Happy New Year! Have a New Beer! A US Amy soldier in light digital camo fatigues walks through the door as I'm sitting in C'set Cheese in Morristown eating my hot pastrami sloppy joe on rye - it's off menu. His surname, Deerin is labeled on his hat clutched with gloves in his right hand. In the time it took for me to write this, he decided on the Crabnbeerry Harvati Sandwich. . . one of my faves. Theres no point to this other than I'm trying to figure out what to write about 2013 that will set up 2014. He readily made up his mind, (he's already calling it the number 2). I'm still stalling...Well, Beer. You might be surprised to learn that they actually sell craft beer here. Really. Take out, for use at the numerous local BYO restaurants. They could use selection help, but overall, I applaud there effort to keeping the old lunch boutique trendy. Ok, now I'm supposed to be writing about beer. Sort of. Beer and NJ. Beer, NJ and events. Yep. Nope. Craft Beer, NJ, Events. That's it. Craft Beer events in NJ. That's what we do. It's what we've been doing for a few years now. 2013 was fantastic for us. Let's be honest, 2012 was not a tough year to follow. In this area it could be summed up in one word...Sandy. All 2013 had to do to improve, was come and go. Well it did that and more. NJ saw some great beer events and early on, some, uh, not so great. We had a great time throwing some premier outdoor festivals; The Garden State BrewFest, and Brew at the Zoo at the famous Turtle Back Zoo. Without giving away secrets, I'm super stoked for what we're delivering in 2014. I promised our marketing team I wouldn't spoil their announcements, so here's the 40,000 foot view. Bigger, better and more core. The Garden State BrewFest will be back again with an expanded foot print. Turtle Back Zoo is excited to host the 2nd annual Brew at the Zoo and were putting together several other events of various shapes and sizes. Spoiler Alert: A New England Festival, A NJ Fall Festiival, and more. One of our key commitments is to keep it cool. Every event is one that we would want to attend ourselves. Good Beer goes with everything. Music, Art, Sports, Food, Games. The 2014 events will fuse these, delivering new, unique and exciting experiences. The Team The team is growing. We've launched The Brew Experience that is geared toward all members in the 3 tier system. These are exciting times. Craft is growing at a double digit rates and so, we've rounded up some of the brightest lights in the area to help you. Whether you're a noob, entering beer pre-K, or ready to launch a killer craft beer bar downtown, whether you're throwing the gala of the century or an intimate craft themed party. We'll help you nail it, everytime. Stay tuned for more. Until then, keep your glasses full and your taste buds happy. Rob
