A sign posted at Columbus Circle (via reader mgarland)

We’re still sorting out some details about the opening date and the specifics, but by the looks of this sign, Whole Foods Columbus Circle (10 Columbus Circle, at 59th St., Upper West Side) is poised to add a beer and wine bar inside their store that’s locally-focused. They’re also promising “hundreds of bottles” of single beers!

A little background on this: this isn’t the first Whole Foods to offer such an experience. In Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, the store has their “1550 Bar” (named for the store’s address), which pours 16 draft lines of local and imported beer. They even have specials on Sundays during football season. Whoda thunk you could cheer on your football team at Whole Foods?

We’ll update you as we learn more.

Alewife Queens (5-14 51st Ave., at 5th St., Long Island City) is slowly but surely coming together. The liquor license is in house, their DOH inspection received a proud “A” rating, the paint is drying on the walls, the bar and tables are getting their finishing coats, and the booze has been ordered.

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Here’s our recommended beer-related events in New York after work tonight:

• Tonight, Bierkraft (191 Fifth Ave., at President St., Park Slope) dedicates their taps to California’s Ballast Point. They’ll have a bunch of brews on tap starting at 7pm, including Reef Rye, Sour Wench, and Sculpin on cask, plus more tasty heavily-hopped beers.
• Celebrate Oktoberfest tonight at Standings (43 E. 7th St., at 2nd Ave., East Village). Enjoy three American Oktoberfest beers, including Thomas Hooker and Abita, plus Cigar City Good Gourd in bottles. Plus, they’ll have free brats at 8pm!
• David Copperfield’s (1394 York Ave., at 74th St., Upper East Side) hosts their 14th annual Oktoberfest tonight starting at 7pm. Enjoy brews from Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrau, Paulaner, and American-brewed German styles, too.

And remember, for more updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and check us out on Foursquare for great lists of beer bars, stores, and breweries!

You might know 5 Napkin Burger for its gut-busting burgers, but their beer is nothing to scoff at. In addition to serving a variety of craft beer, 5 Napkin Burger Astoria (35-01 36th St., at 35th Ave., Astoria) is now hosting beer dinners. They’ll serve up their next one next week, when they host Brooklyn’s very own Kelso.

On Thursday, October 6th, Kelso and 5 Napkin Burger will partner up for a dinner that pairs food with beer and friendly conversation with Kelso’s brewer Kelly Taylor. In addition to serving 7 beers, including the Kellerfest, Flemish Red, and Brandy Barrel-Aged IPA, they’ll serve food cooked with the beers, like a cheddar beer soup made with Kellerfest, sliders with pulled pork braised in the IPA, and a Flemish Red Moon Pie for dessert.

The dinner starts with a reception at 7:30 and a seated meal at 8pm, and tickets are $60, which includes the beer, hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, dinner, and dessert. You can purchase tickets for the dinner through Eventbrite.

This isn’t the only beer dinner 5 Napkin Burger in Astoria will host, naturally - save the date for October 20th, when they’ll host Massachusetts’ own Cape Ann Brewing. Maybe you can ask them how the Red Sox are doing.

Here’s our recommended beer-related events in New York after work tonight:

• At Manor Oktoberfest Forest Hills (73-11 Yellowstone Blvd., at Ingram St., Forest Hills), it’s time to celebrate Oktoberfest with Spaten. They’ll celebrate with discounts on the Oktoberfest Lager from 6-10pm… your first liter is $6, and refills are $3!
• If you enjoy Oktoberfest and have a strong arm, you might want to give the Sam Adams stein-holding competition a whirl tonight at Southern Hospitality Hell’s Kitchen (645 9th Ave., at 45th St., Hell’s Kitchen). The contest starts at 7pm, and there’s a chance you could qualify for a trip to Munich!
• Over in Jersey, it’s Ithaca Beer Night at Texas Arizona (76 River St., at Hudson Pl., Hoboken). They’ll have White Gold, 13th Anniversary, Flower Power, and more on tap. Plus, for those who still have room in their cupboards, they’ll be giving away some Ithaca-branded glassware, too!

And remember, for more updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and check us out on Foursquare for great lists of beer bars, stores, and breweries!

Many people recall the destruction caused by the remnants of Hurricane Irene in Vermont, but fewer people knew about the destructive flooding Upstate that came from Tropical Storm Lee a couple weeks later. The Susquehanna River, already swollen from Irene, overflowed its banks on September 8th, leaving destruction in many towns in New York’s Southern Tier that had just recovered from record floods five years before.

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