If you live under a rock, then I have some news for you: American Craft Beer Week started on Monday! It’s week full of special craft beer events across the nation, unless you live in New Jersey, perhaps the lamest craft beer state in America. Sure, we get some pretty awesome beers here, but the Brewers Association’s very nifty event locator shows a total of four (four!) beer events this week in America’s most population-dense state. That’s more than a dozen less than Idaho, and three less than Oklahoma, where they shoot to kill if they see you drinking a beer – true story!
Of course there are dazzling craft beer orgies happening across the river in New York City, but it’s such a pain in the ass squeezing through a tunnel or paying $12 to use a bridge, and then $$$$ to park, and then realizing you can’t really drink ANYTHING because you have to drive back home, etc., etc., etc. It’s really not worth it. Instead, the Big Apple just sucks the life out of the suburbs – no good museums, few great restaurants and nothing truly cool happening during Craft Beer Week. 😦
Alright, pity party over! If you’re a person who loves tasty craft beer (and you know you are) check out this event locator on the Brewers Association website and see what’s happening in your neck of the woods. There’s a good chance that it’s better than what’s happening in New Jersey, which is probably what you already thought. About everything. Except spray tanning. We got spray tanning cornered!
Happy American Craft Beer Week!
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Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Jim, you might want to check on Jersey’s Brewer’s site as well for events. Although the list is extensive for Colorado events, there are still quite a few that aren’t listed, like the Meet the Brewer event I’m going to tonight at Renegade here in Denver.
Can’t you just take a train into NYC or Philly?
I can take the train, but I have to drive to it. Then it’s an hour into the city, getting to the event, getting back to the train, driving back home. Transit time is a minimum of three hours for any train travel into NYC when you consider driving, trains rides, transfers, walking/cabbing to an event or location, etc. Plus, i work, which means I’m not getting to the train until 7pm at the earliest, so if I spend two hours at an event, I’m back home at midnight, then getting up at 5am to start my day. All told, it’s a pretty huge hassle to go into the city without getting a room, which is pricey.
As for your Oklahoma remark, I was recently out there visiting my brother-in-law and had some wonderful brews by a brewery named Marshall’s in Tulsa. Also had Boulevard’s wheat beer at a local pub. So, even in the buckle of Bible Belt, in the reddest Red state, craft beer can be found. It’s heartwarming, really.
Maybe I was thinking about Mississippi… 😉
Regardless of political affiliations, good people drink good beer.
Is it “pile on New Jersey” time? State bird: the middle finger. State motto: What’re you lookin’ at, a**wipe? State song: dueling car horns. State flower: Axe body spray. State tree: “What’s a tree, a**wipe?”
Other suggestions?
Wow…I think that about covers it!