipsters and children that knock this down to about a 3.5 star. Would definitely recommend for a cool pop on a nice afternoon though. read more

Fun place. I went for drinks on a Saturday night and it was busy but not so busy that it felt claustrophobic. The bartender was really friendly and kindly gave me samples of 2 wheat beers to help me decide. Amazing selection of German beers in 3 different sizes; foose ball table and quirky ceramic deer-head decor - I can't wait to return! read more

AMAZING beer (by the liter), but less than amazing service. They were busy, but just a little bit absent-minded. It's definitely a one of a kind for Fort Greene, so I will definitely give it another try! read more

Nice bar, we visited during Oktoberfest and they had great selection of beers

An excellent place to grab some drinks if you don't mind the crowd and the rude waitstaff. I love sitting outside on the sidewalk. The food is good too, but the menu is light. If you really want a meal, I'd recommend either of the other 2 German restaurants within walking distance. read more

So. I just wanted to enjoy a beer and the not so cold eve in Brooklyn (it has been SPRING for well over a week.) My friend and I got off the subway and went to Franks. Bad choice. Ew. Awkward, smelly. And awkward. Then, I remembered! Beer garden. Perfect. German, hoppy, pretzels. Deliciousness. We walked our three long, monotonous, heartfelt blocks for hops to Der Schwarze Kolner. Where there would be more than beer-a-brewin'. I was wrong. It smelled like gym socks. And mustard. Then! We couldn't get a seat! Our bouncer fought for us, tooth and nail, for a seat outdoors. Where, apparently, you can't bring beer. We accepted the challenge. Beer. Sidewalk. Straight girls. Your establishment sucks my balls. read more

Good food, good beer, cheap prices and chill atmosphere. I've been here both on a weekend night and during brunch time. Both times I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed their large selection of beers and all of the German food. Only come here if you are down to eat the meats, breads, potatoes, etc. AKA no gluten free / vegan / vegetarian options. Also cash only, but there is an atm inside. Definitely worth a try if you're in the area! read more

Fantastic German draft beer selection. We shared a bunch of the smaller plate items and sausages. Everything was tasty and the food came out pretty quick. Minus a star because the Mets game was on so comically loud that we had to yell at each other across the table and our waitress wasn't as attentive as we would have liked but otherwise a really solid dinner. read more

Atmosphere convivial, chatted up a stranger or two, which the place seems designed to encourage. Service was pretty low-qual. But Hey, they buy the right beer. And while my first choice was no longer available, Ient a different route, not unhappy with the choice. Got some picked herring which was not bad, but not exactly exciting (if you're gonna serve something unusual, at least try to convert folks...I've long been a pickled fish eater, so maybe I'm a snob?). Good butter/bread. Not jonesing to return, but would pop in if touring around friends in the future. read more

I want Der Schwarze Koelner to stay in the hood - and it seems like it will - but I want them to consider the constructive criticism I'm about to give. First impressions are always important, and this beer garden doesn't quite succeed at setting the tone that it's marketed as. The lighting is quite terrible at night - I wanted there to be pendants and sconces appropriate for a beer garden. The group that I was with also had to shout to hear over the din of the room. Although beer gardens are supposed to be lively, even the server had a hard time hearing us. The space looks like a diner or cafe more that a beer garden; there is so much potential - some attention needs to be paid on setting the correct tone and dampening the accoustics. Now to the beer. The beer selection seems great - although it took me a few tries to get the beer that I wanted. Perhaps it's my own ignorance in Belgium names, but I nor the server could tell me anything about the beer that I was ordering. Please, please give us a little more to go on! Maybe a short description of the beer?? I think my party all agreed that sympathy must be given to our server due to how busy it was, but an answer of "I have no idea" to the question of what a beer was like and for suggestions just doesn't seem appropriate. Knowledgeable servers would have boosted my rating for sure. read more

This place is weird, in a good way. First of all, the interior looks like it used to be the waiting room of a dental office. The waitstaff always seems a little aloof and one time, after racking up a huge tab and wondering when our waitress was going to take our card, we saw her walking off down the street with some friends. Hmph! Well, looks like _somebody_ wasn't too worried about her tip! That said the beer is good and there's a lot of it. It' s a great place to enjoy the Ft. Greene scene. read more

A glass boot full of delicious beer?! Yes please. Go on a slow part of the week on your first visit and you won't feel so overwhelmed by all of the choices & all of the loyal/enthusiastic patrons. :) (p.s. their pretzels are also surprisingly delightful...) read more

DSK is a great perch with a great beer selection, with six great employees, the great employees are Sandra, Vic, Brian, Stefano, Primo and Keihcel. The worst and I literally need to know his schedule so I make sure to skip the nights he's here. I can't imagine an employer who would want Maritzo to work for them. He would be a perfect correction officer or cop. However, He is Not bar tender material. One miserable person indeed!!!! A creature with no concept of customer service and no ability to smile. If he hates people so much he should return to the rock that he crawled out from under. read more

I am willing to put up with the noise (c'mon other reviewers - it wasn't that bad) for one of the better beer selections and prices this side of the atlantic. yes, the atmosphere is different, but it is kind of fun and the staff know what they are talking about. First time i went, a european friend took me and ordered everything for me. I am always trying to rile up my friends into heading to this bar too - although for fear of slaughtering the pronunciation, i just tell them it is the german beer place. read more

This place could be really cool. Too bad it mostly, though not completely, sucks. First things first: it has a great selection of beers. But it's a beer garden, so it kind of has to, right? The best thing is the outdoor seating. But on a nice night it is nearly impossible to get a seat. I guess that's not really something you can fix, given its popularity, but just know this when you plan on going. My problems are the following: Attire: When it first opened, the employees were dressed casually. Then the owner, in an effort to make it a 'real' beer garden or whatever, decided that all of the females (and only the females) must wear lederhosen. Sooooo corny. Food: The food is God awful. The pretzels are like freezer variety pretzels. Sausages are gross. Everything is served on a white paper plate, so definitely a 0 for presentation. Decor: Also corny. There are pretzel cutouts hanging from the ceiling. It's like, we get it, it's a beer garden. Music: To really drive home the point, they place traditional German music a bunch. Oh lord. read more

If you want to go there during the day or early evening, Get ready for a day care center that serves beer. If you go too late the place is dead. Great beer and awesome pretzels though read more

All other bars are dead to me. If you're looking for a quiet, pleasant place to go and have some good German beer, this is your place. The ambiance is relaxed, with a number of different vignettes for seating (banquettes, a nice plush leather couch, long tables for groups, outdoor tables, and a bar) and big windows that open up in the summer time. In the evening they keep the lighting dim and comfortable. There are tvs with a game on for sports fans, but not too many - this is not a sports bar, and that's one of the things I like about it. Now the beer - the beer is AMAZING, full of rich, complex flavors, and served by the liter or half-liter, or even by the "boot," which is two liters of German amazingness. And, unlike almost every beer I've ever had, this beer gets better the longer you drink it. (For most beers, the last third is watered down and warm. With these, the flavor just gets better and better the whole time.) You will also find that the staff is attentive and very well informed as to the beers on draft - if you ask them for suggestions, they'll ask you what you like and point you in the right direction, but either way, I wasn't disappointed by a single beer that I had here. For those who don't like beer, they have wine as well, but there is no liquor and to be honest, I love that - no one gets too drunk, and the vibe is very conversational and relaxed, even with large groups. The crowd seems to trend late-twenties to thirties. To be fair, the food selection is limited (pretzels, wursts etc.) and it's not an enormous "beer garden" like the one in Astoria, but this isn't why you go to Der Schwarze Kölner - you go for a quiet good time with some friends, and for the beer. In that respect, it has become my favorite place in the Ft. Greene area, hands down. read more

Great neighborhood place. The pretzels are great and the obazda is fantastic. I am not much of a beer drinker, so i don't experiment much with the beer menu--I have found a few I like and there's a lovely Gruner Veltliner so I can get my wine fix, but it's a great place to bring my beer-loving friends. Sitting outside is by far my favorite because it can get really really loud inside. I kinda wish they would hang up a few curtains or something to soak up the noise. Weekend nights can get a little nuts, but weekend afternoons and weeknights are a little more mellow. For folks in the neighborhood, it is the perfect place to pop into when you get off the C train. You can grab a beer and a nibble for like $10. Can't beat that. I do wish they served whiskey. . . but you can't get everything in one place, I guess. read more

A tremendous amount of thought has been put into the beer selection (all German beers) and it definitely pays off. Definitely fantastic value for the tasty beers. There is a limited snack food selection--bratwursts/pretzels. The focus on the Garden is beer and enjoying the company of those you came with. Good gathering place read more

Solid neighborhood spot. Good German beers, tasty german bar food and super friendly servers. I'd like to see more variety in beers/seasonal options, but that's a minor quibble. Can get a little overrun with strollers on weekends, but outside cafe tables are great. read more

BEWARE - Besides the OK beer and the bad food and service, the ATM at this cash only bar is skimming an extra $2.50 charge for "fees" on top of the $1.50 fee which you agree to. I find it abhorrent that this place needs cash so badly, it has entered a bad ATM contract and is screwing over its customers. There are better options in the area. read more

Great place for authentic German food and beer. I went to watch Germany play France in the UEFA championship and it was much more comfortable than Black Forest across the street. Not that I have anything against Black Forest, but the service was much quicker at DSK for such a busy day. Plus it's cheaper all around. Beer is a dollar or two, and a wurst lunch is about the same except here you get an extra sausage selection for the same price. For a bigger group or if you want a bit more menu selections, feel free to go to Black Forest, but all around I give the edge to DSK. read more

I was very pleasantly surprised by this place. After my experience at Spritzenhaus, I was wary of putting "Brooklyn" and "beer garden" in the same sentence. The beers were $6-7, but they were proper half liters, and the glasses were appropriately suited to the different beers they contained. This is important. The selection was also intelligent and considered. I had drafts I'd previously only had in Germany. The food was excellent and a terrific value. The $4 bratwurst was served "im brötchen," the way you get it on the street in Deutschland, and had that addictive snap. Nice senf too. I also thought the potato salad, saurkraut, and pretzel were very good. It's more "sidewalk cafe" than "biergarten," but at least there's outdoor seating. The inside was spacious, breezy, and comfortable to be in. Also, the music wasn't too loud -- WHAT?!?! -- I SAID THE MUSIC WASN'T TOO LOUD!!! I was able to have a heavy conversation here. Truth be told, my date and I went through an emotional rollercoaster while imbibing, but we came out on top, so that's a bonus. I found the service attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. I'm definitely coming back. There were several other beers and foods I still want to try. read more

A excellent addition to the neighborhood. Don't go there expecting an open-air space or the decor of a proper pub but the solid selection of beers, decent wurst, and great communal feel hit on all the elements one would like for such a place. Excited to see what additions will be made to the menu in the fall. read more

It was hard to decide whether this place deserved to reach 3 stars. It was Saturday night, a bit full but not completely, as our group of five was easily seated. But then, it was at least 20-25 minutes of wondering whether anyone was going to take our order. Seriously, that's how you get people to walk out or you get them to settle for one round, because they can't be sure they'll get your attention more than once again, and they'll use it to get the check. I don't know if the place was under-staffed, or this was an unusual rush for the place. The beer selection was good, expansive, and there were some pleasant wine choices. kielbasa, cheddar brats with spicy mustard, pretzel with nutella were tasty and warm. I don't really know why the sausages are served on round rolls, but hey, whatever works I guess. I'll go back sometime, maybe not on a Saturday at 10:30 and hope it's better, because I really want to give this place more stars. Cash only! read more

I love Der Schwarze Kolner - bier garten!!! but the combination of yuppies and their children running around like its a play ground is inimical!!!! SO NOT COOL!!!! read more

why would anyone go here when you've got black forest a block away and berlyn a block past that? this place isn't horrible, it's just horribly mediocre. the beer, the food, the layout, the vibe, everything is better just a block away. did you really move to brooklyn for mediocre? read more

By day/early evening this place is a stroller magnet which is kind of weird, but then kind of cool too (babies and beer, what's better right?) By the early evening the crowd becomes a bit more yuppy (maybe too much) but what the hell when you're drinking amazing German beers from giant glasses. The atmosphere still allows for anonymity, unlike say Radagast in Williamsburg, when if you walk in with bluejeans on that actually fit you, the record player screeches to a stop and everyone turns around and looks at you up and down. Ok, maybe that was a little too much and irrelevant too. The point is, this place is cool you should check it out if you're in the area. It is one of my favorite places to drink. Highlights- Aventinus (powerful German brew), Berlin-Weibe (a sweet and sour beer reminiscent of Belgian Lambics, but different), and delicious Franziskaner. I have yet to try the food here, but from what I've seen and smelled it all seems good. Go get yourself a beer!! read more

We went in later on a Saturday for a drink only. A German girl greeted us and offered us to sit at a high top or a shared beerhall style table- we chose the high top. Immediately after sitting down, another server came over to ask us if we were ready to order (we were not, because it had been about 10 seconds since we'd sat down) and things were a little difficult after that. We had a hard time getting service after we initially weren't ready, and although we spent about an hour and a half there we were not asked again if we wanted anything else. I was drinking water, which the server brought in a wine glass (which I thought was cute) but still, we might have wanted to order another round or food or something! It took an eternity to get anyone's attention to pay as well. However, it looked like the servers were running around like crazy and serving all of the other tables so I think it might have been a fluke that we were forgotten. The food looked very traditional and I can't wait to come back and try the maultaschen to see how they compare to my memories from living in Germany. read more

When I think "beer garden" I think outdoors, or at least a vast indoor space with lots of picnic style tables. This is just a bar that calls itself a beer garden. They did have a nice selection of beer, and it wasn't too expensive. read more