Radegast Hall, Williamsburg's Latest Beer Spot, To Open Friday

The beer hall tradition is spreading south to Brooklyn. On Friday afternoon, the men and women behind Astoria's Bohemian Hall & Beer Hall are set to open Radegast Hall & Biergarten, a double-duty bar and restaurant that features an open backyard drinking area with a retractable roof. Entrepreneur Ivan Aohut — the man responsible for turning the Bohemian Beer Hall from a neighborhood watering spot to a bar so popular that lines regularly wind down for blocks — and his partner, Andy Ivanov, plan to install infrared heating on the underside of the roof for winter warmth (for now, bundle up if you want to sit outdoors). His wife, Joanna, will work at the stove inside the restaurant, while grilled items, such as wursts and burgers, will be served outdoors. Besides outdoor gardens and stick-to-the-ribs food, including pork tenderloin with prunes and spinach blintzes with shallots, Radegast will offer 32 varieties of bottled beer and 13 beers on tap, served by the half-liter, liter, and pitcher. Swelling crowds of Williamsburg locals and New York's food-minded are expected Friday night at Radegast, whose opening had been delayed by the Department of Health, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the local community boards, holding out on the bar's liquor license and other permits.

113 N. 3rd St., between Berry and Wythe streets, Brooklyn, 718-963-3973