It may be a short pour, but this is my short pour.

Last week, I doubled my homebrewing capacity by buying a larger carboy. A sane person would choose to brew exclusively out of that large carboy. But not I - I’d prefer to brew on consecutive weekends and have two full carboys at once stashed in a big box in my kitchen. And then maybe - just maybe - I’ll take a weekend off next weekend, but an empty carboy will be sitting in my kitchen screaming to be filled with more beer. I cannot stop brewing.

What’s amazing is that apart from my very first homebrew - which taught me some valuable lessons - I haven’t had any unmitigated disasters (knock on wood). I’ve had some undercarbonated beers, but they still had solid flavor and aroma. I probably could’ve passed them off as cask beer. But each beer has been better than the last. And that what keeps me going: my beer will never be perfect, but it could be better.

I read about homebrewing for a year before I finally started doing it myself. Reading book after book after book before steeping a single grain certainly helped, but there was no replacement for spending two and a half hours sweating it out over a stove and meticulously sterilizing equipment. But all that labor is well worth the finished product, especially when it’s good.

When it’s really good, you get a brewer’s high: the thrill of watching your friends taste your beer and seeing a smile come across their face when they realize that yes, homebrewed beer is not only drinkable, but can be quite delicious. And that thrill turns to sheer ecstasy when you realize, that yes, you made that beer. You wrote the recipe. You didn’t use a kit. You didn’t use extract. On a small scale, you did what the pros do, and while you may not have the equipment, the consistency, or the expertise, you can get pretty damn close. And it all happened in your tiny apartment in the East Village with an undersized stove, undersized sink, undersized counter, and undersized closet. You did it. And somehow, it worked.

The challenges are steep when you brew in New York, but the rewards are huge.

In the coming weeks, Brew York, New York will meet many homebrewers around New York City who share this addiction. We’ll tell you their stories, discuss their creations, and prove that good beer doesn’t have to come from a tap at a bar at a cost of $7/pint. It can come from your friends and neighbors, too.

It’s been a busy week here at Brew York, New York HQ, with the homebrewing and the new domain and the outreach (spread the word!). But we always have time to relax and have a beer. Last night, it was a trip to Rattle-N-Hum, where I inaugurated a few craft beer newbies to some of the best: Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, and the Ken Schmidt/Maui/Stone Macadamia Coconut Porter. Needless to say, they have seen the light. And when they come back begging for more, I may direct them to one of the bars and beers mentioned below.

First off, the beloved Brazen Head in Brooklyn - the bar that brings us a bevy of beer at its tri-annual Cask Festival - is celebrating the renewal of their lease for another ten years tomorrow with a day-long bash that includes a performance by the Dysfunctional Family Jazz Band at 9 with no cover or drink minimum. Also in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Brew Shop will be hosting craft beer trivia at The Double Windsor on Sunday night from 7-9, and giving away some of their one-gallon homebrewing kits for those who wish to whet their homebrewing whistle.

As I mentioned, spring beers are budding all over the city. Ithaca’s new spring seasonal, their Ground Break Saison - a hoppy, fruity, and funky American-style Saison - has popped up on draft at Brooklyn’s Fourth Avenue Pub and The Bronx Ale House (see? I’m showing some love to the boogie-down).

But while it’s nice to indulge in the new spring beers, it’s respectful to give the winter seasonals their proper sendoff. While you’re in Brooklyn, hop up to Pacific Standard or over to The Gibson in Williamsburg to order the deliciously devilish Goose Island Bourbon County Stout for one last taste of winter. Also, the sweet and oaty Brooklyn Cookie Jar Porter is still alive and kicking (well, hopefully, it's not the keg that's kicking) on the Upper West Side at Dive Bar and Dive 75, and Amsterdam Ale House, as well as across town at The Stags Head.

And if you’re a huge fan of Vermont’s Long Trail Brewery, there’s plenty of leftovers at The Pony Bar from their event last night, including their Brewmaster’s Series Winter White and Winter Seasonal Hibernator, a Scottish-style Ale with a big malty flavor.

Finally - in the interest of shameless self-promotion, feel free to head over to our new Facebook Fan Page. We’ll keep you updated on site announcements and future events there!

Happy drinking, everyone.

Soon, the trees will be budding, and it’ll be time to drink beer outside. (via girlposse on flickr)

After a lovely stretch of warm, sunny days (including one I spent entirely inside slaving over my homebrew), I’m finally in the mood to sip one of the spring seasonal offerings available in the city.

First, though, I have a beef: spring does not begin in January, but you’d never know that from how early the spring seasonals from Magic Hat and Sam Adams arrived on shelves and on draft. I found Magic Hat’s Vinyl, an Amber Lager, in my local bodega on January 15th. Sam Adams Noble Pils, their true-to-the-German-style replacement of their old spring White Ale, was on tap at my local bar two weeks after Christmas. This is not surprising, considering Sam Adams Oktoberfest wasn’t even available for order through their distributor two weeks before Halloween.

This timeline suggests that summer seasonals will start rolling out before a single flower has bloomed. So, let’s take advantage of the early spring weather and enjoy a few spring beers:

Blue Point Spring Fling (Blue Point Brewing Co., Patchogue, NY): A muddied copper American Pale Ale that has a much stronger malt than hoppy aroma and flavor, a medium body, and an alcohol bite on the finish. At 6.0% ABV, this is not the most easy-drinking APA, but it’s a good six-pack to grab for a day of frisbee-tossing in the park.

Pretty Things Fluffy White Rabbit (Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project, Cambridge, MA): The name alone is pretty awesome, but this Abbey Tripel has a nice floral aroma and big melon flavor. It’s kind of like drinking a fruit salad in beer form. And what says spring better than fruit salad?

Captain Lawrence Birra DeCicco (Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, Pleasantville, NY): While it’s brewed expressly for a small chain of grocery stores in Westchester, a few bars in the city are managing to get their hands on this tasty barrel-aged Belgian-Style Ale infused with chestnut honey and jam.

Southampton Biere de Mars (Southampton Publick House, Southampton, NY): What says spring better than a Farmhouse Ale? It’s got a big sweet aroma, sweet fruity flavor, and a clean and very dry finish. And this year, for the first time, the beer is available in six-packs for your picknicking pleasure.

Vermont has always been a hotbed for great beer, and they sure know how to celebrate their beer. Each July, I make a pilgrimage to Burlington for the Vermont Brewers Festival, a long-standing, well-run, and very popular event that features breweries from across the state and around the region.

But Vermont has a new beer festival this year, and it’s a bit closer to home. On May 22nd, the First Annual Brattleboro Brewers Festival will be held in the southeastern Vermont city of Brattleboro - just about a three-hour drive from New York City. And while the Vermont Brewers Festival still has the upper-hand in terms of sheer attendance, big names, and big beers, Brattleboro’s festival is looking very promising.

Among the breweries already committed: Brattleboro hometown favorite McNeill’s, Cambridge, Massachusetts’ Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project, tiny Vermont outfit Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Scotland’s Brew Dog, and regional powerhouses Brooklyn Brewery, Allagash, Dogfish Head, and Harpoon.

But that’s just the beginning. Stowe, Vermont’s The Brewery at Trapp Family Lodge will roll out their first beers for the festival, the small and new Hill Farmstead Brewery will get its name out for the first time, and new breweries in Maine and Massachusetts - Maine Beer Company and Element Brewing Company - will give festival-goers the chance to put another notch in their tasting glass.

On top of the actual festival, there will be an accompanying pub crawl through the streets of Brattleboro, each serving a limited or specially-brewed beer for the event. The crawl is free for those attending the festival and includes bus transportation from pub to pub.

This beer festival pretty much has it all. Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but the organizers say they will be limited. Keep tabs on it at their web site, and mark your calendar.