Another July Good Beer Month has arrived in New York City! While we take the month to celebrate our Good Beer Seal bars and plan the announcement of the 2015 inductees, we’re also adding new events and themes to this year’s festivities. The Good Beer Seal was co-founded in 2009 by Jimmy Carbone (Jimmy’s No. 43), Ray Deter (RIP – former owner of d.b.a. – also RIP), Ben & Mike Wiley (Bar Great Harry, Mission Dolores, The Owl Farm and Glorietta Baldy), Gary Gillis (Burp Castle/Standings), and Dave Brodrick (Blind Tiger). The Good Beer Seal exists to identify bars offering an intriguing selection of craft beer in a unique atmosphere created by owner/operators who exhibit a deep commitment not only to the promotion of craft beer but to their community as well. Every year we celebrate July Good Beer Month to highlight superior craft beer experiences in the city, bringing celebrities from both near and far to talk about and drink great beer. Among this year’s featured events:
Cookout NYC’s Running with the Beef™ – Saturday, July 11th, from 4-9 p.m. at Stuyvesant Cove Park. Join some of NYCs best chefs (including Robbie Richter, Anthony Sasso, others at 10+ grilling stations) cooking up Spanish-style dishes from locally-raised, grass-fed beef. Offerings range from traditional (Grilled Steak, Brisket, Beef Sausages) to unique (Harry Hawk’s Spanish Schnack Burgers from Schweid & Sons). You can celebrate July Good Beer Month along Manhattan’s scenic East River with live entertainment (DJ, Flamenco dancers), a great line-up of Spanish craft beer from Iberian United/Shelton Brothers, and American craft beer courtesy of Sixpoint.
The return of Craft Beer Jam at WNYC’s The Greene Space! The line-up includes (tickets are still available for some shows as of time of publication; or tune in to listen live!):
- Wednesday, July 8th at 7 p.m. – Craft Beer Jam at WNYC’s The Greene Space: Five Borough Beer Battle (Tickets) – Host Jimmy Carbone welcomes Patrick Morse, head brewer from Staten Island’s Flagship Brewing Company; Paul Ramirez of Bronx Beer Hall; Lauren Grimm of Brooklyn’s Grimm Artisanal Ales; Greg Doroski of Brooklyn’s Threes Brewing; and Joshua M. Bernstein, author of The Complete Beer Course.
- Wednesday, July 15th at 7 p.m. – Craft Beer Jam at WNYC’s The Greene Space: Daytime Drinking – All Cans (Tickets) – Host Jimmy Carbone is talking “session” beers good for day-long drinking with Heather McReynolds of Brooklyn’s Sixpoint Brewery; Atlanta-based beer and travel writer Ale Sharpton; Jennifer Maslanka of The Spring Lounge in downtown Manhattan; and Augie Carton of Carton Brewing.
- Wednesday, July 22nd at 7 p.m. – Craft Beer Jam at WNYC’s The Greene Space: Dessert on Tap (Tickets) – Host Jimmy Carbone closes out Craft Beer Jam with dessert! That is, beers that make for a great apéritif or accompaniment to the evening’s final food course. Joining him are Basil Lee of Finback Brewery in Queens; Claire Paparazzo, sommelier of downtown Manhattan’s Dirty French; Ben Keene, managing editor of Beer Advocate; and Daniel Sklaar, owner of Fine and Raw chocolate.
And, of course, we’ll be bringing a great line-up to Beer Sessions Radio™ for July Good Beer Month, with a focus on NY State beers, brewers and the ingredients that go into the beers of our region (all shows air live on Heritage Radio Network at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays):
- Tuesday, July 7th – Beer Sessions Radio™ discusses the NY State beer scene with special guests Ben Keene, Jeremy Cowan (Shmaltz He’brew) and Joe Carroll (GBS bar Spuyten Duyvil and Fette Sau)
- Tuesday, July 14th – Beer Sessions Radio™ it’s the NYC Beer Show with the return of Atlanta’s beer spokesman Ale Sharpton, Greg Doroski (Threes Brewing) and Anne Becera (Anne Likes Beer)
- Tuesday, July 21st – Beer Sessions Radio™ Homebrew Scene with American Homebrew Association “Best in Show” winners Peter Salmond and Oskar & Eric Norlander
- Tuesday, July 28th – Beer Sessions Radio™ Annual Cask Show with Chef Jason Hicks, owner of The Shakespeare and Jones Wood Foundry; and Alex Hall of Cask Marque
- Wednesday, July 29th – The 7th Annual Good Beer Seal Awards
And be sure to stay tuned for our official end of July (TBA) Good Beer Seal Awards 2015 Announcement!
A full list of events can be found (chronologically) here. Need more tips on bars to visit during July Good Beer Month? Check out Eater’s recommendations here. Drinking at home, the beach or your local BBQ picnic? Edible Magazine has assembled a list of their favorite local beers for July Good Beer Month here.