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What is New York State’s tradition in beer brewing?
- New York State has a long tradition of beer brewing, with more than 400 craft breweries across the state.
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How big are most breweries in New York?
- Most breweries in the state are fairly small, focusing on craft beer production.
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Do breweries in New York have tasting rooms?
- Most breweries have tasting rooms on premises where beer enthusiasts can enjoy beer as fresh as possible, sometimes straight from the tanks.
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What can visitors expect at tap rooms in New York?
- Tap rooms are often popular local gathering places, offering music, food, and other events.
- Even when the decor is very rustic, some tap rooms are literally in the heart of the production facility, creating an authentic experience.
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1. Finback Brewery
Sip bold craft beers and enjoy exciting small-batch flavors on a weekend trip.
Finback Brewery was founded in 2011 in Glendale, Queens, where in 2014, with a 20-barrel brewhouse, they released their first beer. Finback’s goal is to make small batches of great beer with strong flavor and complexity, from quality ingredients. Their beers are fun and unique, hoppy, complex, and smoky, perfect for drinking with friends. They self-distribute their beers to the greater NYC area, in draft format only. Their tasting room in Glendale is cozy and colorful, separated from the large outdoor space with a garage door, which is often left open to let the air come in and for the folks to circulate. The walls indoors are covered in local art and there are plenty of games for playing with friends, including a side room where you can play cornhole. Food comes from the food trucks parked outside. There are regular informative tours of the brewery upon request.
78-01 77th Ave, Glendale, NY 11385, Phone: 718-628-8600
2. Transmitter Brewing
Explore farmhouse-style brews and savor unusual ingredients on a couples outing.
Located in a former garage under the Pulaski Bridge in Long Island City, Transmitter Brewing is a craft brewery that opened in 2014 and is owned and run by two friends with the help of a handful of part-time staff. They brew 18 to 24 barrels a week. Transmitter specializes in French and Belgian-style country ales and bottles 75% of its beers. The remaining beer is quarter-kegged and sold in top Brooklyn bars such as Bar Great Harry, Covenhoven, and The Owl Farm. Their small 10-by-12-foot retail area is open on weekends and does not have taps, it just sells choices of bottles that guests can take home or drink at one of their few picnic tables placed inside the brewery among the tanks.
141 Flushing Ave building 77, Brooklyn, NY 11205, Phone: 646-378-8529
3. Lithology Brewing
Taste locally sourced beers and enjoy an affordable visit with friends.
Lithology Brewing was the vision of friends Lee Kaplan, Manny Coelho, Marc Jackson, and Kevin Cain, who took their homebrewing hobby to the next step in 2016. The licensed New York State Farm Brewery produces all of its high-quality ales and lagers from at least 60% locally-harvested ingredients, including yeast strains produced specifically for the brewery. Beers such as the company's Lithology Brown Ale and Red Ale have won major awards at competitions such as the New York International Beer Competition, with the brewery itself receiving a Best Long Island Brewery award in 2017. Unique brews on tap at the company's public tasting room include Light It Up Blue blueberry wheat ale, Jaywalker nitro cream ale, and Hop-Tonic Drift New England-style double IPA.
211A Main St, Farmingdale, NY 11735, Phone: 516-962-0585
4. Greenport Harbor Brewing
Admire coastal views and sip seasonal pints on a summer trip.
Greenport Harbor Brewing is one of Long Island's premiere craft breweries, showcasing two locations in Greenport and Peconic today. The brewery, which has been featured in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal and The Village Voice, was founded by a pair of college friends from New York City and Boston. Today, its ales are distributed throughout New England, including its refreshing Summer Ale, hoppy Light Work Pale Ale, American-style Harbor Ale, Otherside IPA, and Black Duck Porter. Experimental brews released throughout the year include the brewery's Far Out There Series, which explores unique hop profiles paired with fruit flavors. At the company's Peconic location, diners can enjoy an excellent bar fare menu crafted by executive chef Greg Ling, including favorites such as chicken tabaka, beer-brined wings, and dry-aged prime cheeseburgers.
234 Carpenter St, Greenport, NY 11944, Phone: 631-477-1100
5. Butternuts Beer & Ale
Enjoy quirky cans and explore cheap, easygoing brews on a casual stop.
Butternuts Beer & Ale is a craft brewery established in 2005 and located in the beautiful Butternut Valley. The brewery operates from a restored dairy barn on a 120-acre dairy farm in Garrattsville, NY. Butternuts makes no-nonsense beers made with simple, natural ingredients, using clean water from the farm’s own spring and combining flavors of American-style farmhouse ales with English, German, and Belgian influences. Their small tasting room has a few tables inside and a bunch of picnic tables outside, perfect for tasting flights of their year-round favorites and seasonal specials. Their most popular beers are the Pork Slap Pale Ale, sweet and malty, brewed with fresh ginger root, and Heinnieweisse, a German-style weissbier with tart citrus flavor and banana notes. The brewery offers tours every day.
4021 NY-51, Garrattsville, NY 13342, Phone: 607-263-5070
6. Community Beer Works
Discover creative drafts and support local sights on a fun fall trip.
Community Beer Works is one of the first nano-breweries in Buffalo, NY. They started producing fresh, high-quality American and Belgian-style beers in an old refurbished factory in 2012 and are now selling them at many of the better beer venues around Buffalo. Their small tasting room is snuggled in the heart of the production facility, and the guests can get the beer as fresh as it is brewed, surrounded by beer tanks. They work in partnership with Hydraulic Hearth Restaurant and Brewery, located in the historic Larkin District. This popular lunch and dinner venue offers brick oven pizzas and shareable starters.
520 7th St, Buffalo, NY 14201, Phone: 716-759-4677
7. Hopshire Farm and Brewery
Savor farm-fresh ales and walk along scenic grounds on a relaxing weekend.
Hopshire Farm and Brewery is located in Freeville, NY, in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region, where Diane Gerhart and Randy Lacey grow hops and use it to craft fine beer. Everything they need for making their brews is grown on their farm or at their neighbors farms. They brew a range of different beer styles. They built their brew barn using recycled local materials as well as ash lumber cut on their lands. The brew house has a very precise recreation of a traditional New York hop kiln that they use to dry their hops. The beams in their rustic but charming tasting room are salvaged from an old barn and the gleaming mahogany bar was brought from the legendary Plum’s Restaurant in Ithaca. Come and taste their beers together with platters of local cheeses and meats. There is music every Friday and something else happening every day.
1771 Dryden Rd, Freeville, NY 13068, Phone: 607-279-1243
8. Iron Tug Brewing
Taste nautical-inspired beers and enjoy a quick stop on an easy trip.
Iron Tug Brewing is a microbrewery in Rochester, NY, located in an old firehouse next to Woodside St. Their goal is to produce beer as it should be made: Using only water, malt, hops, and yeast. All of the recipes for their beers have been finely tuned over the years. What really defines Iron Tug Brewing and makes them unique is their "nitro beers", which have a creamy texture and full flavors that are more evenly distributed than CO2 beers. The brewer’s goal is to make beer as close to a Guinness as it is poured in Ireland as possible. Their small tasting room has large, communal tables that are perfect for sharing. There is a mellow, relaxed atmosphere with soft blues music playing in the background. They serve a charcuterie board and freshly baked artisanal pizzas.
371 Park Ave, Rochester, NY 14607, Phone: 585-865-0032
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