BUFFALO, N.Y. — Four local breweries took home awards at the eighth annual New York State Craft Beer Competition on Friday.
Lockport-based New York Beer Project won five awards, led by a gold medal with Island Addition in the Experimental IPA category over 35 other brews.
Brooklyn-based Other Half, which has one location in Buffalo took silver in that same Experimental category with Forever Ever.
New York Beer Project also won silver medals in the categories of Belgian Other (Man's Best Friend) and Specialty Beer: Stouts & Porters (Irish Coffee Stout), plus bronze medals in Hazy IPA (The One V-56), a bronze in Barrel Aged Sour (Brewers Reserve BA Sour Blend).
Resurgence Brewing Company took home a silver for its Citmo IPA in the Hazy IPA category.
Big Ditch Brewing Company won a bronze for its Double Barrel Aqueduct 2023 in the Barrel Aged Non-Sour category.
“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,” Paul Leone, executive director of the New York State Brewers Association, said in a state Friday night, announcing the winners.
“It reaffirms the fact that quality continues to be of the highest priority to the brewers in our state.”
Judging for the competition happened on March 2 and March 3 in Rochester. 232 breweries across the state entered a total of 1,421 beers according to the NYS Brewers Association.
"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," according to the New York State Brewers Association.
Several breweries in New York's Finger Lakes region also won including No BS Brew Company in Livonia, Rising Storm Brewing Company in Avon, Okay Beer Company in Honeoye Falls, and more.
2 On Your Side compiled the following list of all winning breweries within an hour of WNY:
- Amber Lagers: Silver: Fly In Any Weather - Rising Storm Brewing Company - Avon
- Amber & Red Ales: Gold: NYS Celtic Red Ale - K2 Bros. Brewing – Rochester
- Amber & Red Ales Silver: Altbier - Swiftwater Brewing – Rochester
- Amber & Red Ales: Bronze: Prince Sager-Heimer - Sager Beer Works - Rochester
- American IPA: Silver: Frisco Kid - Okay Beer Company – Honeoye Falls
- Hazy IPA: Silver (tie): Citmo IPA - Resurgence Brewing Company – Buffalo
- Hazy IPA: Bronze: The One V-56 - New York Beer Project – Lockport
- Experimental IPA: Gold: Island Addition - New York Beer Project – Lockport
- Experimental IPA: Silver: Forever Ever - Other Half – Brooklyn (Buffalo location)
- Barrel Aged (Sour): Bronze: Brewers Reserve BA Sour Blend - New York Beer Project – Lockport
- Belgian Other: Silver: Man's Best Friend - New York Beer Project – Lockport
- Fruit and Vegetable Beers (Sour): Bronze: Key Lime Pie Sour - No BS Brew Company – Livonia
- Specialty Beer: Stouts and Porters: Silver: Irish Coffee Stout - New York Beer Project – Lockport
- Specialty Beer: Light & Amber Ales, Lagers: Gold: Holiday Ale - No BS Brew Company – Livonia
- Specialty Beer: Light & Amber Ales, Lagers: Bronze: Pumpkin Cream Ale - Keuka Brewing Company
- Brown Ale: Gold (tie): Brown Ale - Watershed Brewing Company – Geneva
- Imperial Stouts & Porters: Silver: Belgian Stout - Brewery Ardennes – Geneva
- Strong Ales: Bronze: Nicnevin - Crafty Ales and Lagers – Phelps
- Wild & Sour Ales: Silver: Breaking Bird – Strangebird – Rochester