Go for the green!

St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us. Don't have plans? Don't fret? Just follow our guide to getting the most out of the big day - from where to eat some free corned beef and what bars have the best music to where to show up looking like this guy.

It's all available for you here.

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Just call it Booze Aid!

By Aaron Short

Spirits are rising — to save the City Reliquary!

Brooklyn’s most revered mixologists will show off the borough’s smoothest spirits in a tasty taste test on Friday at The Brooklyn Kitchen.

The booze-and-schmoose fundraiser will benefit the City Reliquary, Williamsburg’s most beloved micro-museum and curator of do-it-yourself craft culture.

The Reliquary’s Matt Levy says it’s the perfect time to try all those Brooklyn-made cocktails you’ve been reading about, such as Kings County Distilling’s whiskey and Breuckelen Distilling’s gin — which Levy likes straight up.

“Brooklyn Distilling makes a mighty fine gin and I like all the cocktails being served — I’m an equal opportunity drinker,” said Levy, adding that there will be “no baptisms” allowed.

Thirsty guests can sample mixed drinks at five cocktail tables, including a wine station with Red Hook Wines and a beer station with — what else? — Brooklyn Brewery showing off its top shelf stuff.

Make sure you try Sother Teague’s “Jack Rose,” an applejack sidecar she developed at Rye, and a dark rum daquiri that Joel Lee Kulp developed at The Richardson.

And to ensure that people don’t pass out on the floor, there will be salty, alcohol-absorbing treats from The Meat Hook, Saltie, The Commodore, Roebling Tea Room, Momofuku Baker, and coffee from Oslo.

So get into the spirit! — just make sure to call a cab home first.

Booze and Schmooze with the City Reliquary at The Brooklyn Kitchen [100 Frost St. at Meeker Avenue in Williamsburg, (718) 389-2982], Feb. 25. 7-11 pm. $75-$100. For tickets, http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/155768.

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Something's brewing at Sycamore

Justin Israelson and Gary Jonas aren’t so great at homebrewing.

“We always complicate the matter,” said Israelson, who operates Sycamore Bar and Flowershop with Jonas. “Instead of just doing what you’re supposed to, it’s, ‘Let’s add this ingredient in,’ and, of course, it messes it up.”

To avoid that problem, the duo has invited 20 “beer professionals” to show off their stuff in the first ever Brooklyn Wort competition on Aug. 21 at their Flatbush bar (the competition takes its name from the term for pre-yeasted brew).

“When you usually do these competitions, you’re mailing the samples to the judges. It takes months,” said Israelson. “We thought it would be fun to get a competition going where it’s live and see how creative people can be.”

Like a U2 concert at Madison Square Garden, the sign-up list filled up almost instantaneously.

“There’s tons and tons and tons of homebrewers in Brooklyn,” said Ben Granger of Park Slope’s Bierkraft, who’ll be one of six judges deciding the $800 prize. “That, combined with the fact that there’s actual money involved.”

Israelson is expecting Belgian-style bitters, pale ales, and IPAs at his first competition. And beer lovers won’t miss an ounce, either, as the tickeet price includes samples of all 20 concoctions, as well as a plate full of barbecue.

You might even pick up a tip or two for your own homebrewing experiments.

“I’m hoping to learn something from these guys,” said Israelson.

So start perfecting those homebrews now.

Brooklyn Wort at Sycamore Bar and Flowershop [1118 Cortelyou Rd. near Westminster Road, (347) 240-5850], Aug. 21 at 5 pm (the 2:30 pm tasting is sold out). Tickets $20. For info, visit www.brooklynwort.com.

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Heights' got spirit

What better way to celebrate a 100th birthday than to bounce into four of Brooklyn Heights’s best bars and drink a special cocktail designed just for the occasion?

On Aug. 5, the Brooklyn Heights Association invites you to do just that to mark the venerable community group’s centennial year.

Along the crawl, you’ll enjoy the “Height’s Hundredth Hellenic Punch,” a nod to the association’s centennial, comprised of Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, mint-infused honey syrup, fresh lemon and lime juice, at the Brooklyn Heights Wine Bar on Henry Street.

Then it’s on to Armando’s on Montague Street, where you can sip a “Promenade Prosecco Punch,” a blend of Prosecco, Aperol and club soda.

After the hike to Atlantic Avenue, cool off from the crawl at the Waterfront Ale House with an “Atlantic Antic Maker’s Mark Mojito,” a sweet summer cocktail made with rum, ginger ale, pomegranate juice and maraschino.

A block away at the Roebling Inn, you’ll quench your thirst from walking a block with a “Brooklyn Bridge Buzz”, a bubbly blend of cherry rum with cranberry juice and lime (see the recipe below!).

“It’s a tart cherry and cranberry drink, so quite refreshing for the summer time,” said Jason Furlani (pictured), owner of the Atlantic Avenue bar. “It’s delicious.”

The venues have also paired their concoctions with some hors d’oeuvre, from hot dogs to baked clams, so you’re not drinking on an empty stomach.

Brooklyn Heights pub crawl, starting at Brooklyn Heights Wine Bar [50 Henry St. at Cranberry Street, (718) 855-5595] at 7:30 pm on Aug. 5. Tickets $25, which includes food and drink. RSVP required to rsvp@austeragency.com. For info, visit www.thebha.org.

One of the bar owners involved in next week’s Brooklyn Heights Association’s 100th anniversary pub crawl, Jason Furlani, shares his special summer-time concoction, the Brooklyn Bridge Buzz, so you too can enjoy this Roebling Inn exclusive.

The Brooklyn Bridge Buzz

(created by Jason Furlani of The Roebling Inn)

Ingredients

1-1/2 ounces Bacardi Torched Cherry Rum

Equal parts cranberry juice and club soda

Floater of Rose’s Lime Juice

Crushed ice

Directions

Combine the rum, cranberry and club soda, and top with the lime juice. Add crushed ice, sit back and enjoy with a copy of Truman Capote’s “House on the Heights.”

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Brighton Beach 2010 - livelier than ever

By Damian Harris-Hernandez and Stephen Witt

Coney Island, with its topsy-turvy amusements, sports bars and sideshow freaks, tends to grab the spotlight for nightlife in southern Brooklyn. But its neighbor to the east — Brighton Beach — is a sea of debauchery in its own right.

Long known as “Little Odessa” for its influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, the neighborhood sports several excellent nightclubs and restaurants that — with a little help from the ever-flowing vodka — will make you feel more like you’re at a Black Sea hot spot than a few blocks from Coney Island. And it’s livelier than ever, thanks to the long summer nights attracting revelers to the Boardwalk and weekly entertainment.

“We are always trying something new, whether it’s a new dish or a new dance number,” said Sofia Vinokurov, owner of National Restaurant and Nightclub owner, one of the neighborhood’s premier spots, known for its Vegas-style floorshows. “That’s what keeps people coming back.”

With Asser Levy Seaside Park just a stone’s throw away, throwing free concerts all summer long on Thursdays, you can also make a night of it with dinner and some music.

Here are a few key places to start:

National Restaurant and Nightclub

The swinging doors open into a two-tiered banquet hall with lavish carpet, gilded ornaments and giant chandeliers at the National. Roses and a bottle of vodka (of course) bedeck every table.

The Brighton Avenue institution treats club goers, from multi-generational Russian families to New Jersey party girls, to smoked fish, beef tongue and scrumptious creamy crawfish salad while singers perform American and Russian hits.

Then it’s time for the main event. The 30-year-old family-run nightclub provides Brighton Beach’s answer to an Atlantic Ci

ty floorshow, as six skillful dancers in Marie Antoinette-era masquerade costumes perform professionally choreographed numbers. To call it over-the-top is an understatement.

National Restaurant and Nightclub [273 Brighton Beach Ave. between Brighton Second and Brighton Third streets, (718) 646-1225]. Call ahead for show schedule and to make a reservation.

Primorski Restaurant

As one of Brighton Beach’s original nightclubs, Primorski prides itself on offering live music seven nights a week. The large dance floor accommodates an all-ages crowd of Russians, Georgians and Americans.

As for food, diners can order from either the Russian menu or the “Caucasian” menu, which features Georgian specialties. Both menus boast a smorgasbord of cold and hot appetizers including Russian crepes, fried Georgian cheese, and khinkali, a Georgian dumpling.

Primorski Restaurant [282 Brighton Beach Ave. between Brighton Second and Brighton Third streets, (718) 891-3111].

Cafe Arbat

Café Arbat has been a popular restaurant for over 20 years, and it has the pictures to prove it. Autographed photos of famous Russians and even Liza Minnelli taken at the restaurant adorn the wallpapered dining room.

The small, down-home restaurant caters to an older crowd that isn’t afraid to get out on the dance floor and shake a leg when t

he club brings out the accordion player on the weekends.

Besides live music and dancing every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it’s the menu that draws people far and wide. Waiter Alex K. touts the Chicken Kiev ($12.90), a breaded chicken breast stuffed with garlic butter and herbs. The kitchen also does a mean shrimp scampi.

Cafe Arbat [30

6 Brighton Beach Ave. between Brighton Third and Brighton Fourth streets, (718) 332-5050].

Pastorale Restaurant

Pastorale is known for its French and Russian food. Owner Sofia Erenburg, a Belarus native, claims she even introduced Ukrainian borsht to Brooklyn.

Whether that’s true or not, she is most proud of her special Salad Pastorale, the ingredients of which she refuses to relinquish for fear that everybody will steal her mad culinary skills.

The 10-year-old restaurant brings in new customers and regulars alike who enjoy the pan-Soviet cuisine.

“We have a lot of old patrons that love the kitchen so they always come back,” said restaurant manager Ivan Moroz.

Pastorale opens up the dance floor on weekends with live music and, if you’re lucky, belly dancers.

Pastorale Restaurant [410 Brighton Beach Ave. between Brighton Fourth and Brighton Fifth streets (718) 648-5484].

Le Soleil Draft Barn

Operated by the New Winter Garden, Le Soleil brightens up the Boardwalk with outdoor ocean-view seating. Beer lovers can choose from over 120 beers, 10 of which are on draft, including Krusovice and Gruut, a Belgian wheat. But after a hot day on the beach, nothing goes down better than a cold, refreshing Czechvar.

The beer barn also rustles up hearty Balkan soakage. How about some hog knuckle ($15) or, for the beach bum, a gypsy steak ($15)? For the vegetarian, there’s lecho ($12), a multi-colored dish made of sautéed bell peppers.

Beach revelers come from far and wide to drink, eat and, on the weekends, dance to live music.

“A lot of tourists from France and England come in here as well as Russians,” said Marina, one of many friendly bar staff on hand.

Le Soleil Draft Barn [3152 Brighton Sixth St. at the Boardwalk, (718) 934-6666].

Tatian

a Restaurant and Nightclub

Plurality is the name of the game at Tatiana, a restaurant that shares the Boardwalk with Le Soleil.

“We serve continental food,” said manager Igor Kvetnoy. “Italian, French, German, Ukrainian — you name it.”

On weekends, an 11-piece band performs the hits from a multitude of countries ranging from Russia to Mexico as part of a Vegas-style floorshow.

For those who just want to dance while saving a few bucks on food and drink, Tatiana’s Bar and Grill located a few doors down the Boardwalk stays open late. Goldfish even swim beneath the glass dance floor!

Tatiana [3152 Brighton Sixth St. at the Boardwalk, (718) 891-5151].

Kebeer

Mad Max is the man behind the grill at Kebeer, an airy German beer hall serving Central Asian fare. He’s got the only “lamburghini” in town. “It’s a burger made of lamb,” says proud owner Max Arron. “What else could I call it?”

The name, a zany contraction of kebab and beer, aptly describes the bar. Kabeer flaunts 12 beers on tap and over 70 in the bottle. The impressive food menu offers a large selection of kebabs as well as other Uzbek and Tajik

specialties including plov, lamb served over rice, onion and garbanzos.

Kebeer presents the Big Boy Challenge, a tempting dare that awards anyone who drinks four liters of beer in one sitting with yet another liter on the house. If the thirsty lush finishes the fifth, then he can drink a free half liter with every meal forever.

Kebeer [1003 Brighton Beach Ave. at Coney Island Avenue, (718) 934-9005].

Club Oceana Hall

From artist performances to DJ dance parties, there’s always something going on at this old theater-turned-events venue.

“The entertainment changes every night,” said Jamie Czerniawski, who books shows at Oceana Hall. “We could have a comedian one night, live bands the next.”

While the club occasionally hosts private parties, most events are open to the public. With a full bar on hand, the party warms up around 10 pm and carries on until four in the morning. There’s typically a $20 cover at the door.

Club Oceana Hall [1029 Brighton Beach Ave. between Brighton 11th and Brighton 12th streets, (718) 513–6616].

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Get in the spirit in Sunset Park

By Aaron Short

If one could distill the essence of Brooklyn, it would probably taste like Brad Estabrooke’s gin.

Estabrook’s Breuckelen Distillery will open its long-awaited Sunset Park-based distillery for tours and tastings on Sunday, adding a much-needed jolt to Brooklyn’s spirit world.

The venture is part of a trend of several microdistilleries, from Kings County Distillery’s moonshine and bourbon operation in East Williamsburg to Tom Potter’s New York Distilling Company in Greenpoint, which will soon make rye and gin.

For Estabrooke, gin is where the money is.

“It’s a great and much more interesting spirit than vodka,” said Estabrooke. “Vodka is supposed to be neutral, tasteless and odorless. Who wants to drink that?”

Breuckelen’s smooth spirit tastes remarkably different from commercial brands for two reasons: Estabrooke makes his own gin from scratch using New York State wheat and uses only five botanicals to flavor his gin, as opposed to the 15 or so ingredients that global conglomerates use.

“There’s no way you can pick out the flavors in commercial gins,” said Estabrooke. “We’re using Juniper berries, lemon peel, grapefruit peel, ginger, and rosemary.”

This month, oenophiles and spirit lovers can visit the Breuckelen factory on 19th Street just off Third Avenue and taste the difference themselves. The factory will offer bottles for sale at $35 and three samples to choose from: the predistilled wheat spirit, the finished gin, and a gin and tonic medley using a splash of Brooklyn’s own Q Tonic.

Estabrooke hopes Brooklyn’s demanding palates will embrace the spirits coming from the microdistillery craze. He takes his straight with a twist of lemon.

“It’s because of the way we distilled the wheat which gives it a smoother, rounder fuller flavor,” said Estabrook. “It’s not a sip of Beefeater.”

We’ll take ours shaken or stirred (or any way we can get it).

Breuckelen Distilling Company [77 19th St. west of Third Avenue in Sunset Park, (347) 725-4985]. Opens Aug. 1 at noon. For info, www.brkgin.com.

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Call it Hotlantic!

Atlantic Avenue is sizzling this summer, thanks to an influx of new bars, cafes ands stores in the past few years, especially within the six months.

Check out our guide to doing the strip right, and don't miss our story on Atlantic's old guard - the Arabic shops - which were there before there was a Trader Joes or Crop to Cup.

Graphic by Adam Suerte/Brooklyn Tattoo

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Bastille Day in Brooklyn

Bastille Day may have been yesterday, but the real celebration doesn't start until the weekend here in Brooklyn.

To party like its 1789, here's our guide:

Where to go: Smith Street is the mecca of all Bastille Day festivities, from the first-rate restaurants to the games of petanque that take over the street.

How to play: What's petanque, you say? We tell you the rules of the French pastime.

What to drink: Lillet is the liquor of choice, so drink it straight, or make Bar Tabac's Lillet Spritzer.

What to eat: Just in time, Park Slope's Moutard is revamped, and it's better than ever.

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For more World Cup action...

By Aaron Short

The eyes of the world will be on soccer for the next 10 weeks, but if any American eyes are on the World Cup, they’ll be focused intensely on an early round heavyweight matchup between the United States and perennial powerhouse, England, on June 12.

Animosity between the two nations hasn’t been this high since the War of 1812.

The Bell House will be the pitch perfect venue for this clash of the Titans (or at least one Titan). The Gowanus-based bar promises one of the loudest venues on one of the biggest screens in Brooklyn. As the Americans and the Brits fight on the field at 2:30 pm, American and English DJs will battle it out on the dance floor, and Bell House hooligans can choose between American and English food and drink.

Atlantic Avenue’s bars will be bustling all World Cup season, as soccer-mad fans will head to The Brazen Head, for Chelsea Checker Cab Pints for $3 and drink specials and bocce games at Floyd’s. Both bars will be open at 9 in the morning on the weekends for marquee games, so show up early to beat the crowds and grab some brunch.

In Williamsburg, Bedford Avenue is the place to be, as Spike Hill has declared itself “Williamsburg’s World Cup Headquarters,” and Iona, which promises to televise every game, seems to have been built to celebrate just such an occasion. At Iona, housed in one of the oldest buildings in Williamsburg, you will likely hear lots of different languages cheering for England, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands, depending on the match.

In Bay Ridge, Casa Pepe is catering to fans of Mexico, Spain, and the United States, offering 25 percent off meals and complementary cocktails during games featuring those teams. Root for high scoring matches, because when Spain scores, sangria is offered and when Mexico nets a goal, tequila shots will be served. And if the United States is lucky enough to push one through? Whiskey.

In Prospect Heights, American fans will be flocking to Woodwork on Vanderbilt Avenue for perhaps the largest outdoor viewing area in the borough. The sports bar is an official FIFA-sponsored bar and the rumor is that ESPN may show up to film the proceedings during the USA-England match.

Expect a decidedly pro-USA crowd that weekend, as one Woodwork manager pronounced, “Everyone hates England, ever since WWII, or whatever.”

The Bell House [149 Seventh St. between Second and Third avenues in Gowanus, (718) 643-6510]; The Brazen Head [228 Atlantic Ave. between Court Street and Boerum Place in Boerum Hill, (718) 488-0430]; Floyd’s [131 Atlantic Ave. near Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 858-5810]; Spike Hill [184 and 186 Bedford Ave. near N. Seventh Street in Williamsburg, (718) 218-9737]; Iona [180 Grand St. at Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, (718) 384-5008]; Casa Pepe [114 Bay Ridge Ave. near Colonial Road in Bay Ridge, (718) 833-8865‎]; Woodwork [583 Vanderbilt Ave. at Dean Street in Prospect Heights, (718) 857-5777‎].

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Kick it! World Cup comes to Brooklyn

She's got game: Silvana Lima, a waitress at Miss Favela's, shows off her Brazilian pride. Head to the Williamsburg bar to root for the team during the World Cup, or check out our guide below for all the World Cup action.

By Aaron Short

The World Cup kicks off in South Africa this week, but you don’t need to travel the globe to catch the soccer action.

All across Brooklyn, bars and restaurants will be draped with patriotic flags and their boob tubes turned to the games for the international sporting event of the season.

With that, here’s our guide to the best places to catch your favorite team play, from the Australians to the Americans.

The games begin on June 11 and continue through August.

Germany

Radegast Hall and Biergarten [113 N. Third St. at Berry Street in Williamsburg, (718) 963-3973]

Brooklyn’s easy-going, lighthearted German fans are set to conquer Radegast Biergarten in Williamsburg in the hope of rooting for Deutchland to take home the cup this year. The bar’s owners are Slovakian and they describe the beer hall as Austro-Hungarian, but all three countries were under German control once, so what is a few more weeks? With 13 beers on tap and another 45 bottles available, the crowds could get spirited in a hurry, particularly if Germany triumphs. Just don’t expect the Germans to pick up the tab for any of their Greek or Turkish friends.

Brazil

Miss Favela’s [57 S. Fifth St. at Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, (718) 230-4040]

Every weekend at Miss Favela’s is Carnivale, but it won’t be if Brazil doesn’t advance out of the Group of Death and advance to the finals. Cheer on Kaka and the rest of the team with Brooklyn’s most attractive brunch crowd at Miss Favela’s, which will televise all the games and feature a special menu. Just don’t root against the home team or it could be Kaka for you.

Spain

La Mancha [135 Atlantic Ave. between Henry and Clinton streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 797-1975]

Spain has one thing on its mind this year after suffering an early round exit to France in 2006: revenge! Where else to stir the passions of vengeance than at La Mancha in Brooklyn Heights? Just as Pele has anointed Spain as the favorites in this year’s tournament, we at Community Newspaper Group have anointed the paella as our favorite dish at La Mancha. Definitely fiesta with fans of the team that is probably going to win the whole darn thing, while taunting the French who watched the game at Floyd’s.

South Africa

Madiba [195 DeKalb Ave. between Carlton Avenue and Adelphi Street in Fort Greene, (718) 855-9190]

Come for the soccer, stay for the bunny chow, perhaps South Africa’s national dish consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry. Madiba has certainly been soaking up the attention from being the one South African bar and restaurant in the city when the World Cup is hosted by South Africa. In fact, there’s a whole smorgasbord of comfort food to savor from breyani (rice pilaf with curry and lentils) to samoosas, to chicken wings with spicy peri-peri sauce when South Africa makes a quick exit from the Cup after falling apart to France and Mexico. Sorry, but that’s the reality.

France

Bar Tabac [128 Smith St. at Dean Street in Cobble Hill (718) 923-0918]

The defeat of France following Zinedine Zidane’s ejection in the second half of the epic World Cup title game in 2006 devastated Brooklyn’s Francophiles, but they are a hardy bunch. Head back to Smith Street, Brooklyn’s Champs-Elysees, this summer, and cheer on Thierry Henry and the Rouge, Blanc et Bleu. Be sure to savor your shrimp briochette with a chenin blanc and your steak frites with a Bordeaux, because if you don’t pair your wine with your food properly, France will lose and it will be your fault.

Australia

Sheep Station [149 Fourth Ave. at Douglass Street in Park Slope, (718) 857-4337]

Australia may not have a chance this year, but that won’t stop these Aussies from celebrating win or lose at Sheep Station. With two big screens and drink specials throughout the World Cup season, ex-pats from the outback can at least enjoy each other’s company and extra helpings of beer battered fish and burgers while their team suffers crippling defeat after crippling defeat to Germany and Ghana.

England

Black Horse Pub [568 Fifth Ave. at 16th Street in Park Slope, (718) 788-1975]

It has been 44 years since Mother England won the World Cup, but if Wayne Rooney stops playing like Andy Rooney, this could finally be the year that Queen Elizabeth II hoists the golden cup over her trembling shoulders. Join the fun — or the vicious, heartbreaking agony — at Black Horse Pub in Park Slope, a nascent British pub that may be the feistiest place to drown one’s sorrows on drink specials after the Americans upset England on June 12.

Mexico

Tulcingo Deli [5520 Fifth Ave. between 55th and 56th streets in Sunset Park, (718) 439-2896]

If Mexico happens to advance out of the first round, there could be a party on the streets of Sunset Park with honking horns, waiving flags and impromptu parades. Head to Tulcingo Deli before the game and soak it all in while enjoying among the most delicious carne asada tacos in Brooklyn. Brush up on your Spanish before heading down, but it’s all good. Just remember that futbol means soccer and goooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllll!!!!!!! means someone just scored.

Greece

Omonia Café [7612 Third Ave. between 76th and 77th streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 491-1435]

Skip Astoria and head to Bay Ridge instead, where a small, but vocal, Greek community will surely be flocking to Omonia Café starting at 8 am to watch the home team try to play its way out of crippling debt, er, we mean out of the opening round. Fans hope that the only inflation they see during the game will be the soccer ball.

Italy

Café Italia [6917 18th Ave. between 69th and 70th streets in Bensonhurst, (718) 234-7010]

Viva Italia! Four years ago, Italy’s thrilling victory in a tense 5-3 overtime shootout against France sent an estimated 10,000 people onto the streets of Bensonhurst, shutting down traffic on 18th Avenue. This year, head back to the place where it all began, Café Italia, where you can cheer for Italy to defend its 2006 title. Forza Italia is probably not going to win again, but if they do … free canolis?

USA

Wheeler’s Restaurant [1707 Sheepshead Bay Rd. near Voorhies Avenue in Sheepshead Bay, (718) 646-9320]

This Sheepshead Bay haunt is as unpretentious as it gets. All the games will be televised during the World Cup, and since the crowd leans toward the Americans, it’ll be a great place to knock back a few while rooting for ol’ Red, White and Blue.

Photo by Stefano Giovannini

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Something's brewing at MCU Park

This craft festival has nothing to do with arts.

On Saturday, sample more than 40 different brews from local breweries and beyond during the first annual Craft Beer Festival at MCU Park.

There will be beers from A to V, from Allagash in Portland, Maine, to Philadelphia’s Victory Brewing Company. Williamsburg-based Brooklyn Brewery and Sixpoint in Red Hook will be among the local craft brewers, with Schmaltz, the San Francisco-based makers of the Coney Island Craft Brews, also at the ballpark.

U2 cover band Unforgettable Fire will be supplying some live tunes, so don’t be surprised if, towards the end of the sampling session, people join in with “Pride (In the Name of Love).”

Admission gets you 20, three-ounce craft beer samples, as well as a lure back to the field with a ticket to the Cyclones June 21 game against the pesky Aberdeen IronBirds.

“It’s a great way to start the year,” said festival organizer Alexa Atria. “Hopefully we’ll get bigger next year.”

As if more than three dozen brews to choose from wasn’t big enough.

Craft Beer Festival at MCU Park [1904 Surf Ave. at W. 17th Street in Coney Island, (718) 449-8497], June 12, 4-9 pm. Tickets $15-$50. For info, visit www.brooklyncyclones.com.

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Slainte! Toast James Joyce on Brooklyn's very own Bloomsday (four days early)

Bloomsday has nothing to do with flowers.

On June 12, raise a glass to one of Ireland’s most famous exports — James Joyce — with a pub crawl that re-enacts scenes from the auteur’s masterpiece, “Ulysses.”

The entire action of the book — a day in the life of Dubliner Leopold Bloom — actually takes place on June 16, but organizers of “Bloomsday in Brooklyn” realized that it’s easier to organize a pub crawl, literary aspirations aside, on a Saturday.

“We wanted to support the neighborhood and support Fifth Avenue,” said John Burns, a member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Brooklyn, an Irish society that is organizing the event for the first time. “The resurgence of Fifth Avenue has allowed for that.”

The crawl starts at Black Sheep Pub — chosen because “Joyce is probably Ireland’s most famous black sheep,” said Burns.

Then it’s on to O’Connor’s, Loki and the Benchmark, Jackie’s, and Harry Boland’s, all on Fifth Avenue, and then, just a short bus-ride away, Rocky Sullivan’s in Red Hook.

At each stop, there will be traditional Irish music, and Irish actors will be reading passages from the novel. It’ll be the closest to Dublin you can get.

Bloomsday in Brooklyn starts at Black Sheep Pub [428 Bergen St. at Fifth Avenue in Park Slope] on June 12 at 2 pm. For info, visit www.bloomsdaynyc.org.

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Coney Island Brewing Company in action

The opening of Luna Park may have made all the headlines last week, but another business made its debut in Coney Island last week.

Coney Island Brewing Company opened its doors for the first time last weekend, billed as the world's smallest brewery (that must be its freak show title).

They had Josh Knowlton from Bierkraft come through with Pete Taylor and John Livingston; Shane Henderson from Whole Foods Chelsea; and Shmaltz's Sean Lynch to make some brew. They're all currently in fermentation, and should be ready by June 19 for the Mermaid Parade. So be sure to get yours.

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