2020 Results

2020 NYS Craft Beer Competition Results – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and NY On Pause, we were only allowed to judge half the beers, therefore, not all catergories have been awarded.

Overall Competition Highlights

2020 Governor’s Excelsior Craft Beer Cup

• The 2020 NYS Governor’s Excelsior Craft Beer Cup was awarded to Big aLICe Brewing (Long Island City, NY) for their “The Many Lives of Our Lives” in the fruited sour beer category.  

Most Medals Won

• (3) medals were won by Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing, Weedsport NY
• Two (2) medals were won by Big aLICe Brewing, Long Island City, and Mad Jack Brewing, Schenectady NY

Style Categories

This year the most-entered categories was Hazy IPA with 88 entries. The top five entered categories were:

• Hazy IPA (88 entries)
• Light Lagers (83 entries)
• Fruit and Spice Beer  (73 entries)
• Fruit and Spice Beer – non-sour (66 entries)
• American IPA (61 entries)

Summary: 2020 New York Craft Brewers Competition and Governor’s Craft Beer Cup (4th year.)

• 467 Breweries in New York State
• 989 beers entered
• 29 medal-winning breweries
• 35 total medals awarded
• 12 style categories judged, plus Governor’s Excelsior Cup
• 30 judges from across NYS
• Out of the 989 entries, 446 were judged. 135 entries qualified as NYS labeled beer under the 2020 law of at least 60% NYS hops and 60% NYS malt

Category Winners: 

Category 1: American DIPA – 28 Entries 

Gold: Open Wide EXP – Spider Bite Brewing, Holbrook

Silver: Late Knight IPA – Middle Ages, Syracuse

Bronze: Intonation – Browns Brewing Company, Troy

Category 2: American IPA – 61 Entries 

Gold: Power Tools – Industrial Arts, Garnerville

Silver: Re4resh IPA – Frog Alley Brewing, Schenectady

Bronze: Premiere – Interboro Spirits and Ales, Brooklyn

Category 3: American IPA Variations– 33 Entries 

Gold: Elegant Pride – Prison City Pub & Brewery, Auburn

Silver: White Oak Borderland – 42 North Brewing Company, East Aurora

Bronze: Stomping Grounds IPL – Mad Jack Brewing, Schenectady

Category 4: Pale Ale – 30 Entries 

Gold: Exit 40 Pale Ale – Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co., Weedsport

Silver: Ale Aboard Pale Ale – Twisted Rail Brewing, Geneva

Bronze: Pk Pale – Millhouse Brewing, Poughkeepsie

Category 5: Hazy IPA – 88 Entries 

Gold: Trial By Wombat – Thin Man Brewery, Buffalo

Silver:  Dare To Know – Threes Brewing, Brooklyn

Bronze: Hologrpahic Haze – Great South Bay Brewery, Bay Shore

Category 6: Hazy Pale Ale – 27 Entries 

Gold: Right Time and Place – Unified Beerworks, Ballston Spa

Silver: Tiny Juicy IPA – Five Boroughs, Brooklyn

Bronze: Richard, or is it Dick? – ONCO Fermentations, Tully

Category 7: Fruit and Spice Beer  – sour – 73cEntries 

Gold: The Many Lives of Our Lives – Big Alice Brewing, Long Island City – Queens *Governors Craft Beer Cup Winner*

Silver: Boysen Rebus – Grimm Artisanal Ales, Brooklyn

Bronze: Blue Razz Sour – K2 Brothers, Rochester

Category 8: Fruit and Spice Beer – non-sour – 66 Entries 

Gold: Salted Caramel Waffle Beer – Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, Lake Placid

Silver: Brewery Saphouse – West Kill Brewing, Lexington

Bronze: Elderberry Kolsch – Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co., Weedsport

Category 9: Kettle and Simple Sours – 15 Entries 

Gold: Bel Air – Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn 

Silver: No Sliver Awarded

Bronze: M-Town Haze – Clemson Bros Brewery, Middlestown

Category 10: Wheat Beer (American, Wit, Hefe) – 28 Entries 

Gold: Gather House – Drowned Lands Brewery, Warwick

Silver: Witte – Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown

Bronze: W8 Blegian Wit – Transmitter Brewing, Buffalo

Category 11: Collaboration Beer – 9 Entries 

Gold: Stomping Grounds IPL – Mad Jacking Brewing in collaboration with CH Evans Brewing

Silver: Taconic Mist Hazy Pale Ale – Kings Court Brewing in collaboration with Torch & Crown Brewing

Bronze: No Bronze Awarded

Category 12: New York State Beer – 135 Qualified Entries 

At least 20% NYS hops, NYS Malt and other NYS ingredients

Gold:  The Many Lives of Our Lives – Big Alice Brewing, Long Island City – Queens

Silver: Exit 40 Pale Ale – Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co., Weedsport

Bronze: Champagne Guapi: Red – Eli Fishing Brewing, Batavia

Bronze: Necessary Means for a Necessary Means – Fidens Brewing Company, Albany