Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Fest 2017

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The 8th annual Beer, Bourbon & BBQ festival kicked off its multi city tour this past Saturday, January 28th in Manhattan. Their motto is, Brew it, Taste it. Sip it. Pork it. It was a day of “down home Southern fried good time” to benefit the Spirit of Hope children foundation. There was plenty of beer, cider, whiskey and bbq for the crowd in addition to a DJ, cigars and beer games. The event was held this year as in last at The Tunnel event space at 608 West 28th Street on the far West side of Manhattan.

After feasting on ribs, chicken and pork belly it was time to try several ryes, bourbons and ciders. Of the ciders that I tried, Angry Orchard wooden spoon was the most interesting, bone dry with wood notes on the finish.

Seminar: High End Whiskeys

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey Single Barrel-Barrel Proof

Booker’s Bourbon Barrel Strength

Wild Turkey Bourbon Master’s Keep 17 Year

Bib & Tucker Bourbon

Jefferson’s Bourbon Ocean Aged

Sagamore Spirit Rye

Bacon, Beer & Baseball

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This past Friday and Saturday the Beer and Bacon Classic festival was held in New York City. Another one of the many craft beer fests that are held throughout the year in the city. This one is a traveling beer and bacon fest that tours baseball fields around the country. Here in New York it was held at Citi Field stadium (the former Shea Stadium) at 123-01 Roosevelt Avenue in Corona, Queens and is the home of the New York Mets baseball team.

It featured over 40 local restaurants serving bacon infused dishes and over 40 breweries and cideries pouring their craft products.

I attended the Saturday evening session. I have to admit it was a great venue to have an event, it gave me the opportunity to see the new stadium which is a much more interesting event space than some of the other beer venues.

I generally like the dark beers such as stouts, porters and cream ales, but since this was a spring time event, not much of the heavier beers were poured but I did find a few ciders. I was lucky to get in to the event before general admission and was able to sample some of the food, when they opened the flood gates at the general admission start times, the lines at the food stands became impossibly long.

Some of what I sampled:

Ciders

Bad Seed Cider Co. With 0gms of sugar, about as bone dry as you can get.

Downeast Cider House: Flagship original and summer blend.

Doc’s Draft: Hard pear cider and original.

Strongbow Hard Cider

Northern Spy Hard Cider

Original Sin Hard Cider

McKenzie’s Cider Co.: Seasonal reserve and black cherry.

Ace Cider Co.: Pineapple Cider.

Jonas Bronk Beer Co.: One of the few stouts served, nice and creamy.

NYC Craft Beer Fest Spring

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The New York City Craft Beer Fest is a bi-annual event held in the Autumn and Spring. This past Friday and Saturday was the Spring edition. The event was held at the Lexington Avenue Armory on 68 Lexington avenue in Manhattan. Both days were opened to the public and I attended the Saturday evening session. It was a casual walk-around tasting of craft beers, ciders and mead. I concentrated on ciders, stouts and porters.

Redstone Meadery Honey Wine With Vanilla and Cinnamon

Nine-pin Cider Works “Belgian”

Badass Pear Cider

Dark Horse Brewing Co. Blueberry Stout

Dark Horse Brewing Co. Smoke Stout

Atwater Brewery Vanilla Java Porter

Jonas Bronck’s Brewery Eggcream Stout

Atlantic Beer Co. Coal Porter

Dyckman Brewery Café con Lece Milk Stout

Kuka Beer Co. Coffee Cream Stout

Launitas Nightime Ale

Broken Bow Brewery “Kolsch”

Broken Bow Brewery “Sour”

Boulevard Brewery “Tank” Farmhouse Ale

NYC Craft Beer Fest

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I’m not a big beer drinker but on Saturday I attended the New York City Craft Beer Festival which took place at the Lexington Armory at 68 Lexington Avenue. It was a consumer event and I attended the evening session. I limited myself to the sour beers, stouts and ciders.

J. K.’s Cuvee Winterruption Farmhouse Hard Cider

Crispin English Cider

Dock’s Draft Pear Cider

Badass Pear Cider

The Bruery Oude Tart Flemish style red ale aged in oak barrels (Sour beer)

Old Guardian Barleywine

Allagash Black Belgian style stout

Smuttynose Robust Porter

Left Hand Brewery Milk Stout Nitro