Winners Announced for First Ever State Fair Craft Beer Competition

Brooklyn's Threes Brewing Co. earned top honors at the first-ever New York State Craft Beer Competition, winning the Governor's Excelsior Cup. 

Threes Brewing's Pilsner "Vliet" earned gold in the Light Lager category and moved on to win Best in Show. Nineteen beers from breweries across the state earned gold medals. 

Sponsored by the New York State Brewers Association, the official New York State Fair competition featured nearly 40 judges sampling a total of 707 entries in the largest professionally judged craft beer competition held in New York State.   


The New York State Craft Beer Competition was open to any craft brewer located in New York state. Entries were submitted from 143 New York breweries, accounting for nearly half of all licensed breweries in the State.   

Gold, silver, and bronze medal winners were awarded in each of the 20 categories, which include major styles of beer, such as IPAs and Lagers, as well as niche or emerging styles, such as sour beers or fruit and spice beers. Gold medal winners by category are:  

• Light Lager: Threes Brewing Co.'s "Vliet" - Brooklyn
• Wheat Beer: Brewery Ommegang's "Witte" - Cooperstown
• Fruit and Spice Beer: The Peekskill Brewery's "Pinky Up" - Peekskill
• Belgian Farmhouse: Threes Brewing Co.'s "Wandering Bine" - Brooklyn
• Amber and Dark Lagers: Naked Dove Brewing Co.'s "Naked Dove Exposinator Doppelbock" - Canandaigua
• Amber/Red Ale: Seneca Street Brew Pub's "Irish Red Ale" - Manlius 
• Pale Ale: War Horse Brewing Co.'s "Lieutenant Dan IPA" - Geneva 
• American IPA: Good Nature Brewing Co.'s "Blight Buster" - Hamilton
• American IPA Variations: Prison City Brewing's "4 Piece" - Auburn
• American Double IPA: Big Slide Brewery & Public House's "Giant IPA" - Lake Placid
• Porter, Stout and Brown Ale: Stumblin' Monkey Brewing's "Oatmeal Stout" - Victor
• Imperial Stout and Porter: Spider Bite Beer Co.'s "Boris the Spider" - Holbrook 
• Belgian Other: Thin Man's "Hyperballad" - Buffalo
• Strong Ale: Heartland Brewery's "Old Red Nose Special Edition 14" - New York City
• Wild and Sour Ale: Mill House Brewing Co.'s "Citra Bridges"- Poughkeepsie - and Rushing Duck Brewing's "Zingerbier Berliner Weisse" - Chester - tied in this category
• Barrel Aged Sour: Brooklyn Brewery's "Kiwi's Playhouse" - Brooklyn
• Barrel Aged (Non-Sour): Three Heads Brewing's "Baltic Porter Aged in Iron Smoke Whiskey Barrels" - Rochester
• Experimental: Prison City Brewing's "Wham Whams" - Auburn
• New York State Beer: Saint James Brewery's "Saint James Brewery Pomme- Apple Ale" - Holbrook