Beer Balls!

Jimmy and Squigs on the scene!For those in NYC on this beautiful spring day, a little bit of time indoors at 404 10th Avenue was time well spent!  Today, we were presented with Beer Balls thanks to the gang at GetRealNYC.  Unlimited craft beer (some AMAZING stuff) with unlimited meatballs of amazing taste and variety.  It was a lot to juggle.

There were so many great brews being poured.  A couple of nifty surprises were the espresso amber from Peak Organic (a lot of vanilla and coffee happening there) and an impromptu pairing of Original Sin Cherry Tree Cider and Ommegang Aphrodite... such different pours but with such interesting similarities.  Of course, there were plenty of big ol' beers too.  So many wonderful pales (Hill Farmstead Edward) and IPAs (Dogfish Head 75 Minute on cask) and imperial stouts (a fab barrel aged brew from Kelso) and hard-hitting reds (Tongue Buckler from Ballast Point) and much much more.

Casks and many balls.And the meatballs!! So many choices! Beef, turkey, elk, venison, and more!  We tried so many amazing bites, but a couple that really stood out were the cumin and mint tinged balls from Blind Tiger and the Berkshire pork and chive soup dumpling meatballs with wonton chips from Alewife Queens.  Wow!

NYC beer lovers were out in force. such a great turnout, but not prohibitively crowded!The Crew. Great job, GetRealNYC!!We love the gang at GetRealNYC!  Patrick and Cuzme and Mary and the gang consistently bring us fantastic events with great brews and nosh.  We hear tell of an amazing outdoor event headed our way in May, and when it's announced, you can be sure that the Happy Hour Guys will get you the 411.  Thanks, y'all, for the amazingness!  THAT's what's HOPpenin', y'all!  Cheers!

Video #222: Great Pizza and Craft Beer in Amish Country - The Fridge.

The Guys make a stop in Lancaster, PA at The Fridge, a craft beer bottle shop and flatbread pizza cafe that will simply make you happy to be alive. Join Owners Kevin Brown and James Futty as they talk art, craft, pizza and beer. Enjoy!

Video episode #221, for 5 Napkin: Wolaver's Organic Brown Ale.

Original 5 Napkin Burger, you may have met your Perfect Match: Wolaver's Brown. Join Mark and Jimmy as they travel up to Middlebury, VT, to find out why. Cheers!

We're going to grab some balls!

(Okay, maybe I should have rethought that title.)  Artsy Guy here.  Howdy, Nation!  For those of you in or near NYC, Saturday April 7 will bring quite the amazing event: Beer Balls!  Some of our favorite folks in the NYC craft beer scene are the peeps at GetReal NYC, and they're giving us yea one more reason to love them.  This event will combine some of the best craft beer from here and abroad with every kind of meatball imaginable from many an NYC chef.  Session admission brings unlimited servings of both.  What??  Yes!!

And right now, there is an amazing deal cookin' over at Thrillist, good through March 27.  Click on over there for an early bird discount on the various admission packages.  So grab your package.  Then grab NYC by the balls!  That's what's HOPpenin', y'all!

Video episode #220, for 5 Napkin: Smuttynose Robust Porter.

Mark and Jimmy take you to New Hampshire to run down the goods on this fantastic, chocolatey beauty. Enjoy!

American. Craft. NYC. What a day!!

The inaugural NYC American Craft Beer Festival hit the Lexington Armory today with a sound wallop. 

The Guys at the Fest. You can tell it's Squigs by the scraggly goatee.Squigs (Artsy Guy) here.  Where to start?  There were craft brews from all over this great nation of ours: Kelso, Stone, Weyerbacher, Great Divide, Rogue, Victory, Cigar City, Clown Shoes, Wandering Star, Brooklyn, Green Flash, Long Ireland, Empire, and on and on and on.  And everyone brought some A game.  This hop head was particularly jazzed with a lot of IPAs, double IPAs, and black IPAs on the docket.  But there was so much more, and we happily took the tour in two ounce servings.

In addition to the suds, there was food to be had.  I particularly enjoyed the pulled pork sandwich with twice-baked potato salad on top.  Jimmy devoured a Frito pie.  And there were tables offering ways to connect with fellow beer lovers, books for purchase (our pal Josh Bernstein with his Brewed Awakening), apparel, and more.  And a special package deal allowed folks into the connoisseur lounge for an extra fee.  We have to say that the perk was well worth it.  Pours of special limited and vintage releases from some amazing breweries.  Live music.  Nosh presented on trays.  (I particularly enjoyed the bacon wrapped scallops.)  And all of this in a dimly-lit (and muraled) downstairs room in the armory that had a fun speakeasy feel with setees and standing tables.

Jimmy and his Frito pie. The Connoisseur Lounge. Happy Guys with big beers.Jimmy! Sean McCain from Victory! Olivia Cerio from Empire! Chris Cuzme from Wandering Star! Amy Litt, social media genius! And Squigs on the Hipstamatic! Community.Mastermind Robert Howell led a team that organized an event that to this Guy seemed to run seamlessly.  His background in huge rock events was evident.  And the craft beer community was out in force.  As The Happy Hour Guys always say, the best thing about events like this and the craft of craft beer is the community it all brings together.  It was great to see old friends and meet new ones, all brought together by the art of beer.  Jimmy and I encourage you all to keep an eye on this event which we hope wallops us again in the future.  That's what's HOPpenin', y'all!  Cheers!

Video episode #219: The Queens Kickshaw - Don't forget the grilled cheese.

Mark, Jimmy, and Squigs are back in ASTORIA (Why leave Astoria, anyway?) at the Queens Kickshaw! In a very short period, this haven of craft liquids and solids has made an indelible imprint on this evolving neighborhood. Cold Brewed coffee, craft beers, Kombucha Ale, gruyere grilled cheeses... sounds like heaven to us. What is a Kickshaw, anyway? Join us and find out. Cheers!