American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
(Courtesy New York State Brewers Association)
Now in its eighth year, the New York State Craft Beer Competition is the largest state-level competition in the country and an awesome celebration of the New York State craft beer community.
Sponsored by the New York State Brewers Association, this year’s competition featured 1,421 beer entries from 232 breweries across 30 different style categories.
On March 22 a total of 96 medals were awarded at the Awards Ceremony in Albany, NY, which included the Governor’s Excelsior Craft Beer Cups and the “Brewery of the Year” awards.
2024’s Governor’s Cup went to Kingston Standard Brewing Co. (Kingston, NY) for “Love Is Overtaking Me” which won in the its Barrel Aged Sour category.
This year’s Brewery of the Year award was won for the third time by Brooklyn NY’s Grimm Artisanal Ales (2021, 2022, 2024).
(Courtesy New York State Brewers Association)
“It’s incredible to not only see many of the same breweries win medals each year, but it’s a true testament to the quality of the beer in New York State to see so many new breweries win for the first time,” said Paul Leone, executive director of the New York State Brewers Association, which coordinates the competition each year. “It reaffirms the fact that quality continues to be of the highest priority to the brewers in our state.
“From the most well-known breweries to breweries many may have never heard of before today. One thing they all have in common, they are all brewing award winning beer which is some of the best in the country.”
And here (d=Drum roll please) are all of this year’s big winners….
2023 New York State Craft Beer Competition Medal Winners
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Gold: Eleven – Strong Rope Brewery
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Silver: Bezucha Brothers – West Kill Brewing
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Bronze: Brook & Reed – Drowned Lands
Light Lagers (Modern and Contemporary) – 77 entries
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Gold: Contiguity – Threes Brewing
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Silver: UN1 Basmati Rice Lager – Transmitter Brewing
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Bronze: There & Back Helles – Bright Eye Beer Company
Amber Lagers – 34 entries
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Gold: Pleasantbräu Oktoberfest – Soul Brewing Company
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Silver: Fly In Any Weather – Rising Storm Brewing Company
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Bronze: Polotmavý Peka? – Wayward Lane Brewing
Dark Lagers (NEW!) – 51 entries
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Gold: Dark Encounter Druthers – Brewing Company
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Silver: Nightfall – Wagner Valley Brewing Company
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Bronze: Heavy Handed – Kills Boro Brewing Company
Wheat Beers (American, Wit, Hefe) – 33 entries
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Gold: Grimm Weisse – Grimm Artisanal Ales
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Silver: Gather House – Drowned Lands
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Bronze: Lit Wit – Shep’s Brewing Company
Golden & Blonde Ales – 32 entries
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Gold: Prototype – Kings County Brewers Collective
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Silver: Freudian Sips – Active Ingredient Brewing Company
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Bronze: KOLSCH NO.2 – EBBS Brewing Company
Cream Ales (NEW!) – 43 entries
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Gold: Cream Ale – Prison City Brewing
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Silver: Premium Cream Ale 18th Ward Brewing
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Bronze: Wolves Den Cream Ale 1812 Brewing Company
Amber & Red Ales – 54 entries
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Gold: NYS Celtic Red Ale K2 Bros. Brewing
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Silver: Altbier Swiftwater Brewing
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Bronze: Prince Sager-Heimer Sager Beer Works
Pale Ale – 27 entries
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Gold: Moderance – Wild East Brewing Company
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Silver: Lighter Than Air – Grimm Artisanal Ales
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Bronze: RIP Pale Ale – Wood Kettle Brewing
Hazy Pale Ale – 32 entries
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Gold: Future Memory – 18th Ward Brewing
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Silver: Kaaterskill – West Kill Brewing
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Bronze: Particle – UNDERGROUND BEER LAB
American IPA – 69 entries
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Gold: Golden Hour – Long Island Farm Brewery
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Silver: Frisco Kid – Okay Beer Company
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Bronze: Venomous Villains – Kings County Brewers Collective
Hazy IPA – 78 entries
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Gold: Variable – UNDERGROUND BEER LAB
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Silver (tie): Spectral Mass – UNDERGROUND BEER LAB
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Citmo IPA (tie) – Resurgence Brewing Company
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Bronze: The One V-56 – New York Beer Project
Experimental IPA – 36 entries
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Gold: Island Addition – New York Beer Project
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Silver: Forever Ever – Other Half
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Bronze: River Swell – Drowned Lands
American DIPA – 24 entries
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Gold: 5 Cent Deposit Double IPA – Bright Eye Beer Company
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Silver: Pacific Dawn – Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
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Bronze: Lean To – West Kill Brewing
Hazy DIPA – 44 entries
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Gold: FaultLine – Barrier Brewing Company
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Silver: Jasper – Fidens Brewing Company
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Bronze: Over and Out – Wayward Lane Brewing
Barrel Aged (Sour) – 17 entries
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Gold: Love Is Overtaking Me – Kingston Standard
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Silver: Something Something Something – Prison City Brewing
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Bronze: Brewers Reserve BA Sour Blend – New York Beer Project
Barrel Aged (Non-Sour) – 40 entries
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Gold: Portuguese Squeeze – Strangebird
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Silver (tie): Bourbon-Barrel Aged Dormancy – Grow Brewing Company
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Silver (tie): Oak Aged Aeon – Aurora Brewing Company
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Bronze: Double Barrel Aqueduct 2023 – Big Ditch Brewing Company
Belgian Farmhouse – 22 entries
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Gold: Saison Blend One – ONCO Fermentations, Inc
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Silver: Wandering Bine – Threes Brewing
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Bronze: Starling – Arrowood Farm Brewery
Belgian Other – 28 entries
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Gold: Trappist at the Track Belgian Tripel – Artisanal Brew Works
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Silver: Man’s Best Friend – New York Beer Project
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Bronze: Duncan’s Quadrupel – Duncan’s Abbey
Experimental – 29 entries
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Gold: Shadowtricks – Wayward Lane Brewing
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Silver: States Of Being – Threes Brewing
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Bronze: El Tepache Loco – Talking Cursive Brewing Company
Fruit & Vegetable Beers (Non-Sour) – 32 entries
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Gold: Crispy Boys Blood Orange – Prison City Brewing
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Silver: Blackberry Kolsch – Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co.
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Bronze: Kettle Lakes Coconut Cream Ale – ONCO Fermentations
Fruit & Vegetable Beers (Sour) – 59 entries
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Gold: Mimosa Sour – Valcour Brewing Company
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Silver: Collaborations: Carmenere – Greenport Harbor Brewing
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Bronze: Key Lime Pie Sour – No BS Brew Company
Specialty Beer: Stouts & Porters – 52 entries
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Gold: Coconut Cluster – Heritage Hill Brewhouse
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Irish Coffee Stout – New York Beer Project
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter – Horseheads Brewing
Specialty Beer: Light & Amber Ales, Lagers – 21 entries
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Gold: Holiday Ale – No BS Brew Company
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Silver: Lavel Up – Druthers Brewing Company
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Bronze: Pumpkin Cream Ale – Keuka Brewing Company
Brown Ale – 32 entries
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Gold (tie): Lithology Brown Ale – Lithology Brewing Company
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Gold (tie): Brown Ale – Watershed Brewing Company
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Silver: Brooklyn Brown – Brooklyn Brewery
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Bronze: Alternator – Wood Kettle Brewing
Porters (Non-Imperial) – 36 entries
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Gold: Hold Fire – Weiss Ferments LLC
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Silver: Portmanteau – Wayward Lane Brewing
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Bronze: McNally Porter – 18th Ward Brewing
Stout (Non-Imperial) – 37 entries
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Gold: Carlow – Drowned Lands
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Silver: Velvet Panda – Mill House Brewing Company
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Bronze: STOUT NO.1 – EBBS Brewing Company
Imperial Stouts & Porters – 25 entries
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Gold: EB Baltic Porter – Take Two Brewery
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Silver: Belgian Stout – Brewery Ardennes
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Bronze: Double Negative – Grimm Artisanal Ales
Strong Ales – 33 entries
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Gold: XXXXX – Grimm Artisanal Ales
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Silver: Biteanator – Spider Bite Beer Co.
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Bronze: Nicnevin – Crafty Ales and Lagers
Kettle and Simple Sours – 12 entries
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Gold: There Gose the Watermelon Farm. – Good Nature Brewing Company
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Silver: Incandenza – Hudson Valley Brewery
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Bronze: Leipzig Gose – Big Slide Brewery & Public House
Wild & Sour Ales – 13 entries
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Gold: Ambient Fizz Koyo Berries – Grimm Artisanal Ales
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Silver: Breaking Bird – Strangebird
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Bronze: Family Tree 13 – Rare Form Brewing Company
Best Collaboration Beer
BreakingBird – Wild & Sour Ale
Strangebird (Rochester, NY) + Breakside Brewery (Portland, OR)
Best New York State Farm Beer (at least 60% NYS Hops & NYS Malt)
Coconut Cluster – Heritage Hill Brewhouse (Pompey, NY)
2024 NYS Brewery of the Year
Grimm Artisanal Ales (Brooklyn, NY)
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3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze (12 points total)
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3rd “NYS Brewery of the Year” win (2021, 2022, 2024)
2024 Governor’s Cup
“Love Is Overtaking Me” – Barrel Aged Sour
Kingston Standard Brewing Co. (Kingston, NY)
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