BEERS AT BROOKFIELD
Starting tomorrow afternoon, Brookfield will host a craft beer celebration and contest in the Winter Garden, showcasing beers from upstate, Long Island and the city. Each Thursday till March 14 from 4 to 9p, the Winter Biergarten will have craft offerings from the breweries and food from Brookfield’s eateries, with all beer sales benefitting Habitat for Humanity. The event is free; pours are about $8 with pricing for a flight at about $12 (or at least that was last year’s pricing).
The first three weeks will feature a different region of New York for a total of 15 breweries including Upstate’s Southern Tier Brewing Company, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, Long Island’s Greenport Harbor Brewing Co., Blue Point Brewery, Barrier Brewing Co. March 7 is the NYC lineup, with brews from Coney Island Brewery, Harlem Brewing Company, Mikkeller in Queens, Sixpoint in BK, The Bronx Brewery and snacks from Parm. Visitors will be invited to cast their vote for their favorite brew to determine which five breweries will make it to the final round on Thursday, March 14. The People’s Choice winner will be decided by the event’s attendees, guided by New York State’s notable beer connoisseur, Anne Becerra.

WIDOWS AT MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP
NYC author Michele W. Miller will discuss her recent book, Widows-In-Law, with author Lawrence Block at the Mysterious Bookshop (58 Warren) on Feb. 26 at 6:30p. Miller is also the author of The Thirteenth Step: Zombie Recovery, am an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards semi-finalist. She is also a former NYC roller disco champion.

9/11 5K RUN/WALK RETURNS THIS APRIL
Registration for the annual 9/11 Memorial & Museum 5K Run/Walk is now open. The 5K and Community Day are happening on April 28. The event supports the 9/11 Memorial Glade which is dedicated to those who were injured, sickened or died because of their exposure to contaminants while participating in the Ground Zero clean-up. Use “Downtown2019” for $5 off your registration.

b8ta OPENS AT BROOKFIELD
The notion behind b8ta, which has a deal with Macy’s to try to revive their business model, is to make in-store retail more experiential, and therefore able to compete with online retail. At its new location at Brookfield Place, b8ta lets you try the two dozen products they carry — everything from smart wallets to typewriter inspired keyboards. This from the company’s website: “Founded in 2015, our inspired team is focused on building a new retail-as-a-service model. In our first two years, we opened nine flagship locations and 70 shop-in-shops across the U.S. In 2018, we launched Built by b8ta to create world-class flagship stores for brands. We’ve changed the landscape of retail for the better—but we’re just getting started.”