Where To Drink This Weekend: The NYC Craft Beer Festival Winter Harvest

It's beer festival time again! If you're thirsty for winter beer, there's only one place to be this weekend: the NYC Craft Beer Festival. More than 75 of the country's top craft breweries (and several from abroad) will be on hand to showcase seasonal delights, including the best in winter warmers, stouts and holiday ales. The festival will be held at Basketball City in lower Manhattan in two sessions: afternoon from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. and evening from 6 to 9:30. We're looking forward to discovering some new favorites like Brooklyn Brewery's There Will Be Black (Brewmaster's reserve!) as well as revisiting festive standbys like Goose Island's Christmas Ale and Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. Check out the full list of participating breweries and featured beers.

In addition to the plentiful brews, we're excited to check out seminars like the cheese and beer-pairing seminar with Aaron Foster, craft beer buyer for NYC lactose landmark Murray's Cheese, and "The Creation of Bronx Brewery: 10 Start-Up Tips to Apply to Any Business" with co-founder Chris Gallant. Plus there's never been a better time to learn harvest beer and holiday pairings with husband-wife beer sommelier/chef team Hayley Jensen and Stephen Durley of Taproom 307. You DO want to have a merry Christmas, right?

The festival was originally slated to take place November 10th, but was bumped to this Saturday, December 1st, due to Hurricane Sandy. The festival producers, Hand-Crafted Tasting Company, have organized the Sandy Relief Supplies Drive for the victims of Breezy Point. There's a list of needed supplies on the website. Along with Governor Cuomo's Disaster Relief Team, the festival coordinators will make sure aid goes to the victims who need it most. If you're heading to the fest, please help out by bringing something off the list of needed items.

Hope to cheers you there!

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