Get Refreshed With Two New York Beer Festivals This Weekend

Summer’s in full swing. You don’t need proof. It’s obvious enough from the sweat you’re working up simply by staring at a computer screen. But if you still aren’t convinced, consider this: it’s now the high season for beer festivals. They’re all around, including two within the New York area this Saturday alone. If you’re a fan of craft brew, you ought to be having a blast this time of year. A Brooklyn Blast!, to be exact. The double IPA from Williamsburg’s original craft brewery is a perfect way to beat the heat, marking it an easy choice as beer of the week.

A perfect time and place to score a pour — or five — is tomorrow afternoon at the Big Brew NY Beer Festival. Craft enthusiasts willing to venture 30 minutes on the Metro-North to Tarrytown will be rewarded with four hours of unlimited tastings of more than 200 beers, backdropped by an historic castle (Lyndhurst Mansion) along the Hudson River. There’lll be live music, gourmet food trucks, and, best of all, a mechanical bull. Because who doesn’t want to be rocked around violently while consuming large amount of alcohol?

The Blast! is undeniably refreshing, surprisingly so for an 8.4%, heavily hopped ale. But if IPAs still aren’t your thing, the Big Brew delivers every style of beer and cider imaginable, most of which are sourced from right here in the tri-state region. A $70 ticket scores you entrance to the event, which kicks off at 1 p.m. And, as a Village Voice reader, you’ll get a $12 discount by entering the code ‘Voice15’ on their website.

Closer to home, but equally soaked in suds, is the New York Super Craft Beer Festival, at the Watermark Bar on Pier 15 of South Street Seaport. This affair is notably smaller, featuring roughly 75 beers on tap, but it’s focused exclusively on the beers and ciders of New York. The 3,500 square foot venue affords unimpeded views of the East River and New York Harbor beyond. For $60, you’ll get three hours of unlimited tasting from 2 – 5 p.m., as well as live entertainment and beer-friendly grub. Tickets can be purchased here.

So if you still haven’t landed on weekend plans, it looks like you’ve got some serious decisions in the near future. Don’t expect things to get any easier as we ascend the mountain that is beer festival season. Grab your hiking boots, and have a Blast.