ATLANTIC CITY — Are you an average Joe? Do you enjoy hot cars, cool boats and fast motorcycles? Do you like hunting, fishing, camping, the outdoors, BBQ, MMA, rock ‘n’ roll, video games and sports? If the answer to these questions is yes, you might just be an average Joe! And if you’re an average Joe, it’s mandatory that you git yer fun-lovin’ keister to the Average Joe Expo!

Organized by those crazy cats at Good Time Tricycle — the same ones who bring Atlantic City the Celebration of the Suds and A.C. Seafood Festival each year — the Average Joe Expo will be held May 18 and 19 at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

The Average Joe Expo is like no other show on earth. This inaugural event vows to “bring real guys together and create an opportunity to discover what makes us tick, getting to the heart of male commerce, interests and desires — both the obtainable and the aspirational, the Average Joe Expo has it all!”

The event will populate over 200,000 square feet of exhibition space at the Convention Center. It will introduce products, places and things to the masses, holding nothing back and showcasing unique product demos, seminars and other related experiences.  The Average Joe Expo promises to be a great weekend out to explore some awesome experiences you may not have otherwise! Tickets are $20 in advance through Ticketmaster or $25 at the door. Hours are Saturday, May 18: 11am-8pm; Sunday, May 19: 11am – 6pm.

The Average Joe Expo will also play host to a variety of celebrities and personalities — people who guys just want to meet and hang out with.  With a huge emphasis on the male lifestyle, the expo will cover motocross, gaming, action sports, all things outdoors and everything in between . This expo will offer men a true weekend of discovery! Visit averagejoeexpo.com/atlantic-city.aspx or click the video below to learn more.

ATLANTIC CITY — Are you an average Joe? Do you enjoy hot cars, cool boats and fast motorcycles? Do you like hunting, fishing, camping, the outdoors, BBQ, MMA, rock ‘n’ roll, video games and all things sports? If the answer to these questions is yes, you have to git yer keister to the Average Joe Expo!

Organized by those crazy cats at Good Time Tricycle — the same ones who bring Atlantic City the Celebration of the Suds and A.C. Seafood Festival each year — the Average Joe Expo will be held May 18 and 19 at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

The Average Joe Expo is like no other show on earth. This inaugural event vows to “bring real guys together and create an opportunity to discover what makes us tick, getting to the heart of male commerce, interests and desires — both the obtainable and the aspirational, the Average Joe Expo has it all!”

The event will populate over 200,000 square feet of exhibition space at the Convention Center. It will introduce products, places and things to the masses, holding nothing back and showcasing unique product demos, seminars and other related experiences.  The Average Joe Expo promises to be a great weekend out to explore some awesome experiences you may not have otherwise! Tickets are $20 in advance through Ticketmaster or $25 at the door. Hours are Saturday, May 18: 11am-8pm; Sunday, May 19: 11am – 6pm.

The Average Joe Expo will also play host to a variety of celebrities and personalities — people who guys just want to meet and hang out with.  With a huge emphasis on the male lifestyle, the expo will cover motocross, gaming, action sports, all things outdoors and everything in between . This expo will offer men a true weekend of discovery! Visit averagejoeexpo.com/atlantic-city.aspx or click the video below to learn more.

ATLANTIC CITY — Because A Time For Wine II opened its doors in July 2012, and undisputed political boss Enoch “Nucky” Johnson died in 1968, the two never got to actually unite … until now!

Finally A Time For Wine II and Nucky will get to meet mano a mano, sort of. The premium cigar, beer, and spirit outlet — located on the second level of Caesars Atlantic City — will host a special book signing of author Frank J. Ferry’s biographical work Nucky: The Real Story of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Boss on Friday, April 19, from 7-9pm. The event is free and open to the public.

Ferry will sign copies of the book to all fans in attendance. A Time For Wine II will raise the stakes by treating all in attendance to a special free-of-charge sampling of their exclusive Nucky’s Boardwalk Red and Nucky’s Speak Easy Reserve wines.

“Frank is a dear friend and a talented author,” says Janet Markowitz, A Time For Wine II owner and a Margate resident.  “A Time For Wine II is extremely proud to host a book signing of such high caliber and at the same time showcase the signature Nucky wine series to Atlantic City locals and visitors.”

ATLANTIC CITY — Those who savor fine wine, craft beers and top-shelf spirits will soon be able to shop, taste, learn and enjoy all in one new destination in Atlantic City. 

The Atlantic City Bottle Company (ACBC) will soon debut as the area’s premier destination for “all that is craft beverage.”

Located at the resort’s Black Horse Pike entryway on Albany Avenue, across from Bader Field, ACBC promises to please the palates of all with best selections of whiskey, micro brews, imported beer and wines, including the largest variety of sparkling wines and champagnes in Atlantic City.

Additionally, a seasonal and ever-changing small-plates menu will be offered, hand-crafted by executive chef Kevin Cronin using the freshest ingredients, and taking their inspiration from tapas bars, gastro pubs and his array of culinary experiences. 

“We are so pleased to bring our unique concept to Atlantic City,” says ACBC co-owner Paul Tonacci.

“Whether you’re looking for a casual yet interesting place to take a date, a warm and inviting lounge to taste wine with your friends, or an unpretentious after-work spot, Atlantic City Bottle Company will have something for everyone.”

According to Tonacci, a friendly and knowledgeable staff eager to share their love of craft beverages will greet all who enter ACBC. With the intention of making wine and whiskey more approachable, guests will have the opportunity to shop for their choice beverages at all price points. Those who prefer to stay and relax can proceed past the retail area to the relaxing bar and lounge, reminiscent of a Prohibition-era speakeasy. Here visitors can enjoy and sample a range of recommended and rare wines and whiskeys from $6 to $400 a glass.

Classes and seminars will also be offered at ACBC, including Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) classes and practical classes like “How to BS Your Way Through a Wine Dinner.” Cooking classes will be regularly offered as will special weekly events such as “Celebrate Italy” every Sunday, “Insider Night” every Monday with food and drink specials for local hospitality workers, and “Wine Geek Night” with blind wine tasting competitions every Thursday.

Learning about wines and spirits will be as easy as ACBC, which will  be open seven days a week. The retail shop hours will be Sunday through Thursday, 10am-7pm, and Friday and Saturday 10am-10pm.  The bar and lounge will be open Sunday 1-11pm, Monday through Thursday 3pm-1am, and Friday and Saturday 3pm-2am. For more information call (609) 348-6400 or visit acbottlecompany.com.

ATLANTIC CITY — The eighth annual Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival topped its forerunner again last Friday and Saturday, April 5-6, at the Atlantic City Convention Center. To see a photo gallery of the event, click here.

The ‘Celebration of the Suds’ satisfied over 20,000 beer-and-music fans with not only the latest in libations from over 100 craft breweries, but fantastic food from area establishments like Harry’s Oyster Bar, the Palm, the Mussel Bar & Grille, Tony Boloney’s, the Tun Tavern and others.

For a video of the event, click here.

Headline music acts included the Bouncing Souls, Rev. Horton Heat and Rusted Root, amusements featured a free see-sawing “mustache ride,” football place kicking contest, dunk tank, silent disco, giant sand sculpture, and seminars and vendors of all sorts.

Bagpipers, barbershop quartets and live original bands including Westgate, A Wilhelm Scream, Belgrade, Continental, Soihadoo and Cheers Elephant rounded out the live entertainment. One dollar from every ticket sold went to benefit the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.

Suds enthusiasts are already eagerly anticipating its 2014 return.

ATLANTIC CITY — In conjunction with the eighth annual Atlantic City Beer (& Music) Festival Friday and Saturday, April 5-6,  the Viking Cooking School at Harrah’s Resort — Atlantic City’s premier hands-on cooking classroom — will host nightly food and beer pairings with Brooklyn Brewery, Goose Island Brewery, and celebrated author and beer enthusiast Gary Monterosso for three days, Monday through Wednesday, April 7-9.

“The Viking Cooking School Atlantic City has a reputation for creating innovative, experimental, and desirable classes, and our April schedule featuring three beer specific classes is no different,” says Robert Schoell, executive chef of Harrah’s and Showboat Atlantic City.

“Over the last decade breweries like Brooklyn and Goose Island have really risen to prominence. Combine that with the consummate expertise of Gary Monterosso (pictured below right, with his book Artisan Beer) and you have an all-star lineup.”

Class details are below. Visit harrahsresort.com and click the “Things To Do” link to find more on the Viking Cooking School.

Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival Brooklyn Brewery Class
•    Sunday, April 7, beginning 4pm
•    $49 per person
•    Menu Highlights: Local 1 Beer paired with Crawfish Étouffée in Miniature Phyllo Cups; Local 2 Beer paired with Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese with Smoked Ham, Jalapenos and English Cheddar; Sorachi Beer paired with Smoked Salmon “Nachos” on Wonton Chips with Herbed Crème Fraiche, Scallions, Red Onions and Red Peppers; IPA Beer paired with Spicy Jumbo Lump Crab, Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Homemade Chili Rubbed Pita Chips and Purple Potato Chips; Local 2 Beer paired with Chocolate and Cherry Fondue.
•    History: Founded in 1988, Brooklyn Brewery has made quite a name for itself over the last few years, literally quintupling in size and distributing to over 25 states and 20 countries.   Their year-round, seasonal, and specialty brews embody the life, tradition and culture of the New York communities that surround them and epitomize the American craft brewery.

Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival Goose Island Class
•    Monday, April 8, beginning 6pm
•    $49 per person
•    Menu Highlights: Sofie Beer paired with Edamame Puree in Wonton Cup topped with Ahi Tuna; Matilda Beer paired with Individual Seafood Pot Pie; Pepe Nero beer paired with Homemade Spiced Sausage Sliders with Pepe Nero Caramelized Onions and Black Pepper Fries; Père Jacques Beer paired with Malted Cookie and Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches.
•    History: Founded in 1988, Goose Island was the brainchild of native Chicagoan John Hall. Hall felt he could create a beer even better than the ones he experienced on his travels throughout Europe. The public has agreed.  Goose Island offers guests over 50 distinct craft brews and is located next to historic Wrigley Field.

Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival — Gary Monterosso Beer Class
•    Tuesday, April 9, beginning at 6pm
•    $65 per person (includes Monterosso’s book Artisan Beer)
•    Menu Highlights: TBA
•    Biography: Monterosso is an award-winning writer, who has written for several national and regional publications. He currently appears on the History Channel special The Epic History of Everyday Things, and regularly appears on popular television programs, lending his insight and knowledge about the world of beer.

ATLANTIC CITY  — The official app for the 2013 Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival is now available for free! The app features more than 100 different craft breweries (pouring way more than 100 beers!), live music, local food, demos and mustache amazingness.

The app also features exhibitor descriptions, exhibitor table locations, artists info, a private beer flight schedule, a map of the expo floor, live social-media feeds and voting for your favorite brews to win the “People’s Choice” award!

Check out what’s on tap inside the app! Go to acbeerfest.com and scroll down to the bottom of the home page. And be sure to rate your favorite beers! This event benefits Hometown Heroes and Restore the Shore for Hurricane Sandy.

ATLANTIC CITY — The Celebration of the Suds, a.k.a. the Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival, returns to the Atlantic City Convention Center for the eighth year Friday and Saturday, April 5-6.

The 2013 event will be an amazing experience in taste and sound including hot music to compliment cool brews. Over 90 different breweries from around the corner and across the country will showcase their unique libations.

New Jersey's own Bouncing Souls will headline Session 1 (Friday, 7-11pm) starting 9:30pm.

The focus of the A.C. Beer Festival is the promotion of craft beers and the brewers that create them. This event is the perfect opportunity for beer aficionados, beer lovers and the casual beer drinker to speak to company representatives and brewers responsible for some of their favorite brews. And it’s an opportunity to discover and taste new brews and special “limited release” beers and ales.

Each year the festival organizers review the event and look to further enhance the beer lover’s experience and make each year better than the last. Now in its eighth year, the festival has grown to be one of the country’s largest celebrations of beer.

For 2013 festival producers will bring in musical headliners Reverend Horton Heat and Rusted Root and New Jersey’s own Bouncing Souls to kick off the weekend. Eight bands and performers will be featured at the festival and are profiled on the event Web site (celebrationofthesuds.com) under “sounds.”

The 2013 Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival will also feature culinary demonstrations from area chefs, beer seminars hosted by beer personalities and brewers, and some “off the wall” activities. Additional festival vendors will offer great food and some unique beer-related apparel and goods. This year’s festival will appeal to absolutely everyone (aged 21 and over).

The festival offers a “Designated Driver” ticket price of $11, available at the door, to encourage attendee responsibility and use the many transportation options in the Atlantic City area, including jitneys and cabs. New Jersey Transit’s Atlantic City Line train arrives right inside the Atlantic City Convention Center and NJ Transit officials report that Beer Fest weekend marks the highest single-day ridership numbers all year long. (See njtransit.com for a train schedule). This is one of the reasons why the Atlantic City Convention Center makes for the perfect home of the “Celebration of the Suds.”

Tickets are $51 in advance (fees apply) online at acbeerfest.com or through Ticketmaster.com, $56 at the door (if available), or $51 (no group discounts available) at Joe Canal’s Discount Liquor Outlets on Fire Road in Northfield, or the Black Horse Pike in EHT. For group sales call (609) 348-7023. Keep in mind the festival has sold out for the last four years, so don’t wait to get tickets!

Among the entertainment will be Mark Sceurman and Mark Moran, publishers of 'Weird NJ' magazine as they tell tales of their adventures in the Garden State.

Additionally, in an effort to do its part and give back to the Jersey shore communities, the Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival attendees are dedicated to help rebuilding the shore and get its residents back on their feet, according to event organizer Jon Henderson.  One dollar from every ticket sold will be donated to “Restore the Shore via Hometown Heroes.” For more info check out njhometownheroes.org.

Bally’s Atlantic City is the official “Host Hotel of the 2013 Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival,” offering special rates to festival attendees. Go to acbeerfest.com and click the Bally’s link at the bottom of the page for details.

Join a variety of mustached Americans in one of the festival's staples, the Mustache Lounge

All attendees are urged to taste responsibly. Please know your limits. No one under the age of 21 will be admitted into the show.

A valid photo identification must be presented.
 For up-to-date information or inside notes, follow the fest on twitter @acbeerfest or contact Henderson at jon@celebrationofthesuds.com or call (609) 412-9056.

To find out more about the A.C. Beer & Music Festival app, click here.

Exemption Would Benefit Casino Industry in Atlantic City During Summer Tourism Season

A bill sponsored by Senator Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic) will create a blanket exemption for beach bars within the Atlantic City Tourism District, overriding the restrictions of the Noise Control Act of 1971 and subsequent noise-control ordinances. The bill will become law immediately, having been unanimously approved by the N.J. Senate in June (39-0) and by the State Assembly in January by a 73-1 vote.

State Sen. Jim Whelan

“Since casinos began operating beach bars on the shoreline of Atlantic City, they have become a staple that attracts tourists and provides entertainment — all without disruption to the surrounding neighborhoods,” says Whelan, D-Atlantic, in a media release.  “With the enactment of this law, we have leveled the playing field for all casinos to construct beach bars no matter when they are built.

“This law gives casinos the freedom to establish these beach-front bars that will attract new customers and strengthen the tourism and gaming industry in Atlantic City without having to conform to noise control laws, which frankly aren’t necessary for the area in which these beach bars are located,” adds Whelan, a former  three-term mayor of Atlantic City.

The law eliminates the requirement that a beach bar must have been in existence and operating as of Aug. 31, 2011, in order to qualify for an exemption from the restrictions of the Noise Control Act of 1971.  

Under the 2011 statute, a beach bar, amusement park or carnival ride that was operational as of August 31, 2011, would be exempt from the state noise control law during “normal business hours” as defined by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The new law amends the 2011 statute to exempt ALL beach bars in the Tourism District from any noise control standards, including local ordinances, and removes the limitation in the law concerning “normal business hours” to get DEP out of the area of enforcing hours of operation.

ATLANTIC CITY — The Celebration of the Suds, a.k.a. the Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival, returns to the Atlantic City Convention Center for the eighth year Friday and Saturday, April 5-6.

The 2013 event will be an amazing experience in taste and sound including hot music to compliment cool brews. Over 90 different breweries from around the corner and across the country will showcase their unique libations.

The focus of the A.C. Beer Festival is the promotion of craft beers and the brewers that create them. This event is the perfect opportunity for beer aficionados, beer lovers and the casual beer drinker to speak to company representatives and brewers responsible for some of their favorite brews. And it’s an opportunity to discover and taste new brews and special “limited release” beers and ales.

Each year the festival organizers review the event and look to further enhance the beer lover’s experience and make each year better than the last. Now in its eighth year, the festival has grown to be one of the country’s largest celebrations of beer.

Rusted Root performs Saturday night at the Celebration of the Suds

For 2013 festival producers will bring in musical headliners Reverend Horton Heat and Rusted Root and New Jersey’s own Bouncing Souls to kick off the weekend. All bands and performers will be featured on the event web site under “sounds”

The 2013 Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival will also feature culinary demonstrations from area chefs, beer seminars hosted by beer personalities and brewers, and some “off the wall” activities. Additional festival vendors will offer great food and some unique beer-related apparel and goods. This year’s festival will appeal to absolutely everyone (aged 21 and over).

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