The annual TAP-NY festival is set to kick off on Saturday and the biggest beer festival in New York is expected to get even bigger this year. The sixteenth edition of the festival will hand out the F.X. Matt Memorial Cup and Matthew Vassar Brewers' Cup for the best brewery in New York State and the Hudson Valley as well as the John Calen Memorial Award. Calen was a founding member of the festival and passed away last year. An award was created in his name to crown the best beer in a pre-selected style. This year's award will be handed out to the best porter beer at the festival.
With the event just days away, it is time to release our annual TAP-NY preview. Our final count has 46 breweries pouring 183 beers. TheFoamingHead has tasted and reviewed over a third of the beers that will be poured and have included the links to these reviews. (Editor's Note: The people at TAP-NY have a count of over 200 beers being poured for the first time in the event's history this year.)
Here are the things that TheFoamingHead will be on the look out for at TAP-NY:
* There will be nine new breweries making their TAP-NY debut. Bacchus Brewing Company, Finger Lakes Beer Company, Jonas Bronck's Beer Company, Keuka Brewing Company, Newburgh Brewing Company, Port Jeff Brewing Company, Roc Brewing Company, Spider Bite Beer Company, and The Bronx Brewery.
I have not had the chance to taste many of the beers from the first time pourers. While I look forward to all of them, The Bronx Brewery Pale Ale has been receiving all sorts of rave reviews out of beer geeks in NYC.
* It will be interesting to see what Barrier brings to defend its F.X. Matt title from last year. Ditto for Crossroads and their Vassar Cup. The bar is open in Athens with the restaurant coming very soon. With head brewer Hutch Kugeman (one of ym favorites) at the helm, the beer will always be good.
* I was able to attend the Brooklyn Brewery release party for their new Brewmaster's Reserve beer, Gold Standard. It is a great beer that fills a need for the lager style. This is a must try.
* The Brown's Whiskey Porter is one of the best beers in NY when it is brewed fresh. It usually is for this event.
* Cave Mountain brought a 400 IBU bomb to last year's event. This years head-turner? Hemp Seed IPA.
* Custom Brewcrafters makes some incredible beer from the Rochester area, yet few from downstate know much about it. Consider TAP their coming out party.
* The IPA from Empire Brewing Company is one of the highest rated beers on TheFoamingHead.
* Mrs. FoamingHead will be upset to see that brewer Ed Samchisen decided to leave his Hot-Jala-Heim pepper beer behind. It is her favorite part of the festival every year. Regardless, there will be some great beer from the underappreciated brewery.
* It is hard to find any of the beers from Long Ireland in the Hudson Valley so this might be a rare opportunity to taste through their offerings.
* We mentioned them before but the Newburgh Brewing Company will make i's grand entrance to the NY craft beer world. (The company released their beers this weekend but with an expected 6,000 attendees this will be their big introduction.) A short ride from Hunter, we think this might be the one of the most talked about breweries of the weekend. Also, newer breweries have taken three of the last four cups awarded so don't be surprised if Newburgh (or one of the other newbies) takes home a cup.
* This will be the first TAP festival for the Jeff O' Neill as the brewmaster of Peekskill. The "Chief", who previosuly brewed at Ithaca, is considered one of the best brewers in the state. His first brews at his new job were very impressive. Here is my pick for a medal, a cup, or a combination of both.
* Southern Tier is considered by quite a few to be the best brewery in NY. They have put their back burner (91 points for the original) in oak and will be pouring the new version.
* Like Custom Brewcrafters, Three Heads can get overlooked because of their location. An unknown who greatly impressed the masses last year, their new Common Man Specal Lager will be worth seeking out.
*Seriously, the rave reviews about Bronx Pale Ale have been coming in waves. This might be the first beer tasted by TheFoamingHead.
- Adirondack Pub and Brewery
- Bear Naked Ale
- Dirty Blonde Ale
- Black Watch IPA
- Brewer’s Reserve Beer
- Bacchus Brewing Company
- Red Rye
- IPA
- Blonde
- Bandwagon Brewery
- High Step Weizenbock
- Pedro's Pale Ale
- Honey Brunette
- Barrier Brewing Company
- Lights Out Stout
- Frau Blücher Rauch Bier
- Money IPA
- Vermillion Saison Rouge
- Blue Point Brewing Co.
- Brooklyn Brewery
- Mary’s Maple Porter
- Gold Standard
- Summer Ale
- Brown's Brewing Company
- Whiskey Porter
- Hefeweizen
- Rauchbier
- Belgian Strong Ale
- Dry Stout
- Cherry RaspberryAle
- IPA
- Pilsner
- Butternut's Beer and Ale
- Captain Lawrence Brewing
- Cave Mountain Brewing Company
- Chai Milk Stout
- GURU: Gluten-Free Pale Ale
- Peach Wheat
- Hemp Seed IPA
- Chatham Brewing Company
- OC Blonde
- Maple Amber
- Scotch Porter
- Dry Irish Stout
- 8 Barrel Ale
- Belgian Tripel
- Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout
- Chelsea Brewing Company
- Checker Cab Blonde Ale
- Black Hole XXX Stout
- Hop Angel IPA
- Chelsea Red Hop Rye
- Wit’s End Belgian Wheat
- Cooperstown Brewing Company
- Cortland Beer Company
- Naked Lap Lager
- Red Dragon Ale
- Sunrise Coffee Stout
- Flight Level 410
- Bourbon Barrel 410
- Heifer Weizen
- Crossroads Brewing Company
- Outrage IPA
- Brady's Bay Cream Ale
- Black Rock Stout
- Brooks Brown Ale
- Home Wrecker Double IPA
- Athens Mill Amber Ale
- Custom Brewcrafters
- MacBubba Scotch Ale
- Caged Alpha MonkeyIPA
- Krysztoff Baltic Porter
- Finger Lakes SummerWheat
- Defiant Brewing Company
- Doc's Draftd Ciders
- Apple Cider
- Pear Cider
- Framboise
- Empire Brewing Co
- Empire Strikes Bock
- Rye IPA
- Finger Lakes Beer Company
- Hammondsporter Vanilla Porter
- Ring of Fire Scotch Ale
- Newtons Pale Ale
- Great South Bay Brewery
- Marauder Bourbon Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale
- Massive IPA
- Imperial Blonde
- Robert Moses Pale Ale
- Kismet Saison
- Blonde Ambition Ale
- Greeport Brewing Company
- Harbor Ale
- Black Duck Porter
- Spring Turning Rye Saison
- Canard Noir
- Havre Rouge
- Maibock
- Triton Barleywine
- High Point Brewing Company
- Ramstein Maibock
- Ramstein Imperial Pilsner
- Ramstein Double Platinum Blonde Hefe-Weizen
- Horseheads Brewing
- Horseheads Hefe
- Chocolate Porter
- Horseheads IPA
- Hyde Park
- Irish Amber
- Winkle Lager
- India Red Ale
- Ithaca Beer Company
- John Harvards Brew House
- Oatmeal Amber
- Crystal Ship
- Jonas Bronck's Beer Company
- Pelham Bay IPA
- Woodlawn Weiss
- Kingsbridge Kolsch
- Keegan Ales
- Kelso Beer Company
- Nut Brown Lager
- IPA
- Saison
- Keuka Brewing Company
- Afterburner Habanero Ale
- Bluff Point Brown
- Local Mocha Stout
- Hoppy Laker IPA
- Lake Placid Pun & Brewery
- Ubu Ale
- Lake Placid IPA
- KB's Wee Heavy
- Maple Sap Ale
- Shot in the Dark IPA
- Threesome
- Caribbean Special Ale
- Long Ireland Beer Company
- Celtic Ale
- Pale Ale
- Breakfast Stout
- Raspberry Wheat
- Double IPA
- Matt Brewing Company
- Saranac White IPA
- Saranac Blueberry Blonde Ale
- High PeaksChocolate Orange Imperial Porter
- Newburgh Brewing Company
- Newburgh Saison
- Newburgh Crème Ale
- Newburgh Peat Smoked Stout
- Olde Saratoga Brewing Co
- Saratoga Lager
- Saratoga IPA
- Saratoga Seasonal
- Mendocino Eye of the Hawk Imperial Barrel Aged
- Mendocino Eye of the Hawk Imperial Cask
- Peeksill Brewery
- Shotgun Willie
- Hop Common
- Eastern Standard IPA
- Double Standard IPA
- Port Jeff Brewing Company
- Schooner Pale Ale
- Port Jeff Porter
- White’s Beach Wit
- Ryes N Bok
- Roc Brewing Company
- Rooster Fish Brewing
- Triple Witch Belgian Style Ale
- Raven Black IPA
- Scotch Ale
- Sixpoint Craft Ales
- Mad Scientist #9
- Spice of Lfe IPA
- The Crisp
- Apollo
- Southampton
- Double White
- Burton IPA
- May Bock
- Grand Cru
- Keller Pils
- Southern Tier Brewing Co
- Phin & Matt's Extraordinary Ale
- 2XIPA
- Bourbon Barrel Aged Backburner Barleywine
- Spider Bite Beer Company
- Boris the Spider Russian Imperial Stout
- Robert's Spider Scottish Style Wee Heavy
- First Bite Pale Ale
- Ariagne French Saison
- The Bronx Brewery
- Bronx Pale Ale
- Three Heads Brewing
- The Common Man Special Lager
- The Loopy Oatmeal Red Ale
- The Kind IPA
