In its 1st year, the 2017 New York State Craft Beer competition awarded 63 medals to some of the best craft beers in New York State, plus awarded the 1st ever Governor’s Excelsior Cup to the brewery who was voted to have the best beer in the State.
Overview: New York State Craft Beer Competition
The competition took place in Rochester NY on Saturday, July 29th where gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to winning breweries in 20 beer categories covering 40 different beer styles (including all subcategories), establishing the best examples of each style in the state. Gold medals were not awarded in 2 categories, and multiple medals were awarded in categories where there was a statistical tie.
Winners were chosen from 707 competition entries from 143 breweries making this the largest beer competition in New York State and the second largest state competition in the country (behind California).
The competition drew a panel of 40 professional beer judges and beer experts from across the state judging all 707 entries. 243 passed the qualification rounds and were judged in the scoring rounds to produce the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners. The 19 Gold medal winners went into the championship round, and after 2 elimination rounds the top 5 went head to head for the Governor’s Excelsior Cup and best beer in New York State.
Overall Competition Highlights
Style Categories
In its first year, the most-entered category was American-Style India Pale Ale (IPA), which saw 88 entries. The top five entered categories were:
Summary: 2017 New York Craft Brewers Competition and Governor’s Excelsior Cup
Breakdown of Winners:
Category 1: Light Lagers – 47 Entries
Gold: Vliet Pilsner, Threes Brewing, Brooklyn **(Governors Excelsior Cup Winner)
Silver: Lockport Lager, New York Beer Project, Lockport
Bronze: Pilsner, Young Lion Brewing, Canandaigua
Category 2: Golden/Blonde Ale (American, Kolsch, Cream Ale) – 48 Entries
Gold: No gold awarded
Silver: Lemongrass Kolsch, Big Alice Brewing, Long Island City
Bronze: Saranac Brewery, Lake Placid Golden Ubu Ale, Utica
Category 3: Wheat Beer (America, Wit, Hefe) – 39 Entries
Gold: Witte, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown
Silver: Surfcaster, Great South Bay Brewery, Bay Shore
Bronze: Witicale, Rare Form Brewing, Troy
Category 4: Fruit and Spice Beer – 66 Entries
Gold: Pinky Up, the Peekskill Brewery, Peekskill
Silver: Sassypants, Roc Brewing Company, Rochester
Bronze: Mango Infused Goseface Killah Gose, Aurora Ale and Lager Co., King Ferry
Category 5: Belgian Farmhouse – 16 Entries
Gold: Wandering Bine, Threes Brewing, Brooklyn
Silver: Class Project Saison, Brewery at CIA, Hyde park
Bronze: Hennepin, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown
Bronze: Suite G Saison, Stumblin’ Monkey Brewing, Victor
Category 6: Amber and Dark Lagers – 20 Entries
Gold: Exposinator Dopplebock, Naked Dove, Canadaigua
Silver: Common Sense, Upstate Brewing Company, Elmira
Bronze: Octoberfest, Saranac Brewery, Utica
Category 7: Amber/Red Ale (British, American, Irish, Scottish) – 39 Entries
Gold: Irish Red Ale, Seneca Street Brew Pub, Manlius
Silver: Devil’s Bathtub, Strong Rope Brewery, Brooklyn
Bronze: Soda Bread Red Ale, Bottomless Brewing, Geneva
Category 8: Pale Ale – 42 Entries
Gold: Lieutenant Dan, War Horse Brewing Co., Geneva
Silver: The Juice, Skewed Brewing, Watertown
Bronze: Mosaic Pale Ale, Five Boroughs Brewing, Brooklyn
Category 9: American IPA – 88 Entries
Gold: Blight Buster. Good Nature Brewing, Hamilton
Silver: Tainted Haze IPA, Knucklehead Craft Brewing, Webster
Bronze: Rockaway IPA, Rockaway Brewing, Long Island City
Category 10: American IPA Variations – 20 Entries
Gold: 4 Piece, Prison City Brewing, Auburn
Silver: Non Stop Hop Onslaught, Good Nature Brewing, Hamilton
Bronze: Brux IPA, Rushing Duck, Chester
Category 11: American DIPA – 51 Entries
Gold: Giant IPA, Big Slide Brewery and Public House – Lake Placid
Silver: The Big Broadcast, War Horse Brewing Co., Geneva
Bronze: Deep Cut, Big Ditch Brewing Co., Buffalo
Category 12: Porter, Stout, Brown Ale (non imperial) – 62 Entries
Gold: Oatmeal Stout, Stumblin’ Monkey Brewing, Victor
Silver: Black Meadow Bog, Glenmere Brewing, Florida
Silver: Oyster Stout, Blue Point Brewing Co, Patchogue
Bronze: Yada Yada Yada, Barrage Brewing Co., Farmingdale
Category 13: Imperial Stout and Porter – 15 Entries
Gold: Boris the Spider, Spider Bite Beer Co., Holbrook
Silver: Russian Imperial Stout, WT Brews, Baldwinsville
Bronze: Storyteller, Strong Rope Brewery, Brooklyn
Bronze: Baltic Porter, Three Heads Brewing Co., Rochester
Category 14: Belgian Other (Trappist, Strong) – 25 Entries
Gold: No gold awarded
Silver: Hyperballad, Thin Man Brewery, Buffalo
Silver: Local 1, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn
Bronze: Muscat Love, Great South Bay Brewery, Bay Shore
Category 15: Strong Ale (non Belgian) – 13 Entries
Gold: Old Red Nose Special Edition 14, Heartland Brewery, New York City
Silver: Old Red Nose Special Edition 13, Heartland Brewery, New York City
Bronze: Breaking Point Barleywine, Roscoe Beer Co., Roscoe
Category 16: Wild and Sour Ale – 42 Entries
Gold: Zingerbier Berliner Weisse, Rushing Duck, Chester
Gold: Citra Bridges, Mill House Brewing Co., Poughkeepsie
Silver: Abbot’s Reserve, Duncan’s Abbey, Tarrytown
Bronze: Tarty McFly, War Horse Brewing Co., Geneva
Category 17: Barrel Aged Sour – 14 Entries
Gold: Kiwi’s Playhouse, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn
Silver: H4 Plum Harvest Sour, Transmitter Brewing, Long Island City
Bronze: Far Star, Galaxy Brewing Co., Binghamton
Category 18: Barrel Aged non sour – 33 Entries
Gold: Baltic Porter aged in Iron Smoke Whiskey barrels, Three Heads Brewing, Rochester
Silver: Barrel Aged Coconut Stout, Blue Point Brewing Co., Patchogue
Bronze: Barrel Aged Boris the Spider, Spider Bite Beer Co., Holbrook
Category 19: Experimental Beer – 13 Entries
Gold: Wham Whams, Prison City Brewing, Auburn
Silver: Juniper’s Baby, Nedloh Brewing Company, Bloomfield
Bronze: Cucumber Blessings, Mill House Brewing Co., Poughkeepsie
Category 20: New York State Beer (100% NYS Ingredients) – 14 Entries
Gold: Pomme Apple Ale, Saint James Brewery, Holbrook
Silver: NY1 Saison, Transmitter Brewing, Long Island City
Bronze: Mellennial Falcon, Lucky Hare Brewing Co., Hector
