Continuing its series of seasonal beer events, the “NYC Craft Beer Festival” revisited the Lexington Armory on Saturday and Sunday, this time for its “Winter Harvest” installment.  Staged in two Saturday sessions and one on Sunday, the event featured dual offerings from roughly 75 breweries from across the country.  Given the wintry theme, the focus trended to the warmer end of the spectrum, with a heavy dose of IPAs and other ABV-friendly ales, complemented by a generous selection of stouts and ciders (and the occasional winter lager).

Despite the considerable number of entries and the sell-out crowd, the venue proved more than equal to the task, as its towering arched ceiling and 45,000 square feet of floor space provided plenty of breathing room for the sea of beer drinkers on hand.  Booths were manned by a combination of volunteers and brewery representatives (it was easy to tell the difference) and generally featured bottles rather than drafts, although in our opinion many of the selections would have been enhanced by keg-based delivery.

While many brewers brought their standard winter fare to the table, our favorites were limited releases from Dogfish Head’s ‘Ancient Ales’ series — “Kvasir” and “Birra Etrusca Bronze” – which were captivating without being overwhelming at 8.5%-10% ABV.  Among the more readily available selections, the well-attended Lagunitas booth featured affable reps plying their “Brown Shugga’” and “Little Sumpin’ Wild” ales (the latter being the high octane cousin of their popular Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’).  Standouts from the cider contingent included two offerings from Doc’s Draft Hard Ciders – “Pumpkin” and “Raspberry Framboise” – which used subtlety rather than sweetness to make their point (at 5.5% – 6.0% ABV).

If you were lucky enough to score a green wrist band, the downstairs Connoisseurs Lounge provided a peaceful alternative to the boisterous main floor, complete with catered finger foods. The “Brisket Sliders” (Route 66 Smokehouse) and “Mini Shrimp Cocktail with Horseradish Panna Cotta” (Pinch American Grill) stood above the rest. The lounge also featured live music (courtesy of a guitar-strumming songstress), additional limited release beer selections, and beer “hoptails” served up by “Cocktail Guru” Jonathan Pogash.

A la carte food selections were also available to the hoi polloi, as Morris Grilled Cheese, Carl’s Steaks, El Paso, and Cooper’s Craft & Kitchen set up shop in the rear of the Armory floor. The crowd favorite seemed to be the MGCs, so we decided to split their “Classic Grilled Cheese ($6)” as we listened to the Cocktail Guru’s “Let’s Make Hoptails” seminar.

With all of the usual suspects in the beer game once again in attendance, the weekend long Beer Festival was once again a smashing success, punctuated by table after table of beers both familiar and unknown, serving suds to hundreds upon hundreds of smiling faces. The NYCraftBeerFest website is being updated constantly and although we are in the thralls of the cold season, spring is just around the corner. And with that comes another event of epic proportion for even the most casual beer drinker.