Presenting July Good Beer Month 2012

On Independence Day you can celebrate your local pride with some great New York State brews from Ithaca, Barrier, Blind Bat, Greenport Harbor, or Brooklyn Brewery, to name a few. It’s a great way to kick off July Good Beer Month, but it is ONLY THE BEGINNING!

Keep your calendar (and your bellies!) open for Cook Out NYC, (July 7-8) the ultimate cook out, country fair event on Governors Island featuring Sixpoint Craft Ales. Governors Island is NYC’s picturesque getaway island that is just minutes away from lower Manhattan by ferry, but miles away in your mind. You’ll enjoy beautiful views, car-free streets, live music, world class grilling and BBQ, cooking demonstrations and delicious craft beer during this annual event that will remind you what summer is all about!

On July 10, head over to Brooklyn Brewery for Kegs & Kluckers presented by NYC Homebrewer’s Guild and Just Food, bringing together home brewers and urban chicken keepers for this community building event to benefit Just Food.

Come back to Brooklyn Brewery on July 11 to  join The Weekly Pint for Brooklyn Pig and Pickle, featuring great Brooklyn beers, pork and McClure’s pickles.

July 12, head over to WNYC’s Greene Space for Craft Beer Jam where Jimmy Carbone, host of the internet radio show “Beer Sessions Radio (TM)” and co-founder of The Good Beer Seal, considers the nuances of beer and food pairings, beer trends and traditions with guests Kelly Taylor (Kelso Beer Co.), Matt Bean (Men’s Health) and a panel of New York City’s most innovative beer/food personalities.

And all of this is just in the first two weeks of July Good Beer Month! Don’t forget to check our July Events Calendar for bar-specific events at your favorite Good Beer Seal bars and keep checking here for more information and specials for the month of July. Tune in every Tuesday at 5:00 PM on the Heritage Radio Network for special July Good Beer Month programming on Beer Sessions Radio (TM) including shows about New York State Beers and a preview of the Beer Book, Blog and Video Fest.

As Good Beer Seal friend, Chris Schonberger, recently noted at the 2012 Good Beer Seal Awards: Looking at the cast of Good Beer Seal bars, it’s hard not to be convinced that NYC is making its mark as an elite beer town. The diversity and quality of these dedicated craft beer bars is really impressive.

These days, you can get a growler of great local beer at Duane Reade. That evolution is great, and it speaks to the growing demand for craft beer in the city. But it also means there’s a real need to keep raising the bar and to have an industry standard that sets the right tone. It’s not enough to have 20 taps if you’re not standing behind what you pour in a real way—this year, the writers’ committee of the “good beer seal” was really looking for places that demonstrate individuality and passion, and that foster a sense of community through events that drive a dialogue about craft beer.

“July good beer month” is a perfect example —a group of bar owners, brewers, enthusiasts and other beer-industry folks who seem to genuinely care about collective progress more than personal gain. It almost felt like an old-school town meeting, and it makes you remember that there was a time when taverns were community hubs where people got together to talk about real issues. I think a lot of the Good Beer Seal bars are cut from that cloth, which is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted in the current bar landscape of NYC. These spots not only set the standard for what good beer means today, but also foster the conversation about where it’s headed.

A lot of media coverage is predicated on what’s new and trendy, so it’s important to have a balance like the Good Beer Seal movement that awards places for being consistent and demonstrating a sustainable approach to craft beer.”

Truly, this will be a Happy July Good Beer Month!