Brooklyn homebrewers tour
Beer scribe (and TONY contributor) Joshua M. Bernstein leads this tour of Brooklyn’s finest homebrewers. Check out the amateur setups, meet the makers and taste scores of craft brews, from IPAs and stouts to lagers. Space is limited to 20 enthusiasts, so secure your spot now. For more information and to R.S.V.P., e-mail josh.bernstein@gmail.com. Noon–5pm, $25.

Cask ale festival
Kegs aren’t cutting it? Head to this cask-ale bacchanal to sip unfiltered, unpasteurized, “living” brews—i.e., beers that are still fermenting in the cask. Thirty rare selections, like the Otter Creek Imperial IPA from Vermont, can be enjoyed as either $6 ten-ounce or $8 16-ounce pours. FREE The Brazen Head, 228 Atlantic Ave between Boerum Pl and Court St, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (718-488-0430). Fri–Sun noon–2am.

Spit and twit
Tweet your tasting notes as you stroll through this techy wine event—guests’ 140-character commentary on the 100-plus global wines will be projected on flat-screens around the room all evening long. City Winery, 155 Varick St at Vandam St (212-608-0555). 2–6pm, $35.

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If you lived in wine country, if you owned a vineyard, if you knew how to make wine… Those are a lot of ifs, and besides, all you really want to do is smash some grapes.  Now you can—without leaving the confines of New York City—at City Winery’s first grape crush of the 2009 harvest season. On Sunday, September 20 at noon, the wine and music venue will receive two tons of pinot noir grapes, and they’re asking for your help in pulverizing them all (sure, there are machines that can do the job in a fraction of the time, but what’s the fun in that?). The cost of the event is $50, and included in the price is a guaranteed bottle of the wine made from those very grapes once it’s ready next year. You’ll also get to taste five other wines already made by the Winery, and you’ll take home a bottle of one of their first wines, the Downtown White.

The July 4 weekend was over all too quickly, but don’t let the flames of freedom be extinguished. And by freedom, we mean America’s grills, so keep the barbecuing going tonight, people:

Hudson Square BBQ
Outdoor barbecue: the ultimate cure for Tuesday torpor. Hudson Square’s local businesses have teamed up with City Winery to host this weekly grillfest. The series runs through August 11 and features live bands and a wine and beer garden. Burgers, portobello mushroom sandwiches and grilled chicken ($10 each) all come with artisanal condiments like Katchkie Ketchup and Thunder Pickles. Alt-blues group the Sway Machinery supplies this week’s tunes. FREE City Winery parking lot, 155 Varick St between Spring and Vandam Sts (212-608-0555, citywinery.com). 5–7pm.

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City Winery’s Michael Dorf may have been quick on the trigger with his controversial MJ tribute event, but the question of taste seemed to have at least occurred to him. The same can’t be said of the Village Pourhouse group, which fired off an e-mail chockablock with hee-hawing Jacko references this morning about its upcoming King of Pop pub crawl. This is parasitic gutter PR at its most vile.

Read the entire e-mail after the jump—at peril of encouraging any undue patronage, we’ve redacted the locations of the crawl. Read more »

Good Cheese for Hard Times, Vol. 1
Martin Johnson, founder of curd appreciation society the Joy of Cheese, hosts his three-part series focusing on great cheeses for under $25 per pound. In this first installment, guests will sample ten kinds of budget-friendly fromage, including the intense Gouda Saenkanter. Drinks are pay as you go, and bartenders will be on hand to recommend pairings. 10 Degrees, 121 St. Marks Pl between First Ave and Ave A (212-533-3072). 7–8:15pm, $25.

Happy New Year! In the spirit of new beginnings, TONY kicks 2009 off with a closer look at urban agriculture, a trend that has the potential to become an important part of New York’s food future.

Meanwhile, Jay Cheshes visits Bobo (two stars), and Freemans (four stars), two hipster hangs that have both seen recent chef changes. “If Freemans has the natural charisma stars are born with, Bobo in the West Village is the understudy trying to keep up,” he writes. TONY also drops by the Neapolitan pizza joint Motorino (four stars), in Williamsburg, and Serge Becker’s Café Select (two stars) in Soho. In bars, Jazz Age cocktail and piano lounge Ella (two stars) hits some sour notes. Read more »