2026 New York State Craft Beer Competition Winners

2026 New York State Craft Beer Competition Winners

|March 25th, 2026|
Gold, silver, and bronze 2024 New York State Craft Beer Competition award seals overlaid on a blurred background of filled beer glasses.

(Courtesy New York State Brewers Association)

Now in its tenth year, the New York State Craft Beer Competition is the largest state-level competition in the country and a fantastic celebration of the New York State craft beer community.

Sponsored by the New York State Brewers Association, this year’s competition featured 1,142 beer entries from 178 breweries across 32 different style categories.

On March 21, 96 medals were awarded at the ceremony in Albany, NY. In addition, the coveted titles of “NYS Brewery of the Year,” “Best NYS Farm Beer,” “Best Collaboration Beer,” and the “Governor’s Cup” for best-in-show were announced.

This year’s Governor’s Cup was presented to Wild East Brewing (Brooklyn, NY) for their “Hexenkessel” in the Dark Lager category. Meanwhile, Grimm Artisanal Ales (Brooklyn, NY) took home their fifth New York State Brewery of the Year title (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026).

And now (drum roll, please), here are all of this year’s winners!

2026 New York State Craft Beer Competition Winners 

American Lager – 43 Entries

  • Gold – All (American Light Lager) – Artisanal Brew Works

  • Silver – Bridge Pilsner – Resurgence Brewing Company

  • Bronze – There And Back – Bright Eye Beer Co.

Light Lagers – Traditional – 92 Entries

  • Gold – Devil Log – Lower Lake Brewery

  • Silver – Daytripper – Kills Boro Brewing Company

  • Bronze – Reference Method – Common Roots Brewing Company

Golden & Blonde Ales – 33 Entries

  • Gold – Kölsch Kömmander – Apex Brewery

  • Silver – Brunette’s Revenge – Wolf Hollow Brewing Company

  • Bronze – Kölsch – Kingston Standard Brewing Co.

Cream Ale – 22 Entries

  • Gold – TALEA Brite – TALEA Beer Co.

  • Silver – Off-Road Soda – Wayward Lane Brewing

  • Bronze – Cream Ale – Prison City Brewing

Light Lagers – Modern and Contemporary – 54 Entries

  • Gold – SALÜ – Kings County Brewers Collective

  • Silver – Mangia, Mangia! – Pearl Street Grill and Brewery

  • Bronze – Whale Herder – Strangebird

Wheat Beer – 34 Entries

  • Gold – The Messenger – Okay Beer Company

  • Silver – Gather House – Drowned Lands Brewery

  • Bronze – Wayfinder Wit – Solitude Brewing

Amber Lagers – 53 Entries

  • Gold – Sager Bock – Sager Beer Works

  • Silver – Vienna Lager – Druthers Brewing Co.

  • Bronze – Oktoberfest – Big aLICe Brewing Company

Amber & Red Ales – 47 Entries

  • Gold – Houndstooth – Grimm Artisanal Ales

  • Silver – Upside Down Alt – Liquid State Brewing Company

  • Bronze – Brickyard Red – Horseheads Brewing

Brown Ale – 28 Entries

  • Gold – 1845 Brown Ale – Heritage Hill Brewery

  • Silver – Wolves Of The Midlands – Wolf & Warrior Brewing Company

  • Bronze – Mild Return – Underground Beer Lab

Dark Lager – 52 Entries

  • Gold – Hexenkessel – Wild East Brewing Company

  • Silver – Champlain – Cigar Brothers Brewing

  • Bronze – Tmave Pekar – Wayward Lane Brewing

Porters (Non-Imperial) – 26 Entries

  • Gold – Pumpernickel Porter – Rusty Nickel Brewing Company

  • Silver – Baritone – Seven Points Brewing Company

  • Bronze – Silk Spinner – Spider Bite Beer Co.

Stout (Non Imperial) – 35 Entries

  • Gold – OG Stout – Two Havens Brewing Company

  • Silver – Dry Irish Goodbye – Beer Tree Brew

  • Bronze – Oatmeal Stout – Stumblin’ Monkey Brewing Company

Belgian Farmhouse – 16 Entries

  • Gold – On Fairy Stories – Grimm Artisanal Ales

  • Silver – Magnetic North – Brickyard Brewing Company

  • Bronze – Wandering Bine – Threes Brewing

Belgian Other – 28 Entries

  • Gold – Monk’s Dream Dubbel – Soul Brewing Company

  • Silver – Savoir-Vivre 10° – Strangebird

  • Bronze – Amai – Drowned Lands Brewery 

Pale Ale – 24 Entries

  • Gold – Crisp Air – Grimm Artisanal Ales

  • Silver – I Think We’re Alone Now – Bright Eye Beer Co.

  • Bronze – Oregon High Five – Griffon Brewing

Hazy Pale Ale – 35 Entries

  • Gold – Kaaterskill – West Kill Brewing

  • Silver – Sly Move – Strangebird

  • Bronze – Mountain Life – West Kill Brewing

American IPA – 57 Entries

  • Gold – Kick Back – Finback Brewery

  • Silver – Terraform – Wayward Lane Brewing

  • Bronze – Flash Frame – Grimm Artisanal Ales

Hazy IPA – 89 Entries

  • Gold – Hazy Train – New York Beer Project

  • Silver – Uncurious – Druthers Brewing Co.

  • Bronze – Captain, We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat – Lunchbox Brewing Company

American DIPA – 19 Entries

  • Gold – Pacific Dawn – Captain Lawrence Brewing Company

  • Silver – Biosphere – Wayward Lane Brewing

  • Bronze – This Is How We Do It – Grimm Artisanal Ales & Wayward Lane (Collaboration)

Hazy DIPA – 40 Entries

  • Gold – Unfettered Soul – Strangebird

  • Silver – Righteous Day Drinker – New York Beer Project

  • Bronze – Truth Serum XX – Soul Brewing Company

Experimental IPA – 35 Entries

  • Gold – Experimental IPA With Sichuan Peppercorn – Runaway Blue Brewing Company

  • Silver – Hazy Crush – New York Beer Project

  • Bronze – Cold Cut – Okay Beer Company

Field Beer (Non-Sour) – 29 Entries

  • Gold – Fireside Cream Ale – Big Slide Brewery & Public House

  • Silver – Cucumber Lime Golden Ale – Ithaca Beer Company

  • Bronze – Supernature – Wayward Lane Brewing

Kettle & Simple Sours – 9 Entries

  • Gold – The Dare – Druthers Brewing Co.

  • Silver – Heliogram – Grimm Artisanal Ales

  • Bronze – Total Internal Reflection: Citra – Hudson Valley Brewery

Barrel Aged (Sour) – 8 Entries

  • Gold – O’Jeito Madeira – Round Table Brewery

  • Silver – FFarmhouse Reserve – Finback Brewery

  • Bronze – White Label: Blackberry – Druthers Brewing Co.

Wild & Sour Ales – 14 Entries

  • Gold – Wild Cherry Sour – Brewery Ardennes

  • Silver – En Passant Fruix – Grimm Artisanal Ales

  • Bronze – Moonlight Shadow – Grimm Artisanal Ales

Field Beer (Sour) – 59 Entries

  • Gold – Black Currant Brett – Ausable Brewing Company

  • Silver – Tropical Sour – Valcour Brewing

  • Bronze – Dancing Lights – Bullfinch Brewpub

Strong Ales & Lagers – 17 Entries

  • Gold – The Red Ale – Eli Fish Brewing Company

  • Silver – Goliath – Roe Jan Brewing Company

  • Bronze – Groundskeeper Philly – Preservation Beer Company

Imperial Stouts & Porters – 16 Entries

  • Gold – Baltic Porter – Eckhart Beer Co.

  • Silver – Boris The Spider – Spider Bite Beer Co.

  • Bronze – Belgian Stout – Brewery Ardennes

  • Bronze – Black Chocolate Stout – Brooklyn Brewery

Barrel Aged (Non-Sour) – 39 Entries

  • Gold – Gin Barrel-Aged Tripel – Brewery Ardennes

  • Silver – Phylum – Wayward Lane Brewing

  • Bronze – Portuguese Squeeze – Strangebird

Specialty Beer: Light & Amber Ales and Lagers – 28 Entries

  • Gold – Burn Ban – West Kill Brewing

  • Silver – Ravenswood – Big aLICe Brewing Company

  • Bronze – Chocolate Scotch Ale – Genesee Brew House

  • Bronze – Apple Maple Brown Ale – No BS Brew Company

Specialty Beer: Stouts & Porters – 50 Entries

  • Gold – Chocolate After Midnight – Stoneyard Brewing Company

  • Silver – Obeah – Crafty Ales & Lagers

  • Bronze – Raspberry Gilbert – Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co.

Experimental – 19 Entries

  • Gold – Maanga – 18th Ward Brewing

  • Silver – Tiga Spon – Eli Fish Brewing Company

  • Bronze – Snapping Branches – Two Farms Brewing

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2026 Governor’s Excelsior Craft Beer Cup

Wild East Brewing Co. (Brooklyn, NY)

“Hexenkessel” / Category: Dark Lager

Best New York Farm Beer

“Black Currant Brett” / Category: Field Beer (Sour)

Ausable Brewing Company (Keeseville, NY)

Best Collab Beer

This Is How We Do It” / Category: American DIPA

Wayward Lane Brewing (Schoharie, NY) x Grimm Artisanal Ales (Brooklyn, NY)

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Congratulations to all of this year’s big winners…Live long and prosper!

 

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