The line outside McSorley’s at 7:45am on St. Patrick’s Day in 2011

A couple years back, just before St. Patrick’s Day, I was at Good Beer having a pint when someone walked in and asked the owner, “do you guys carry green beer? Like, for St. Patrick’s Day?”

He laughed. I hung my head in shame and shook it in disapproval.

This is an anecdote I share every year, because St. Patrick’s Day, whether we like it or not, seems to be synonymous with beer. Of course, far too many use and abuse beer on this day, even when it’s a Monday as it is this year. We’ve got a few recommendations on how to better enjoy the holiday with a craft beer.

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It’s been about six weeks since Dirck the Norseman (7 N. 15th St., at Franklin St., Greenpoint) opened their doors, but what may be their biggest draw sat dormant until this week. On Thursday, beers brewed on site as Greenpoint Beer & Ale Co. will debut on their taps, marking the fourth new New York City brewery to pour its beers in 2014.

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Los Angeles and New York have always had a rivalry when it comes to film, television, and high-class food. But both have been weak contenders when comparing their reputation for craft beer. You might say LA was a latecomer to good beer. As recently as five years ago, the city couldn’t even boast a craft brewery of its own, and you could count its noteworthy beer bars on one hand. But LA’s beer scene today is on a similar trajectory to New York’s: growing rapidly, with more and more of its citizens becoming enlightened about the great breweries that have blossomed across Southern California.

We took a very New York approach to this guide to LA’s beer scene. Since we always discourage drinking and driving, this guide includes the places that are easily accessible to public transit. Believe it or not, transit is growing in Los Angeles; next year, the Expo Line will finally link downtown LA with Santa Monica. And while the buses on local streets are no replacement for getting around on freeways, it sure beats the gamble of sitting in endless traffic jams. Whatever means you choose to get around to the places we list below, please do it responsibly.

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Dozens of casks are lined up for Blue Point’s annual cask festival (photo via Blue Point)

The weather is finally getting a bit warmer, so it’s time to think Spring. And with Spring comes drinking outside. A good way to kick off the outdoor drinking season is at Blue Point Brewing’s 10th Annual Cask Festival on April 5th from 2-6pm under tents in the parking lot of their brewery in Patchogue, Long Island. They’re promising cask pours of beers from 30 other breweries in addition to Blue Point’s own libations. It’s a Real Ale Bonanza!

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Pennsylvania grocery stores, like this Wegmans, are getting around the state’s backward liquor laws to sell beer.

New York’s beer laws aren’t nearly as backwards as they used to be. Governor Cuomo has been a part of that, untangling some rules on taprooms, labeling fees, and unruly licensing roadblocks in recent years. And while it’s not like beer is pouring on every street corner, this state’s beer laws are far more progressive than other US states. Here are some of the places that have it worse than us.

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After two years, an era is ending at all three Barcades on Thursday night, including two locally, Barcade Brooklyn (388 Union Ave., at Ainslie St., Williamsburg) and Barcade Jersey City (163 Newark Ave., at Erie St., Jersey City). In 2012, the bar teamed up with Sixpoint to resurrect seven beers that the original Barcade poured in the early years of the brewery’s history - 2004 and 2005. To celebrate the series, the bars will pour a total of 75 lines from Sixpoint, including some beers rarely seen even in New York.

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