How many times have you been on the road, eager to seek out the local fare but with little idea where to turn? It’s a regular occurrence for me. I find a great place to start is usually at the local bar – but who knows what to expect behind divey doors?
Lovers of good, regional beers who like to travel will be happy to know that Sheraton’s Four Points hotels have got their back: the chain’s Best Brews program brings the best of local ales, lagers and microbrews to its guests, even letting them try one or two on the house. (Got relatives in town for some Oktoberfest shenanigans? The Chelsea branch could be just the place to start a pub-crawl.)
To celebrate its love of beer, Four Points helped roll out the first annual Harbor Island International Beer Festival in Mamaroneck last Saturday, which was rumored to be the largest brew fest of its kind on American soil – not surprising when you consider there were over 150 breweries on show under three large tents.
As part of its partnership with the event, which was presented by Half Time, a beer-selling website promising the world’s largest selection of the suds, Four Points transformed the VIP tent into one of its signature hotel pubs, which was a welcome place to relax in between samplings and nibbling the coal-fired pizza from The Parlor of Dobbs Ferry, NY (which does a mean white pie).
As for the brewskis, there was much from the five boroughs on show, including Brooklyn Brewery, KelSo and Sixpoint – as well as others from the Hudson Valley, like Captain Lawrence (Elmsford, NY), Bull & Barrel (Brewster, NY), Yonkers Brewing Co. and Broken Bow Brewery (Tuckahoe, NY).
Best brew of the day was the Smoked Oktoberfest from Yonkers Brewing Co. – it was warming and smoky in a way that feels like Fall. If you’re interested in trying it, or any of the beers from the 18-month-old brand, you’ll be happy to hear the brewery will open its doors to the public in the former Yonkers Trolley Barn, a stone’s throw from the Metro North station (less than 20 minutes from Grand Central). Make sure you watch that space – downtown Yonkers in general is slowly becoming worthy of an afternoon trip in itself.
A second favorite tipple was Bull & Barrel’s black and blue – a heady mix of its oatmeal stout and honey blueberry, which was the perfect transition away from the warm days of summer fruits and into the season of cozy layers and falling leaves.
If you missed the beer fest, check out a Four Points, or plan a tri-state brewery tour. There are so many in NYC and Westchester alone that you won’t have to go far. Grab a designated driver, a Zipcar (or the L train) and go!
Twisted Talk: What’s your favorite local brew? Does New York have the best? Discuss below!
