Posts Written OnJuly 13, 2011

By Mark Tichenor, Beer Correspondent American beer fans are fortunate; the best and most famous craft brews are available from coast to coast. Still, it's a pleasure to find excellent beers brewed and served on a small scale, with a local ethic. Some of the finest are only available at a singular time and place. That's the case with McBane's Unfiltered Expo Pils, brewed as a collaboration between Joe McBane, owner of Rochester's Tap and Mallet gastropub, and Bruce Lish, brewer at Custom Brewcrafters of Honeoye Falls, New York. Brewed to coincide with the Tap and Mallet's recent Real Beer…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor It is hot on Long Island this week — really hot — and has been for a few weeks not. Couple that with my wife Nena being pregnant and you get where I am today — more beer filling my glass, both at home and at restaurants. I'm an extremely seasonal drinker — whether we're talking beer or wine. In the winter, I drink far more red wines than white. The opposite is true in the summer. There are exceptions of course (these are personal guidelines rather than rules), including riesling and cabernet franc. I…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor This Saturday evening, I'll be making the drive down to the Hamptons to attend the inaugural Dan's Taste of Two Forks event at Sayre Park in Bridgehampton. Organized by Dan's Papers (full disclosure: I'm their wine columnist) and hosted by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, the event will bring together top chefs and wineries from both the North and South Forks under one 'roof.' The idea isn't a new one — it isn't that different from the HARVEST EAST END event that launched last fall — but this is sure to be a fun evening and…