For breweries, the season launches at Hunter Mountain at the end of April with the TAP New York Craft Beer & Food Festival. The 2018 gathering that I attended last weekend was the 21st year running, making TAP NY itself old enough, technically speaking, to drink legally.
Saturday-Sunday, April 28-29: This weekend, 126 New York-based craft breweries will be on hand, pouring more than 400 varieties of local beer. We’re not talking about big-corporation beer that comes out of huge vats. We’re talking about handmade beer with personality and genuine taste, made with pride by people who truly enjoy a quality, flavorful beer.
A food truck rally will be held this Saturday, April 21 from noon to 4 p.m. at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park at Lazy River, located at 50 Bevier Road in Gardiner.
Sunday, April 22: Products from some favorite local coffee roasters and tea blenders will be highlighted, including Irving Farms and Harney and Sons Fine Teas. There will also be a variety of coffee- and tea-themed desserts, all made in the Hudson Valley.
Friday-Saturday, April 13-14: Mount Tremper will play host to Grill’n and Chill’n in the Catskills, at which top pitmasters, celebrity chefs, distillers and outdoor guides will display their skills. Cast-iron and Dutch-oven demos with sampling, jerky-making, open-pit cooking and bourbon-tasting are just a few of the culinary experiences that attendees will be able to enjoy, while contributing to a great cause.
The restaurant has been an Ulster County fixture for 25 years. It will close April 7.
“People say we’re in the worst location in Woodstock. I disagree. It’s nice to be tucked away.”
Mike and Heidi Ferraro took over Saugerties’ famous Deutsche Metzgerei in 2001 when its former owners, Austrian-born brothers Bill and Peter Muellner, hung up their aprons after more than 50 years of butchering and smoking meats for the local clientele.
Saturday, March 24: Each kit will feature a unique recipe, easy-to-follow instructions, the ingredients needed to brew five gallons of beer and a promotional item from a different independent craft brewery. To celebrate the launch of the Keegan Ales homebrew kit, which will feature Keegan’s limited-edition California Common beer, Brewmates will be hosting a party. Admission is free, and guests aged 21+ can sample a free pint of California Common. There will also be drawings to win Brewmates recipe kits, tickets to the Tap NY Festival and other prizes.
What sets the Blackboard Bistro apart from other dining places is that the staff generating the goodwill there are in large part people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Blackboard Bistro is owned and operated by the private, nonprofit agency Arc of Ulster-Greene.