Two of the top honors in the New York State Craft Beer Competition may have gone to Brooklyn-based breweries, but craft brewers in Rochester and the Finger Lakes also took home medals in a number of hotly contested categories.
Judging for the competition in Rochester took place Feb. 28 and March 1. Awards were presented March 20 during the New York State Brewers Conference in Albany.
Grimm Artisanal Ales won its fifth New York State Brewery of the Year Award, which is awarded to the brewery that earns the highest point total based on the number of medals earned in the overall competition. This is the third-straight honor for the Brooklyn-based craft brewer.
Wild East Brewing Co., also in Brooklyn, won the Governor’s Excelsior Craft Beer Cup for its Hexenkessel in the Dark Lager category.
Strangebird won five medals, including a gold, two silvers and two bronzes, which is an extraordinary honor for the entire team, said Micah Krichinsky, founder and brewer at the Rochester brewery and brewpub.
“Each medal reflects our commitment to quality and creativity, and the dedication that goes into all of our beers,” Krichinsky said in a prepared statement. “New York’s craft beer community is one of the most passionate and competitive in the country, so this recognition means so much to us.”
Strangebird was recognized earlier this month as one of the best brewpubs in the country in the USA Today 10Best Reader’s Choice awards.
Brewery Ardennes took three medals home to Geneva.
In all, 1,142 beers were submitted for judging in 32 categories of beer styles from 178 breweries.
Here are the medal-winning breweries close to home or a short daytrip away.
American Lager (43 entries)
Gold medal: All (American Light Lager), Artisanal Beer Works, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County
Silver medal: Bridge Pilsner, Resurgence Brewing Co., Buffalo
Cream Ale (22 entries)
Bronze medal: Cream Ale, Prison Brewing Co., Auburn, Cayuga County
Light Lagers, Modern and Contemporary (54 entries)
Silver medal: Mangia, Mangia!, Pearl Street Grill and Brewery, Buffalo
Bronze medal: Whale Herder, Strangebird, Rochester
Wheat Beer (34 entries)
Gold medal: The Messenger, Okay Beer Co., Honeoye Falls
Bronze medal: Wayfinder Wit, Solitude Beer Co., Lakeville, Livingston County
Amber Lagers (53 entries)
Gold medal: Sager Beer Works, Rochester
Silver medal: Vienna Lager, Druthers Brewing Co., Saratoga Springs
Bronze medal: Oktoberfest, Big aLICe Brewing Co., Geneva
Amber & Red Ales (47 entries)
Silver medal: Upside Down Alt, Liquid State Brewing Co., Ithaca, Tompkins County
Bronze medal: Brickyard Red, Horseheads Brewing, Horseheads, Chemung County
Brown Ale (28 entries)
Gold medal: 1845 Brown Ale, Heritage Hill Brewery, Pompey, Onondaga County
Bronze medal: Mild Return, Underground Beer Lab, Syracuse
Porters (Non-Imperial) (26 entries)
Gold medal: Pumpernickel Porter, Rusty Nickel Brewing Co., West Salamanca, Erie County
Stout (Non-Imperial) (35 entries)
Bronze medal: Oatmeal Stout, Stumblin’ Monkey Brewing Co., Victor
Belgian Farmhouse (16 entries)
Silver medal: Magnetic North, Brickyard Brewing Co., Lewiston, Niagara County
Belgian Other (28 entries)
Silver medal: Savoir-Vivre 10°, Strangebird, Rochester
Pale Ale (24 entries)
Bronze medal: Oregon High Five, Griffon Brewing, Youngstown, Niagara County
Hazy Pale Ale (35 entries)
Silver medal: Sly Move, Strangebird, Rochester
Hazy IPA (89 entries)
Gold medal: Hazy Train, New York Beer Project, Victor and Lockport, Niagra County
Silver medal: Uncurious, Druthers Brewing Co., Saratoga Sprigs
Hazy DIPA (40 entries)
Gold medal: Unfettered Soul, Strangebird, Rochester
Silver medal: Righteous Day Drinker, New York Beer Project, Victor and Lockport
Experimental IPA (35 entries)
Gold medal: Experimental IPA With Sichuan Peppercorn, Runaway Blue Brewing Co., Newark, Wayne County
Silver medal: Hazy Crush, New York Beer Project, Victor and Lockport
Bronze medal: Cold Cut, Okay Beer Co., Honeoye Falls
Field Beer (Non-Sour) (29 entries)
Silver medal: Cucumber Lime Golden Ale, Ithaca Beer Co., Ithaca, Tompkins County
Kettle & Simple Sours (nine entries)
Gold medal: The Dare, Druthers Brewing Co., Saratoga Springs
Barrel Aged (Sour) (eight entries)
Bronze medal: White Label: Blackberry, Druthers Brewing Co., Saratoga Springs
Wild & Sour Ales (14 entries)
Gold medal: Wild Cherry Sour, Brewery Ardennes, Geneva
Field Beer (Sour) 59 (Entries)
Bronze medal: Dancing Lights, Bullfinch Brewpub, Syracuse
Strong Ales & Lagers (17 entries)
Bronze medal: Groundskeeper Philly, Preservation Beer Co., Fairport
Imperial Stouts & Porters (16 entries)
Bronze medal Belgian Stout: Brewery Ardennes, Geneva
Barrel Aged (Non-Sour) (39 entries)
Gold medal: Gin Barrel-Aged Tripel, Brewery Ardennes, Geneva
Bronze medal: Portuguese Squeeze, Strangebird, Rochester
Specialty Beer: Light & Amber Ales and Lagers (28 entries)
Silver medal: Ravenswood, Big aLICe Brewing Co., Geneva
Bronze medal: Chocolate Scotch Ale, Genesee Brew House, Rochester
Bronze medal: Apple Maple Brown Ale, No BS Brew Co., Livonia and Victor
Specialty Beer: Stouts & Porters (50 entries)
Gold medal: Chocolate After Midnight, Stoneyard Brewing Co., Rochester
Silver medal: Obeah, Crafty Ales & Lagers, Phelps
Bronze medal: Raspberry Gilbert, Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co., Weedsport, Cayuga County
Experimental (19 entries)
Silver medal: Tiga Spon, Eli Fish Brewing Co., Batavia
Mike Murphy covers Canandaigua and other communities in Ontario County and writes the Eat, Drink and Be Murphy food and drink column. He can be reached at mmurphy@messengerpostmedia.com. Follow him on X at @MPN_MikeMurphy.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester area breweries win state beer awards. See the list
Reporting by Mike Murphy, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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