2009 Great American Beer Festival

The 2009 Great American Beer Festival is over and eight New York brews are taking home medals from Denver.

Category: 8, Rye Beer, 21 Entries
Silver: Blue Point Brewing Co. RastafaRye, Blue Point Brewing Co., Patchogue, NY

Category: 13 Out of Category – Traditionally Brewed Beer, 82 Entries
Silver: Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY

Category: 16 American-Style Sour Ale, 32 Entries
Gold: Rosso e Marrone, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co, Pleasantville, NY

Category: 35 American-Style Dark Lager, 15 Entries
Bronze: Saranac Black Forest, Saranac/F.X. Matt Brewing Co., Utica, NY

Category: 55 Irish Style Red Ale, 32 Entries
Bronze: Saranac Irish Red Ale, Saranac/F.X. Matt Brewing Co., Utica, NY

Category: 59 German-Style Sour Ale, 13 Entries
Gold: Berliner Weisse, Southampton Publick House, Southampton, NY

Category: 63 French- and Belgian Style Saison, 56 Entries
Silver: Belgian Summer Ale, Great Adirondack Brewing Co., Lake Placid, NY

Category: 71 Foreign Style Stout, 20 Entries
Bronze: Whiteface Black Diamond Stout, Great Adirondack Brewing Co., Lake Placid, NY

New York's eight medals was good enough to place it as the 7th best state in terms of medals won. New York breweries only entered 117 beers which paled in comparison to California's 594 and Colorado's 459.

Ithaca Brute is Tasty!

Ithaca's Brute was the runner-up in the finals of the 2nd annual Great Lakes Brewing News Global Warming Open. Ithaca's barrel-aged, sour beer lost to Michigan Brewing Company's Celis White in the finals held July 18th at the Vermont Brewers Festival, in Burlington, Vermont.

The "tournament" was judged by three "craft-beer aficionados" who sat in a hot tub and tasted both beers. The only criteria was "how refreshing is the brew on a hot day"?

Seven New York brews were entered into the field of 64, but only two made it to the second round. Brooklyn Brewery's Summer Ale knocked out fellow New Yorker Saranac Pale Pale Ale in the first round before losing in the second round. Saranac's Pomegranate Wheat, Summer Brew, Southern Tier's hop sun and Ithaca's Partly Sunny were the other four beers to lose in the first round.

The tournament had quite a New York flavor to it as the first round was took place in Bridgeport, NY on June 20th, the second round in Rochester, NY on June 27th, the third round in Buffalo, NY on July 4th, and the fourth round in Syracuse, NY on July 11th.

Congratulations to the Ithaca Beer Company!