Who doesn’t love a good beer on a hot summer’s day? It can feel heavenly sipping on a Corona with lime while maxing on the beach, or slamming some cans of Bud while barbecuing in the park. But in the end, nothing beats a delicious craft beer. You know, those beer-snob types of beers with weird-sounding flavors like Rauchweizen and Doppelbock, the ones made in local breweries that tend to have words like “hill” or “creek” or “valley” in their names. I’m talking about Beers so mouth-watering, your friends who claim they “only drink wine” take one sip and exclaim, “This is the best shit I’ve ever tasted in my life!”
Thirsty yet? The good news is there are lots of craft beer festivals where you can procure these delectable brews. The bad news is you will actually have to—gasp!—leave New York City to get to some of them. We know. You don’t want to miss any of those exciting kickball games at McCarren Park. But seriously, what could make for a better summer day trip than throwing back some cold ones under the sun with your friends? We’ve plucked a few good beer fests so you can plan ahead and start harassing that one buddy of yours who actually has a car.
Garden State Craft Brewers Festival
June 21, $40, njbeer.org
If you find the idea of drinking beer all day on a battleship appealing (who wouldn’t?) then you won’t want to miss The 12th Annual Garden State Craft Brewers Festival on June 21. Organized by the state’s craft brewers’ guild, it takes place each year aboard the Battleship New Jersey on the Camden waterfront overlooking Philadelphia. (Tours of the mammoth vessel included with admission!) This beer lover hit up the festival in 2006, indulging both the endless craft samples and breezy maritime surroundings.
American Craft Beer Fest
June 20-21, $40, beeradvocate.com/acbf
This festival’s more of a weekend getaway: two days, 75 brewers, 300 craft beers—even a few beer education seminars. It’s in Boston at the Seaport World Trade Center, but as the East Coast’s largest beer fest, it will be worth the four or five hours you spend driving with images of hops and bitters dancing through your head.
Empire State Brewing and Music Festival
July 11, $37.80, empirebrewfest.com
We’d venture to say a lot of you don’t head “upstate” very often (no, Yankees stadium doesn’t count), but you’ll have a pretty good excuse to do so on July 11 for the Empire State Brewing and Music Festival in Syracuse. Celebrate your New York pride while toasting a Pilsner!
NY Brewfest
Sept. 12, $45, nybrewfest.com
So you spent a few months traveling around the region in search of the tastiest, most satisfying beers you could find. But on Sept. 12, the beers will come to you during the third annual NY Brewfest at South Street Seaport. Presented by Heartland Brewery, the festival will showcase dozens of the state’s microbreweries and brewpubs. It could be a perfect end to a perfect summer of craft beer edification, not to mention a great way to get amped up for the autumn beer festival season…
For more beer festival listings, check out beeradvocate.com.
Thirsty yet? The good news is there are lots of craft beer festivals where you can procure these delectable brews. The bad news is you will actually have to—gasp!—leave New York City to get to some of them. We know. You don’t want to miss any of those exciting kickball games at McCarren Park. But seriously, what could make for a better summer day trip than throwing back some cold ones under the sun with your friends? We’ve plucked a few good beer fests so you can plan ahead and start harassing that one buddy of yours who actually has a car.
Garden State Craft Brewers Festival
June 21, $40, njbeer.org
If you find the idea of drinking beer all day on a battleship appealing (who wouldn’t?) then you won’t want to miss The 12th Annual Garden State Craft Brewers Festival on June 21. Organized by the state’s craft brewers’ guild, it takes place each year aboard the Battleship New Jersey on the Camden waterfront overlooking Philadelphia. (Tours of the mammoth vessel included with admission!) This beer lover hit up the festival in 2006, indulging both the endless craft samples and breezy maritime surroundings.
American Craft Beer Fest
June 20-21, $40, beeradvocate.com/acbf
This festival’s more of a weekend getaway: two days, 75 brewers, 300 craft beers—even a few beer education seminars. It’s in Boston at the Seaport World Trade Center, but as the East Coast’s largest beer fest, it will be worth the four or five hours you spend driving with images of hops and bitters dancing through your head.
Empire State Brewing and Music Festival
July 11, $37.80, empirebrewfest.com
We’d venture to say a lot of you don’t head “upstate” very often (no, Yankees stadium doesn’t count), but you’ll have a pretty good excuse to do so on July 11 for the Empire State Brewing and Music Festival in Syracuse. Celebrate your New York pride while toasting a Pilsner!
NY Brewfest
Sept. 12, $45, nybrewfest.com
So you spent a few months traveling around the region in search of the tastiest, most satisfying beers you could find. But on Sept. 12, the beers will come to you during the third annual NY Brewfest at South Street Seaport. Presented by Heartland Brewery, the festival will showcase dozens of the state’s microbreweries and brewpubs. It could be a perfect end to a perfect summer of craft beer edification, not to mention a great way to get amped up for the autumn beer festival season…
For more beer festival listings, check out beeradvocate.com.
