The votes have been tallied, and we have a winner in our third annual edition of BARch Madness, and it’s an unexpected winner that came from out of nowhere quite literally. Haymaker Bar & Kitchen  (252 W. 29th St., at 8th Ave., Chelsea) is your champion, beating Beer Street in the championship matchup. When last year’s Barch Madness was held, Haymaker didn’t even exist, opening last fall. It’s the first NYC debut to win the championship, and it’s a testament to their impressive beer program.

Haymaker beat 2015 champion Valhalla in the first round, then topped Banter, Mekelburg’s, The Well, and The Double Windsor on their road to glory.

Congratulations, Haymaker!

Until next year’s One Shining Moment, this is the conclusion of #BARchMadness. Thanks for voting and cheering on your favorite bars in every round!

This one’s for all the marbles! The votes have been counted, and it’s time for the final round of BARch Madness! The votes have been counted from the semifinals, and now it’s time to decide who will follow in the footsteps of previous victors, Brooklyn’s Fourth Avenue Pub and Manhattan’s Valhalla.

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Queens has come a long way from having exactly zero breweries and a handful of beer bars five years ago. The borough now boasts eight breweries (with more to come) and a plethora of options for drinking local beer from Bayside to Astoria. So it’s no surprise that people there are finding a reason to celebrate the borough’s beer scene… Queens Beer Week is back for a third year, and it’ll kick off on May 13th and run through May 22nd.

In past years, a whole host of events have been scheduled to celebrate beer in the borough, including a kickoff party in a beautiful outdoor location, brewery celebrations, tap takeovers, and collaboration beers (Transmitter and Singlecut are making a Gose, per this Instagram post yesterday).

So, save the date! We’ll update you with more details as events are finalized, and you’ll always find Queens Beer Week events on our calendar.

Over 100 breweries poured at TAP New York last year at Hunter Mountain. This year, that number will push 120. (Photo courtesy Hunter Mountain)

Despite the snow in the forecast this weekend, winter looks like it’s slowly starting to loosen its grip on New York, and before long, we’ll be outside with beers in our hands in backyards and on patios, and rooftops. We’ll also get the urge to enjoy beers indoors and out with other beer geeks. If you’ve caught the beer festival bug, you know that these are great events to get exposed to beers you’ve never had before from breweries you’ve never even heard of. There’s nothing better than discovering a new beer you love while sipping among thousands of fellow beer geeks. So, here are some upcoming beer festivals to get you out of your winter rut.

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We’re down to just four bars in BARch Madness! It’s our annual 64-bar tournament to determine New York City’s favorite beer bar. Voting in the round of eight is over, and voting in the Final Four begins now.

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The Brewers Association, the industry group representing American breweries, released their annual list of the top 50 craft brewing companies in the U.S. by sales volume today, based on 2015 figures. The list demonstrates the constant change occurring in the industry as new ownership and rapid expansion take hold in a period of strong growth.

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