For a week every spring, New York City is taken over by overflowing beer taps pouring out the best local brews. Beer events pop up around the city year round, but NYC Beer Week takes all of the events and shoves them in your face at one time. The staggering amount of events can make even the most seasoned beer connoisseurs heads spin. You have to choose your events wisely, lest you go too hard and the spend the majority of the week nursing a wicked hangover.
The ‘aPORKalypse Now’ Local Beer and Pork Festival was one of the highlights of NYC Beer Week. Taking place at Alewife NYC, the fest featured all local brews (which I love) and pork prepared in every way you can imagine.
Now here’s the funny thing – I don’t really like pork! At least that’s what I thought before the event. Turns out I’m just picky about my pork. The food was delightful. Pork from a smoker, marinated in au jus, served on artisan bread, or my favorite, served up as Chicharrónes.
And let’s not forget the beer! We got to choose from over 25 different varieties of local beer to try – both on tap and from casks. One word of advice I have for any beer event novices out there? Always bring a partner. (Preferably a friend who enjoys good beer.) Dave (my husband) and I always make sure to get different samples so we can try as much as possible. Bringing someone ensures that you get to try twice as much as you would normally, and without becoming too full or buzzed.
Being able to sample so many great beers from the local breweries themselves is fantastic, but the fact that I get to support these microbreweries on a more intimate level rather than just buying a six-pack at the store adds such a deeper level to my beer appreciation. Can’t wait till next year!
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