The New York State Brewers Association (NYSBA) held the awards ceremony for the eighth annual New York State Craft Beer Competition on March 22 — giving out 96 awards across 30 style categories, including two new categories this year: Cream Ales and Dark Lagers. This year’s competition saw 1,421 beers, the highest number of submissions to date, entered by 232 breweries.
“I’m very excited that in our 8th year of holding the NYS Craft Beer Competition we once again drew a record number of beers!” exclaimed Hutch Kugeman, NYSBA Board President. “We know that New York breweries produce some of the best beer in the country, and the feedback from our judges proved it. The judging was extremely competitive this year and every brewery that wins a medal should be incredibly proud.”
In addition to gold, silver and bronze medals awarded in each category, judges selected the “NYS Governor’s Craft Beer Cup” as the best-in-show beer, which was awarded to Kingston Standard Brewing Co. for Love is Overtaking Me in the Barrel Aged (Sour) category.
The “NYS Brewery of the Year” award was given to the brewery with the highest number of points in the competition based on the number of medals won. Grimm Artisanal Ales claimed the title for its third time, also winning Brewery of the Year in 2021 and 2022.
“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 NYBSA. “It reaffirms the fact that quality continues to be of the highest priority to the brewers in our state.”
Winners of the 2024 New York State Craft Beer Competition are:
Light Lagers (Traditional)
- Gold: Eleven – Strong Rope Brewery
- Silver: Bezucha Brothers – West Kill Brewing
- Bronze: Brook & Reed – Drowned Lands
Light Lagers (Modern and Contemporary)
- Gold: Contiguity – Threes Brewing
- Silver: UN1 Basmati Rice Lager – Transmitter Brewing
- Bronze: There & Back Helles – Bright Eye Beer Company
Amber Lagers
- Gold: Pleasantbräu Oktoberfest – Soul Brewing Company
- Silver: Fly In Any Weather – Rising Storm Brewing Company
- Bronze: Polotmavy Pekar – Wayward Lane Brewing
Dark Lagers (NEW!)
- Gold: Dark Encounter Druthers – Brewing Company
- Silver: Nightfall – Wagner Valley Brewing Company
- Bronze: Heavy Handed – Kills Boro Brewing Company
Wheat Beers (American, Wit, Hefe)
- Gold: Grimm Weisse – Grimm Artisanal Ales
- Silver: Gather House – Drowned Lands
- Bronze: Lit Wit – Shep’s Brewing Company
Golden & Blonde Ales
- Gold: Prototype – Kings County Brewers Collective
- Silver: Freudian Sips – Active Ingredient Brewing Company
- Bronze: KOLSCH NO.2 – EBBS Brewing Company
Cream Ales (NEW!)
- Gold: Cream Ale – Prison City Brewing
- Silver: Premium Cream Ale – 18th Ward Brewing
- Bronze: Wolves Den Cream Ale – 1812 Brewing Company
Amber & Red Ales
- Gold: NYS Celtic Red Ale – K2 Bros. Brewing
- Silver: Altbier – Swiftwater Brewing
- Bronze: Prince Sager-Heimer – Sager Beer Works
Pale Ale
- Gold: Moderance – Wild East Brewing Company
- Silver: Lighter Than Air – Grimm Artisanal Ales
- Bronze: RIP Pale Ale – Wood Kettle Brewing
Hazy Pale Ale
- Gold: Future Memory – 18th Ward Brewing
- Silver: Kaaterskill – West Kill Brewing
- Bronze: Particle – UNDERGROUND BEER LAB
American IPA
- Gold: Golden Hour – Long Island Farm Brewery
- Silver: Frisco Kid – Okay Beer Company
- Bronze: Venomous Villains – Kings County Brewers Collective
Hazy IPA
- Gold: Variable – UNDERGROUND BEER LAB
- Silver (tie): Spectral Mass – UNDERGROUND BEER LAB
- Silver (tie): Citmo IPA – Resurgence Brewing Company
- Bronze: The One V-56 – New York Beer Project
Experimental IPA
- Gold: Island Addition – New York Beer Project
- Silver: Forever Ever – Other Half
- Bronze: River Swell – Drowned Lands
American DIPA
- Gold: 5 Cent Deposit Double IPA – Bright Eye Beer Company
- Silver: Pacific Dawn – Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
- Bronze: Lean To – West Kill Brewing
Hazy DIPA
- Gold: FaultLine – Barrier Brewing Company
- Silver: Jasper – Fidens Brewing Company
- Bronze: Over and Out – Wayward Lane Brewing
Barrel Aged (Sour)
- Gold: Love Is Overtaking Me – Kingston Standard
- Silver: Something Something Something – Prison City Brewing
- Bronze: Brewers Reserve BA Sour Blend – New York Beer Project
Barrel Aged (Non-Sour)
- Gold: Portuguese Squeeze – Strangebird
- Silver (tie): Bourbon-Barrel Aged Dormancy – Grow Brewing Company
- Silver (tie): Oak Aged Aeon – Aurora Brewing Company
- Bronze: Double Barrel Aqueduct 2023 – Big Ditch Brewing Company
Belgian Farmhouse
- Gold: Saison Blend One – ONCO Fermentations, Inc
- Silver: Wandering Bine – Threes Brewing
- Bronze: Starling – Arrowood Farm Brewery
Belgian Other
- Gold: Trappist at the Track Belgian Tripel – Artisanal Brew Works
- Silver: Man’s Best Friend – New York Beer Project
- Bronze: Duncan’s Quadrupel – Duncan’s Abbey
Experimental
- Gold: Shadowtricks – Wayward Lane Brewing
- Silver: States Of Being – Threes Brewing
- Bronze: El Tepache Loco – Talking Cursive Brewing Company
Fruit & Vegetable Beers (Non-Sour)
- Gold: Crispy Boys Blood Orange – Prison City Brewing
- Silver: Blackberry Kolsch – Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co.
- Bronze: Kettle Lakes Coconut Cream Ale – ONCO Fermentations
Fruit & Vegetable Beers (Sour)
- Gold: Mimosa Sour – Valcour Brewing Company
- Silver: Collaborations: Carmenere – Greenport Harbor Brewing
- Bronze: Key Lime Pie Sour – No BS Brew Company
Specialty Beer: Stouts & Porters
- Gold: Coconut Cluster – Heritage Hill Brewhouse
- Irish Coffee Stout – New York Beer Project
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter – Horseheads Brewing
Specialty Beer: Light & Amber Ales, Lagers
- Gold: Holiday Ale – No BS Brew Company
- Silver: Lavel Up – Druthers Brewing Company
- Bronze: Pumpkin Cream Ale – Keuka Brewing Company
Brown Ale
- Gold (tie): Lithology Brown Ale – Lithology Brewing Company
- Gold (tie): Brown Ale – Watershed Brewing Company
- Silver: Brooklyn Brown – Brooklyn Brewery
- Bronze: Alternator – Wood Kettle Brewing
Porters (Non-Imperial)
- Gold: Hold Fire – Weiss Ferments LLC
- Silver: Portmanteau – Wayward Lane Brewing
- Bronze: McNally Porter – 18th Ward Brewing
Stout (Non-Imperial)
- Gold: Carlow – Drowned Lands
- Silver: Velvet Panda – Mill House Brewing Company
- Bronze: STOUT NO.1 – EBBS Brewing Company
Imperial Stouts & Porters
- Gold: EB Baltic Porter – Take Two Brewery
- Silver: Belgian Stout – Brewery Ardennes
- Bronze: Double Negative – Grimm Artisanal Ales
Strong Ales
- Gold: XXXXX – Grimm Artisanal Ales
- Silver: Biteanator – Spider Bite Beer Co.
- Bronze: Nicnevin – Crafty Ales and Lagers
Kettle and Simple Sours
- Gold: There Gose the Watermelon Farm – Good Nature Brewing Company
- Silver: Incandenza – Hudson Valley Brewery
- Bronze: Leipzig Gose – Big Slide Brewery & Public House
Wild & Sour Ales
- Gold: Ambient Fizz Koyo Berries – Grimm Artisanal Ales
- Silver: Breaking Bird – Strangebird
- Bronze: Family Tree 13 – Rare Form Brewing Company
Competition details
The competition was produced by two non-profit organizations, NYSBA and Raise a Glass Foundation. Entries were blind judged by a panel of respected and influential individuals in the New York beer industry based on pre-established criteria and using a custom scoring sheet developed by NYSBA. The top three finishers in each of the beer style categories received gold, silver and bronze medals.
“The Raise A Glass Foundation is the unsung hero of the New York State Craft Beer Competition presented by Ultimate Brew Service, as we’ve cemented ourselves as the largest state run competition in the country once again this year,” said Emily Forrester, NYSBA Membership & Events Manager. “Their volunteer-driven efforts aid us in creating a platform where New York State’s Craft Beer culture can shine, showcasing the craftmanship and ingenuity that our brewers bring to the table. In addition, Genesee Brewery’s contribution of sensory training to our esteemed panel of judges is a prime example of collaboration and community within our industry.”
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