It’s Thursday, March 28th. Here’s our list of recommended beer-related events in and around New York after work tonight:

• The week-long 2nd anniversary celebration at The Queens Kickshaw (40-17 Broadway, at 41st St., Astoria) culminates with a big party tonight at 6pm! They’ll be pouring an awesome lineup of anniversary beers from breweries like Bear Republic, Ommegang, and BFM, they’ll have live music from Tipsy Oxcart at 8:30pm, and they’ll be doing a preview of their new dinner menu if you stay late.
  
  
• Get in a Pennsylvania state of mind as Bierkraft (191 Fifth Ave., at President St., Park Slope) celebrates Pennsylvania Beer Nightstarting at 7pm. They’ll pour beers from Penn Brewing, Victory, Sly Fox, Troegs, and Weyerbacher all night long.
  
  
• Bronx Ale House (216 W. 238th St., at Broadway, Kingsbridge) hosts a March Madness party tonight at 7pm, as they pit brewery against brewery in an eight-team bracket that includes Ommegang, Elysian, Blue Mountain, Flying Dog, Bronx Brewery, and more. Oh, and there’s basketball to watch, too.
  
  
• 5 Napkin Burger Astoria (35-01 36th St., at 35th Ave., Astoria) hosts a KelSo Pint Night tonight at 6pm! Grab a $5 pint of the Nut Brown Lager or Rauchbier and you’ll get to take home a sweet free pint glass!
  
  
• The Thursday Tap at Jimmy’s No. 43 (43 E. 7th St., at 2nd Ave., East Village) features a different special keg or cask every week. This week, they’ll tap a cask of the J.W. Lee’s Moonraker English Strong Ale today at 5pm.
  
  
• Join Empire for a free tasting tonight at Malt & Mold (221 East Broadway, at Clinton St., Lower East Side) from 5-8pm. Enjoy some tastes of beer from the Upstate New York brewery, including the beloved White Aphro and more, plus sample some free cheese, too.
  
  
• Stinky Bklyn (261 Smith St., at Baltic St., Cobble Hill) hosts a tasting with Southampton tonight from 5-8pm, with cheese pairings provided. Plus, they’ll offer 20% off all growler fills, and 10% off pint and quart fills.
  
  
• The Owl Farm (297 9th St., at 5th Ave., Park Slope) puts on four beers from the Mikkeller Single Yeast Series today. The brews take the same base beer and ferment it with different yeast strains, resulting in a great lesson on how yeast strains change the final product. Get them on tap now for $6 a piece until they’re gone!

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Empire’s David Katleski, at right, with Empire Brand Managers Olivia Cerio and Mike Feeney at last October’s Brooklyn Pour (Photo: Chris O'Leary)

Yesterday morning at the opening session of the Craft Brewers Conference in Washington, DC, New York State Brewers Association President David Katleski was honored with the F.X. Matt Defender of the Industry Award for his efforts to defend and boost the craft beer industry in New York. Katleski, who is also the founder of the Syracuse-based Empire Brewing Company, worked tirelessly with Albany’s legislators in 2012 to undo a State Liquor Authority rule change that could have crippled small brewers across the state, while he also lobbied aggressively to help boost the growth of the industry in New York.

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It’s Wednesday, March 27th. Here’s our list of recommended beer-related events in and around New York after work tonight:

• Beer Boutique (497 Union Ave., at Meeker Ave., Williamsburg) celebrates their first birthday tonight with a tap takeover from Stone from 6-9pm, including the Oaked Arrogant Bastard, Vertical Epic 12.12.12, Russian Imperial Stout, and many more. They’ll also have contests and prizes to celebrate!
  
  
• Top Hops Beer Shop (94 Orchard St., at Broome St., Lower East Side) hosts Belgium’s St. Feuillien today at 6pm. If you’ve been in the store to see their massive bottle of the Tripel, you should know that they’re cracking it open tonight!
  
  
• Quebec’s Unibroue visits City Swiggers (320 E. 86th St., at 2nd Ave., Upper East Side) tonight at 6pm. Head north to the Upper East Side for tastes of beers from much further north, like the Maudite, Trois Pistoles, La Fin du Monde, and more.
  
  
• Barcade Jersey City (163 Newark Ave., at Erie St., Jersey City) hasn’t gotten the Firefly Ale from Dogfish Head yet, but that won’t prevent them from putting some big old DFH beers on tap tonight at 5pm. They’ll have the 2011 Olde School Barleywine, Raison D'etre, 120 Minute IPA, and more on tap till they’re gone.
  
  
• Clown Shoes 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. Tonight from 7-10pm, $10 gets beers in a 3-beer tasting flight, 2 full pours, a taste of whisky, and an order of tater tots.

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The sun sets on last year’s Belgium Comes to Cooperstown Festival at Brewery Ommegang (Photo: Chris O'Leary)

With winter finally kicking and screaming its way into oblivion, it’s just about time to start planning for the summer travel season. With the warming weather comes beer festival season, with lots of great festivals across the Northeast that take advantage of the warm weather and great craft beer. We have four in mind that you might want to turn into a road trip or long weekend this summer. Make your plans now, as tickets are on sale now for some of them, and others go on sale as soon as next Monday!

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Last year was a bumpy ride for the Great Googa Mooga Festival, but the festival will return to Prospect Park again this May 18th-20th with what organizers are calling an improved experience and a lineup of performers, food, and - most imporantly - beer, and lots of it. The 2012 edition of the festival boasted a craft beer linenup that was expertly chosen by Brooklyn Brewery’s Garrett Oliver. This year, Food & Wine Sommelier of the Year Peter Eastlake will curate the list, which will be even bigger: they’re shooting for over 75 different beers represented this year, and they’ve already started to cull together the brewery list.

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

• St. Louis, Missouri’s Baldwinsville, New York’s Chicago’s Goose Island pays The Pony Bar UES (1444 First Ave. at 75th St., Upper East Side) a visit tonight at 6pm. They’ll have the Night Stalker, Bourbon County Stout, Bourbon County Coffee Stout, and more beers big and small!
  
  
• Rattle-N-Hum (14 E. 33rd St., at 5th Ave., Midtown) hosts Sixpoint today starting at 4pm. Enjoy beers like the Old Red Hooker barleywine, Resin, and the brand-new Mad Scientists #13 Gruitbeer all night long!
  
  
• Good Beer (422 E. 9th St., btw. 1st Ave. and Ave. A) hosts Speakeasy tonight from 6:30-9pm. Try some unique draft offerings like the Black and White Cookie Stout, Barrel-Aged Scarface Imperial Stout, and the Green Death malt liquor.
  
  
• Bierkraft (191 Fifth Ave., at President St., Park Slope) hosts Oskar Blues tonight at 7pm for their free Tuesday Tasting. Join Yvon Pasquarello as he guides you through a tasting of some wonderful brews from Colorado and now North Carolina, too!
  
  
• Radegast Hall & Biergarten (113 N. 3rd St., at Berry St., Williamsburg) features the beers of Bayreuther in their Tuesday Tasting tonight at 7pm. Enjoy beers like Zwick’l Kellerbier, Landbier Dunkel Dark Lager, and Original Bavarian Helles Lager, along with live music from The John Wriggle Swing Orchestra! You can get a tasting flight, or just enjoy the beers as you please.
  
  
• This week’s Tuesday Tasting at Jimmy’s No. 43 (43 E. 7th St., at 2nd Ave., East Village) celebrates American and Spanish ciders! $20 gets you six tastings of ciders like Castañón Traditional, Aaron Burr Bourbon Barrel Cider, Valveran 20 Manzanas Frost Cider, and more! Things get underway at 7:30pm.

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