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Taproom 307 is one of the favorites of beer writer Josh Bernstein. His recent book on America's new brewery boom is on Edible's holiday gift list, so we asked him to belly up at three surprising best of class bars in Manhattan. Less than a year old, this tavern is his pick thanks to expert barkeep Hayley Jensen, who manages an incredible menu of brews on a stretch of Third Avenue beer lovers used to avoid.

"It's kind of a deceiving venue, where if you were just walking down the road you would never really know that behind this front door, behind those glass windows, are 40 of the best beers in the country being poured right now," Bernstein said.

Bar number two for Bernstein is Drop Off Service, a lovely and low-key former laundromat on Avenue A. Like Taproom, the beer is fresh and lovingly curated. Better still, it's got wood floors, brick walls and comfy couches. Best yet, a hefty pour is just three dollars at happy hour.

"They have this really nice tap list with 20 ounce pints," said Bernstein. "And oftentimes these days bartenders and bars try to cut corners by serving 14-ounce pints, 16-ounce pints or even smaller. And here every time you come in you get an honest to goodness Imperial Pint for just three dollars till 8 p.m. every day of the week, and that's a bargain."

Bernstein's last stop is Good Beer on East Ninth Street. It's both a bottle shop and place to drink a really rare pint, and they'll even let you carry draft beers home in a big jug called a growler.

"It's not quite a bar, it's not quite a store, it's kind of a strange new middle ground which is really blooming up in the last few years. And it's one of the best places in the East Village to buy good beer," Bernstein said.

To read more about Bernstein's book, go to ediblemanhattan.com.