We’ve met a lot of beer geeks and homebrewers from Bushwick over the past couple years, so it’s clear that there’s a demand for craft beer in this rapidly-gentrifying section of Brooklyn. Now, Bushwick’s thirst for craft beer can be quenched with The Sampler (234 Starr St, at Wyckoff Ave., Bushwick), a new beer shop and bar off the L Train’s Jefferson Street stop.

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It’s Wednesday, June 26th. Here’s our list of recommended beer-related events in and around New York after work tonight:

• Meet brewer Sebastian Sauer from Cologne, Germany’s Freigeist Bierkultur tonight at 5pm at Spuyten Duyvil (350 Metropolitan Ave., at Havermeyer St., Williamsburg). They’ll pour the Ottekolong kölsch, Geisterzug Gose, Black Smoke rauchbier, and more.
  
  
• ABC Beer Co. (96 Avenue C, at 6th St., East Village) hosts Brooklyn Brewery cheese pairing night tonight from 7-9pm. Enjoy some great cheeses paired with beers like the Sorachi Ace, Summer Ale, and the rare Vortex IPA.
  
  
• City Swiggers (320 E. 86th St., at 2nd Ave., Upper East Side) hosts a sampling of Erdinger beers from Germany tonight from 6-9pm. Swing by to try the Ur-Weisse, Dunkel, Weizenbock, and more.
  
  
• Saranac and Idle Hands Bar (25 Avenue B, at 2nd St., East Village), team up for the bar’s weekly $10 Bourbon and Beer Tasting Series. Taste the Red IPA, White IPA, and the Blueberry Blonde in this “Red, White & Blue” themed tasting.
  
  
• Sycamore (1118 Cortelyou Rd., at Westminster Rd., Ditmas Park) hosts Singlecut for their flight night tonight, offering $8 flights of beers from the local Queens brewery until 10pm.

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It’s Monday, June 24th. Here’s our list of recommended beer-related events in and around New York after work tonight:

• It’s VSK (Very Special Keg) Monday at Blind Tiger Ale House (281 Bleecker St., at Jones St., Greenwich Village). Each week, they’ll tap a rare or unique keg of the bar’s choosing. This week, it’s more special than usual, as Stone brewmaster Mitch Steele taps a keg of the RuinTen IPA, at 4pm.
  
  
• Jimmy’s No. 43 (43 E. 7th St., at 2nd Ave., East Village) hosts a “Post-Festival” Vegetarian Nonsense dinner tonight at 7pm, with importers 12 Percent and Shelton Brothers, fresh off their big Festival in Portland, Maine. Enjoy a five-course meal with beer pairings and food with local ingredients. A few tickets are still available online for $45, or call 212-982-3006 to reserve.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for ongoing updates, like us on Facebook to spread the word, and check us out on Foursquare for great lists of beer bars, stores, and breweries.

Can you believe it’s been a year since The Owl Farm (297 9th St., at 5th Ave., Park Slope) opened? It seems like just yesterday we were talking about how the bar was a great new addition to a neighborhood already teeming with craft beer bars. Actually, we were talking about it just yesterday, because we like the place that much, even though we may or may not have once feared we were locked in the bathroom because we were too drunk to realize the door slides open.

Anyway, they’ll be celebrating their first birthday on Saturday, and it’s listed in our rundown of the weekend’s beer events below. Stop in and wish them a happy first year!

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It’s Thursday, June 20th. Here’s our list of recommended beer-related events in and around New York after work tonight:

• New York breweries come together to support Smack Mellon (92 Plymouth St., at Washington St., DUMBO) as they recover from Hurricane Sandy and celebrate the restoration of their Artist Studio Program space. $15 at the door gets you beer samples and two full beers from KelSo, Empire, and Heartland Brewery, and special bottles of the KelSo Flemish Red Ale will be released for sale ($15/bottle). They’ll also have food and DJs.
  
  
• Coopers Craft & Kitchen (87 2nd Ave., at 5th St., East Village) hosts Peekskill tonight at 7pm. They’ll have ten amazing beers from up the Hudson, including the new Lower Standard, The Liger Rye Lager, Midnight Toker Black Coffee IPA, and more!
  
  
• On Tap at Whole Foods Columbus Circle (10 Columbus Circle, at 59th St., Upper West Side) hosts Sierra Nevada today from 5-8pm, pouring the Summerfest, Ovila Saison, Torpedo IPA and more.
  
  
• Stop by Whole Foods Bowery Beer Room (95 E. Houston St., at Chrystie St., Lower East Side) for a tasting of Left Hand and Flying Dog tonight from 4-8pm. Our friend Molly will be pouring samples of beers from both breweries for free!
  
  
• The Gate (321 5th Ave., at 3rd St., Park Slope) hosts their first-ever Guaca-Melee tonight at 7pm. Taste and vote for your favorite Guacamole while you drink appropriate beers like Ballast Point Sculpin Habanero, Breckenridge Agave Wheat, and Rogue Chipotle Ale.
  
  
• Bierkraft (191 Fifth Ave., at President St., Park Slope) hosts Greenport Harbor tonight at 7pm for their weekly tap takeover. They’ll have the Citrus IPA, Chinook Red, Havre Rouge Belgian Pale Ale, 2010 Antifreeze, and more!
  
  
• Bronx Ale House (216 W. 238th St., at Broadway, Kingsbridge) hosts Hershey, Pennsylvania’s Troegs tonight at 7pm, pouring the Triple Mango IPA, Dreamweaver Wheat, Naked Elf, and more.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for ongoing updates, like us on Facebook to spread the word, and check us out on Foursquare for great lists of beer bars, stores, and breweries.

In the waning days of this year’s legislative session, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an agreement on two bills today to help encourage growth of New York cideries. Program Bills #17 and #18 are the result of discussions during last fall’s Wine, Beer, and Spirits Summit, and will help peel back layers of bureaucracy that kept the cider industry from flourishing in New York State.

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