Browsing CategoryRegions

Mark Tichenor is far too indulgent in his passion for beer. His love of brewing and its history has taken him across the United States and Europe, but he finds much brewing greatness in his hometown of Rochester, New York. He has been writing about beer, in print and online, for eight years. >> Read Mark’s posts | Follow Mark on Twitter | Visit Mark’s Site >> Read Tom’s posts | Follow Tom on Twitter | Visit Tom’s blog  

By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor Last Thursday, a grassroots group went to Albany to ask state leaders to prevent hydrofracking from coming to New York state. Many of the marchers were professionals in the Finger Lakes wine industry, which tends to view fracking as a serious threat. Winemakers and winery owners tell me there will be many more similar demonstrations, but they're not yet satisfied with the response from the wine industry. Here are some big questions regarding fracking.  How severe could the environmental problems be? There's no way to know, but the rhetoric can be strong. Long-time New York…

  By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Today Mark Tichenor joins our masthead as a Beer Correspondent covering the beer scene in Rochester and beyond. I've been a reader of Mark both on Twitter and on his site, Beercraft, for a few years now and I've always been impressed with the depth of his knowledge and his willingness to share his opinions in an honest, but constructive way. Mark has been writing about beer, in print and online, for eight years and will cover the Rochester beer scene for NYCR and also offer commentary and insight into the greater New York…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor The Signature Series is Custom Brewcrafters' higher-end line of beers, allowing the brewers to stretch their wings outside the regular CB flagships and contract brews. This saison pours a gorgeous three-finger head with perfect lacing, a beautiful pale gold haze glowing from the glass. The nose shows orange zest and meringue, pillowy yeast esters and a twinge of coriander, high-toned lemony minerality, and just a hint of earthy musk. There

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor We still have a few seats available for our next "New York Beverage Artisan Dinner" at Luce & Hawkins on Monday, July 11 at 7p.m. Tom Higgins, co-owner and winemaker at Heart & Hands Wine Company on Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes will present his 2009 Brut Rose, 2009 Pinot Noir, two 2008 single-vineyard pinot noirs and a 2008 Barrel Reserve Pinot Noir — with a four-course meal prepared by Chef Keith Luce, all for $75. Get all the details here. If you'd like to join us, send me an email. These are wines…

The tasting room at Benmarl Winery. By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Day two of my Hudson Valley adventure was all about wine tasting, but before wine there has to be coffee, and we kicked off the day with a trip to Strongtown Organic Coffee Roasters in Hudson. There I had the best cup of coffee in my life (I

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor This week, we dedicate our What We Drank feature to Red Newt Cellars, winemaker Dave Whiting and especially Debra Whiting, who was taken from us and the world far too soon. And, we've invited members of the New York wine community and the extended NYCR family to take part as well. It's the least we can do for a woman and a family that has touched so many of us. If you read this post and would like to send me your own submission, please do. I will keep adding onto this page as long…

From Jim Silver, General Manager, Peconic Bay Winery: "Here