Ray Deter and Jimmy Carbone at the 2010 Good Beer Seal party at d.b.a. Brooklyn

While dealing with such a great loss in the beer community in New York, tributes to d.b.a owner Ray Deter are pouring in from New York, across the country, and around the world.

Last night on Heritage Radio Network’s Beer Sessions, Jimmy’s No. 43 owner Jimmy Carbone spent time remembering the man who was not only his friend, but also the co-host of the show. The show dedicated this week’s episode to his memory, and played their favorite Ray Deter moments on the show. You can listen to that epsiode here, or download it on iTunes.

Many writers have remarked on Ray’s lasting impact to the bar scene in New York, including beer writers Christian DeBenedetti and Clare Goggin, the New York Times’ Eric Asimov, and a truly moving tribute by Beer Sessions’ own producer, Bree O'Connor.

An overseas tribute, after the jump…

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Here are the beer-related goings-on after work in and around New York tonight:

• We’ll start over in New Jersey, since we were just up in Maine this weekend… Allagash is at Cloverleaf Tavern (395 Bloomfield Ave., at Hanford Pl, Caldwell) tonight from 5-9pm, with lots on tap, including the Triple, Odyssey, Black, and the venerable White ale.
• On a similar note, this week’s Ten Buck Tasting at Jimmy’s No. 43 (43 E. 7th St., at 2nd Ave., East Village) salutes beers from New England. For $10, you’ll be walked through a tasting of six different beers from breweries like Maine’s Allagash, New Hampshire’s White Birch, and Massachusetts-based gypsy brewer Pretty Things. The tasting starts at 7:30pm.
• Ulysses’ Folk House (58 Stone St., at Pearl St., Financial District) celebrates Sierra Nevada tonight from 5-7pm. They’ll pour five beers on draft, including a cask. Given Ulysses’ big outdoor space on Stone Street, might we recommend the Summerfest Lager?
• It’s like Christmas in July! Bierkraft (191 Fifth Ave., at President St., Park Slope) celebrates Stouts and Porters tonight at 7pm as part of their Tuesday Night Tasting series. As always, the tasting is free! Seating is on a first come, first serve basis, so come early!
• Rattle-N-Hum (14 E. 33rd St., at 5th Ave., Midtown) kicks its second installment of “The Big Lebrewski” tonight, celebrating rare beers aged in the Rattle-N-Hum cellar. No word on what they’ll be rolling out, but we have a feeling it’ll be good.

And remember, for more updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

The signs are up now in Grand Central Terminal for BT Pantry, the to-go beer shop from the folks behind Brooklyn’s Beer Table.

Meanwhile, a beer shop can’t function without employees, and Justin Phillips is hiring folks for the new shop, as well as their location in Brooklyn. If you’re a beer geek who thinks you have what it takes, you can e-mail Justin at justin (at) beertable dot com.

We’ll let you know when we know more about an opening date. You can also sign up for BT Pantry’s newsletter for updates. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a nice craft beer buzz on your train ride home, you’ll have to stick to some Midtown beer bars like Ginger Man, Rattle-N-Hum, Bierhaus NYC, or The Stag’s Head.

We received word yesterday that our friend Ray Deter, owner of d.b.a. in the East Village, Williamsburg, and New Orleans, has passed away after injuries he sustained when a driver collided with him on a bike last Monday afternoon.

Ray was one of the biggest supporters of craft beer in New York, and did so long before the craze had really caught on. He was a pioneer in New York, as d.b.a. was serving great beer from across the country and around the world well over a decade and a half ago. He was involved in the Good Beer Seal program, a co-host of Beer Sessions Radio, and an all-around booster of craft beer and fine wine and spirits.

But Ray was so much more than that, too. In the only two years that we knew him, he was an all-around great guy. He was a true Renaissance Man who could espouse about fine whiskeys, great music, and the culture of the Louisiana bayou all in the same conversation. Ray wasn’t one to be intimidated by challenges; heck, he opened a branch of his bar 1,300 miles away in New Orleans because he loved the city. Ray had a calm, collected demeanor at first glance, but once you got to know him, you quickly learned he was a fun-loving guy who would gladly go out of his way for you. He often played comic foil on Beer Sessions Radio, and he always kept things in good spirits - pardon the pun - at his bars. In a city of pessimistic bar owners and come-and-go bars, Ray did what he loved and loved what he did.

Ray may be leaving us, but his spirit will certainly live on. It’s fitting that we raise our glasses to Ray during Good Beer Month this month, to celebrate his life and the great craft beer that he helped promote.

So long, Ray. You will be deeply missed.

July is underway, and that means it’s time for the third annual Good Beer Month in New York City. Under proclamation of the mayor, the month will feature more than a half-dozen major beer events that celebrate craft beer in the city. The month also puts the spotlight on the 34 Good Beer Seal bars, who will offer a special discount on beer through Thrillist Rewards.

Among those big beer events are the Get Real Belgian Beer Festival, Cookout NYC on Governors Island, and the third annual Good Beer Soiree at BAM. In addition, there will be talks on urban farming and sustainable development at Brooklyn Brewery, a webcast from NYC’s Greene Space to discuss the craft beer movement, and the annual Hot Dog Cookoff at Kelso Brewing in Brooklyn.

It’s going to be a busy month, so plan carefully! A full rundown and details of these events is after the jump:

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If you haven’t noticed already, the New York State Liquor Authority gave approval for Maine Beer Company to hit shelves last month. We saw this coming: the brewery stepped up their capacity earlier this year and began expanding into Massachusetts early this Spring.

A small outfit out of Portland, Maine compared to powerhouses Shipyard and Allagash, Maine Beer Company specializes in American beer styles - a hard find in a state where English and Belgian styles dominate the tap lines. Peeper Ale, their flagship beer and first offering in New York, is a crisp American Pale Ale with a malt and hop balance that’s missing from its counterparts at other Maine breweries that distribute in New York.

The brewery’s manta, “do what’s right,” is a nod to their own social responsibility. In addition to running on 100% wind power, they’re also a member of the 1% for the Planet campaign, which promises that 1% of sales will be dedicated to environmental causes.

So far, we’ve spotted Peeper Ale at Whole Foods Bowery Beer Room (95 E. Houston St., at Chrystie St., Lower East Side), Eastern District (1053 Manhattan Ave., at Freeman St., Greenpoint), and up in Westchester at DeCicco’s Marketplace (21 Center St., at Village Green, Ardsley). Let us know where you’ve spotted it in the comments below, unless you’re planning on hoarding it for yourself.