What to Expect at NYC Beer Week

NYC Beer Week is just around the corner! Here are the events that you shouldn’t miss for this 7th edition of Gotham’s favorite beer celebration.

Feb. 20th : The Opening First Tap at 100 venues across town. 

For the occasion, 100 Locations in the 5 boroughs of the City will offer each tap a special, unique or rare kind of beer that will only be served that night. While there are many brews that you shouldn’t miss, highlights include the Firestone Walker Stickee Monkee Quad at DBGB, Bear Republic Tartare One at Barcade Brooklyn and the Empire Sweet Fire at Blind Tiger.  The opening starts at 7pm: make sure you make the most of it!

Feb. 21st: The Opening Bash at the Altman Building

Mark this date in your calendar: from 1 pm – 5 pm, NYC Beer Week kicks off in style at the Altman. This event is all about NYC’s finest beers: bringing together 45 New York State breweries, it marks the debut collaboration between the NYCBG and the New York State Brewers Association for a one-of-a-kind afternoon session featuring the latest local craft beer releases. Entrance starts at $65. VIP tickets are $75 and include a special VIP session from 12 pm – 1 pm.

Feb 24th: 5th Annual NYC Brewer’s Choice at Sanders Studios

Don’t you love drinking in good company? This exciting and upscale event welcome the annual “Local Beer Here Awards’ ceremony and honors the exceptional artisans responsible for the finest beers at the moment. In the good spirit of beer brewing, this is a social event that will allow beer enthusiasts to mingle with the brewers themselves as well. Tastings and education are included: over 30 brewers will serve their favorite beers while various speeches will enable lucky visitors to learn everything about ‘NY State of Beer’ – both in theory and practice. The event takes place from 6pm to 10pm, leaving you plenty of time to continue your bar hopping tour, and entrance is $65.

March 1st: Closing Beer and Brass Brunch at the Brooklyn Bowl

NYC Beer Week’s finale is the Closing Beer & Brass Brunch taking place during brunch hours, from noon to 4pm. For $40, epicurean guests will enjoy a unique selection of taps from NYC Guild breweries, including Brooklyn Brewery, KelSo, Sixpoint, Transmitter, Finback, Gun Hill, Bronx and Big Alice as well as a delicious brunch menu from Blue Ribbon, all under the festive patronage of a brass band.

From Feb 20th to March 1st: The Rupert’s Cup

For the first time, NYC Beer Week will host a national competition rewarding the best brewery of the year, the Rupert’s Cup. Open to all craft breweries in the country and spanning for the 10 days of NYC Beer Week, the public will be able to vote for their favorite brewery via nycbeerweek.com. A popular ceremony that circulated in the 1990s named in honor of Jacob Ruppert, Jr., an iconic American brewer, Congressman, and former owner of the New York Yankees (1915 – 1939).

For more information on NYC Beer Week, visit: www.nycbeerweek.com