New York Craft Brewers Represent At Great American Beer Festival

NEW YORK — Some of the Empire State's favorite brewers are competing this week at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

At the world-famous Thursday-Saturday event, they’ll be competing for gold, silver or bronze medals and the coveted "Brewer of the Year" title.

Now in its 40th year, the festival will feature more than 2,000 beers from 500 breweries. Among them are a few of New York's best breweries:

• King's Court Brewing Co. in Poughkeepsie has entered their Blinding Brown, Frog King, Frogs Like Possom, Stein Juggler and Sunrise Wheat.
• Gun Hill Brewing Co. in the Bronx is bringing its I Gotchu, Rise Up Rye, Spirit 76 American Pils, Tried and True and Void of Light offerings to the competition.
• Prison City Brewing in Auburn will be taking its crime-themed brews to the party, including Mass Riot, Pumkin Escobar and the Work Play Pils.
• Brooklyn Brewery has entered 11 of its finest craft beers, including 36'' Chain, Black Ops (2019 Vintage), Book of Hours, Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn Pilsner, La Playa, Pulp Art Hazy Double IPA, Pulp Art Hazy IPA, Refraction, Special Effects Hoppy Amber and Special Effects Pils.
• Alewife Brewing in Queens is hoping to medal with their Cerna, Festbier, I Dream In Blueberry Sour DIPA, Queens BLVD IPA or Set & Setting DIPA. (Editor's note: The DIPA isn't a beer from this mortal coil. It was clearly crafted by gods up high, perhaps Mount Olympus or Eden.)
• Community Beer Works in Buffalo is showing up strong with its Let's Go Pils, Oktoberfest,That IPA and The Whale beers.

New York breweries tend to make a good showing in Denver. Last year, Prison City brought home both a bronze and silver medal. Other New York breweries to medal in 2021 included Grimm Artisanal Ales in Brooklyn and SingleCut Beersmiths in Astoria. Hudson Valley's own Rip Van Winkle Brewing Co. took the gold for its Uncle Tito Mexican Lager.

Hosted by the Brewers Association, the trade organization representing more than 5,600 small and independent American craft brewers, the festival is once again an in-person event at the Colorado Convention Center after two years of a pandemic-imposed hiatus.

The craft beer festival, considered a beer lover’s bucket-list item, has grown exponentially over its 40-year history. Just 24 brewers brought 47 beers to the first Great American Beer Festival in 1982.

If you love beer and happen to be in or traveling to the Denver area, check for ticket availability. The best place to cheer on your local brewery, however, might just be on a barstool a little closer to home.