Where are the snows of yesteryear? Or to put it another way, are oppressive heat waves in early May going to be the New Normal in the mid-Hudson Valley post-global warming? Last week’s temperatures that hovered near 90 and blasted blossoms off the magnolia trees in a matter of days seem to presage a summer as brutal as 2013’s, with triple-digit thermometer readings that may make many of us nostalgic for the cold, snowy winter that just ended.
The up side of too-early summer weather is that microbrew-fanciers have an extra excuse to enjoy tipping back a frosty mug of designer suds. The beer-drinking festival season kicks off with a vengeance next Saturday at Cantine Field in Saugerties, where Radio Woodstock 100.1 will launch its first-ever Craft Brew Boogaloo, highlighting local, regional and national breweries, artisanal farm-to-table cuisine and some of the area’s best musicians.
The Big Takeover, Connor Kennedy & Minstrel, Elijah Wolf and the Grape and the Grain are among the performers announced as of presstime. Vendors of comestibles will include gourmet food trucks and local restaurants. More than 150 craft beers from more than 75 different breweries will be on tap (or in bottles). VIP passes, which must be purchased in advance, entitle the bearer to a gourmet lunch and to sample special limited-edition microbrews – as well as to get in one hour early, at 1 p.m.
VIP tickets cost $100 with beer, $35 for designated drivers. General admission costs $45 in advance, $55 at the gate, $10 for designated drivers. On-site parking costs $5 per car. The Craft Brew Boogaloo runs from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 23. To order tickets, visit www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/787465. For more info about the event, visit www.craftbrewboogaloo.com.
Join the family! 
