NYC Beer week? Pffffttt… More Like NYC Beer MONTH!

Spring Beer Fest 2014-7402

The official-sounding NYC Beer Week may be just about over–see below for Closing Beer & Brass Brunch details–but remember: you live in New York City! EVERY week can be beer week! And while there is plenty of room for debate about which of the hundreds of beer-centric bars around town are the best (it's good to have a couple of local neighborhood favorites, as well as any number of destination spots up your sleeve), it's also good to know that there are lots of special occasion, beer-themed events going on all the time around town. So by all means drink your fill at Torst in Greenpoint, and The Jeffrey on the Upper East Side, and Jimmy's No. 43 in the East Village, and Beer Culture in Hell's Kitchen, and on and on and on. But maybe mix it up a bit too, and check out some of these beery specials going down in March


NYC Beer Week crew's annual closing bash in a brewery.

NYC Beer Week Closing Beer & Brass Brunch (March 1st)

This coming Sunday, Williamsburg's Brooklyn Bowl gets totally soaked in suds when the Beer Week crew throws its annual closing bash. Twenty of New York City's top breweries will be on hand–for example: Other Half, Finback, Sixpoint, Big Alice, Transmitter–pulling pints of their best stuff. An excessively-laden brunch buffet courtesy of Blue Ribbon is likely to be tasty and satisfying, and the brass band, performing from 1:00 until 2:00, is likely to be loud. Definitely a solid Sunday afternoon. More info and online ticketing can be found here

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Coney Island Homebrew Competition (March 7th)

And then the following weekend, on Saturday, March 7, things get a little crazier out Coney Island way (as is usually the case), when home brewers from all over town get together to strut their stuff, sample everyone else's, and freely pour their wares into YOUR bottomless glass. Held at the sprawling Peggy O'Neill's on Surf Avenue, this Homebrew Competition, with $500 in cash prizes, is the first of what organizers are hoping will become an annual event, and all proceeds benefit Coney Island USA, the non-profit that, among other things, organizes the always-awesome Mermaid Parade, so you know it'll be a raucous good time. Oh, and NY1's ace reporter Roger Clark is one of the judges! More info and advance ticket information can be found here.

BeerProv by Jim Ribonson combines beer and comedy at Littlefield.

BeerProv (March 10th)

Meanwhile, some strange goings-on seem to be brewing in Gowanus, as the great (and eco-friendly!) performance space Littlefield hosts something called BeerProv, which seems to be exactly what you'd expect: beer + improv comedy = high likelihood of fun. Created and hosted by Canadian comedy hero Jim Robinson, BeerProv has been making folks spit out their suds in Toronto since 2010 (because they're laughing so hard, not because the beer is bad), and this show here in Brooklyn on March 10 is selling out fast. More info and advance ticketing can be found here.

Attendees at Hand Crafted Tasting Co's Craft Beer Festival in NYC.

Hand Crafted Tasting Co. NYC Craft Beer Festival (March 13th – 14th)

On the weekend of the 13th and 14th, the Hand Crafted Tasting Co. throws the biggest beer bash in the entire NYC area when their 10th annual Craft Beer Festival takes over the massive Lexington Avenue Armory near 25th Street. Your $55 ticket (sorry, early bird discounts are already sold out) gets you two-and-a-half hours of unlimited tastings from an astonishing array of 75 breweries–the long list includes Spider Bite, Laughing Dog, Cricket Hill, Naked Flock, Radiant Pig, and plenty other, non-animal-related names–from around the country. There will be food vendors on hand, performances by the High and Mighty Brass Band, and likely plenty of first-rate people watching as well. More info and advance ticketing can be found here.

Drinking beer on St. Patrick's Day at McSorleys in Manhattan.

Saint Patrick's Day (March 17th)

You know what to do.

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Spring Craft Beer Tasting (March 21st) 

If for some reason you want to trek out to Long Island to do your beer drinking (er…. I mean tasting), the huge Spring Craft Beer Tasting is coming to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday the 21st. This ninth annual event features the creations of some 50 international breweries–including the likes of Goose Island, Dinkel Acker, Mexicali, Bear Republic, and Kukn—all of which you can sample to your palette's (and belly's) content for $45. More info and advance ticketing can be found here.  

Distillers sampling craft spirits at the Craft Distillers Festival in Bowery Hotel.

Craft Distillers Festival (March 28th)

Finally, here's a festival that, I admit, has nothing to do with beer, but sounds so amazing in an adult-beverage sort of way that I thought I'd include it anyway. On Saturday, March 28, at the beautiful, retro-styled Bowery Hotel, nearly 20 distillers from all over America will converge just so you can sample up to 60 craft spirits, such as Hudson New York Corn Whiskey from William Grant & Sons; "Bonded" Applejack from Black Dirt Distillery; Green Absinthe from Doc's All Natural Spirits; Defiant Rye Whiskey from Catskill Distilling Company; and White Lightnin' from Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine. A 1920's-style jazz band keeps the speakeasy-vibe lively. More info and advanced ticketing can be found here.  

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