ICYMI: New York's Best Breweries, Craft Beers: State Fair Winners Announced

SYRACUSE, NY — For years, state officials have been trying to convince us that New York is in the middle of some kind of craft-beer renaissance. And if the crazy turnout for the first-ever New York State Craft Beer Competition, held at this year's state fair, is any indication, they might not be totally off-base on this one.

More than 700 beer varieties were submitted for review by 143 breweries from across the state, officials said. Of those, a panel of 40 judges chose the top three in each of 20 categories.

In the end, the top prize — "Best in Show," or as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo prefers to call it, the "Governor's Excelsior Cup" — went to Threes Brewing Company on Douglass Street at 4th Avenue in Gowanus, Brooklyn, for their "Vliet Pilsner."

The same brewery also won first place in the "Belgian Farmhouse" category for another of their brews, called "Wandering Bine."

In a victory statement issued Thursday, Threes Brewing owner Greg Doroski said: "As New York State continues its ascendance as a leader in craft beer, it's an honor for our team to win the inaugural Governor's Excelsior Cup, especially for one of our favorite beers. In a time when some breweries are pushing the extreme, it's satisfying to see recognition for Pilsner."

Another brewery in Gowanus, Strong Rope Brewery at 4th and President, took home a couple medals as well.

Below is a full list of the winners, which reads more like a list of bad indie bands ("Yada Yada Yada," "Blight Buster," "Sassypants," "Devil's Bathtub," etc.) and should ideally be used as a kind of summer-weekend treasure map to guide you and a choice crew of fellow lushes to all the best and most obscure breweries in this great state. Because if you're gonna grow a beer belly in bikini weather, might as well source it locally.

Ready, set...

Light Lagers

• Gold: "Vliet Pilsner," Threes Brewing (Gowanus, Brooklyn)
• Silver: "Lockport Lager," New York Beer Project (Lockport)
• Bronze: "Pilsner," Young Lion Brewing (Canandaigua)

Golden/Blonde Ale (American, Kolsch, Cream Ale)

• Gold: No gold awarded
• Silver: "Lemongrass Kolsch," Big Alice Brewing (Long Island City, Queens)
• Bronze: "Lake Placid Golden Ubu Ale," Saranac Brewery (Utica)

Wheat Beer (America, Wit, Hefe)

• Gold: "Witte," Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown)
• Silver: "Surfcaste," Great South Bay Brewery (Bay Shore)
• Bronze: "Witicale," Rare Form Brewing (Troy)

Fruit and Spice Beer

• Gold: "Pinky Up," Peekskill Brewery (Peekskill)
• Silver: "Sassypants," Roc Brewing Company (Rochester)
• Bronze: "Mango Infused Goseface Killah Gose," Aurora Ale and Lager Co. (King Ferry)

Belgian Farmhouse

• Gold: "Wandering Bine," Threes Brewing (Gowanus, Brooklyn)
• Silver: "Class Project Saison," student brewery at the Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park)
• Bronze (tie): "Hennepin," Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown)
• Bronze (tie): "Suite G Saison," Stumblin’ Monkey Brewing (Victor)

Amber and Dark Lagers

• Gold: "Exposinator Dopplebock," Naked Dove (Canadaigua)
• Silver: "Common Sense," Upstate Brewing Company (Elmira)
• Bronze: "Octoberfest," Saranac Brewery (Utica)

Amber/Red Ale (British, American, Irish, Scottish)

• Gold: "Irish Red Ale," Seneca Street Brew Pub (Manlius)
• Silver: "Devil’s Bathtub," Strong Rope Brewery (Gowanus, Brooklyn)
• Bronze: "Soda Bread Red Ale," Bottomless Brewing (Geneva)

Pale Ale

• Gold: "Lieutenant Dan," War Horse Brewing Co. (Geneva)
• Silver: "The Juice," Skewed Brewing (Watertown)
• Bronze: "Mosaic Pale Ale," Five Boroughs Brewing (Sunset Park, Brooklyn)

American IPA

• Gold: "Blight Buster," Good Nature Brewing (Hamilton)
• Silver: "Tainted Haze IPA," Knucklehead Craft Brewing (Webster)
• Bronze: "Rockaway IPA," Rockaway Brewing (Long Island City, Queens)

American IPA Variations

• Gold: "4 Piece," Prison City Brewing (Auburn)
• Silver: "Non Stop Hop Onslaught," Good Nature Brewing (Hamilton)
• Bronze: "Brux IPA," Rushing Duck (Chester)

American DIPA

• 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)

Porter, Stout, Brown Ale (non-imperial)

• Gold: "Oatmeal Stout," Stumblin’ Monkey Brewing (Victor)
• Silver (tie): "Black Meadow Bog," Glenmere Brewing (Florida)
• Silver (tie): "Oyster Stout," Blue Point Brewing Co. (Patchogue, Long Island)
• Bronze: "Yada Yada Yada," Barrage Brewing Co. (Farmingdale)

Imperial Stout and Porter

• Gold: "Boris the Spider," Spider Bite Beer Co. (Holbrook)
• Silver: "Russian Imperial Stout," WT Brews (Baldwinsville)
• Bronze (tie): "Storyteller," Strong Rope Brewery (Gowanus, Brooklyn)
• Bronze (tie): "Baltic Porter," Three Heads Brewing Co. (Rochester)

Belgian Other (Trappist, Strong)

• Gold: No gold awarded
• Silver (tie): "Hyperballad," Thin Man Brewery (Buffalo)
• Silver (tie): "Local 1," Brooklyn Brewery (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
• Bronze: "Muscat Love," Great South Bay Brewery (Bay Shore)

Strong Ale (non-Belgian)

• Gold: "Old Red Nose Special Edition 14," Heartland Brewery (Koreatown, Manhattan)
• Silver: "Old Red Nose Special Edition 13," Heartland Brewery (Koreatown, Manhattan)
• Bronze: "Breaking Point Barleywine," Roscoe Beer Co. (Roscoe)

Wild and Sour Ale

• Gold (tie): "Zingerbier Berliner Weisse," Rushing Duck (Chester)
• Gold (tie): "Citra Bridges," Mill House Brewing Co. (Poughkeepsie)
• Silver: "Abbot’s Reserve," Duncan’s Abbey (Tarrytown)
• Bronze: "Tarty McFly," War Horse Brewing Co. (Geneva)

Barrel Aged Sour

• Gold: "Kiwi’s Playhouse," Brooklyn Brewery (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
• Silver: "H4 Plum Harvest Sour," Transmitter Brewing (Long Island City, Queens)
• Bronze: "Far Star," Galaxy Brewing Co. (Binghamton)

Barrel Aged Non-Sour

• 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)

Experimental Beer

• Gold: "Wham Whams," Prison City Brewing (Auburn)
• Silver: "Juniper’s Baby," Nedloh Brewing Company (Bloomfield)
• Bronze: "Cucumber Blessings," Mill House Brewing Co. (Poughkeepsie)

New York State Beer (100% New York State Ingredients)

• Gold: "Pomme Apple Ale," Saint James Brewery (Holbrook)
• Silver: "NY1 Saison," Transmitter Brewing (Long Island City, Queens)
• Bronze: "Mellennial Falcon," Lucky Hare Brewing Co. (Hector)

Lead photo courtesy of Captain Lawrence Brewing Company