The New York State Brewers Association (NYSBA) is now accepting submissions for its fourth annual New York State Craft Beer Competition. Sponsored by 1886 Malt House, the Competition is one of largest beer competitions in NYS.

Open to all licensed New York State Breweries, NYSBA is expecting to receive over 1,000 beer submissions for the 2020 competition.

The New York State Craft Beer Competition will be held on March 14, 2020 in Rochester with the help of Raise a Glass Foundation, an organization with expertise in coordinating beverage competitions. The Competition will bring together 60 respected and influential people in the New York beer industry to judge the submitted beers, including Brewmasters, Cicerones, BJCP judges, educators, retailers and industry writers and consultants.

All entries will be blind judged by a panel based on pre-established criteria and using a custom scoring sheet developed by NYSBA. The top three finishers in each of 25 beer style categories receive gold, silver and bronze medals. The overall winner receives the Governor’s Excelsior Cup to the “Best of Show” beer which will be awarded by a member of the Cuomo administration.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on April 3, 2020 as part of the third annual NYS Craft Brewers Conference presented by DWS. The awards ceremony will be live streamed from the Desmond Hotel in Albany.

The cost of submitting a 72 oz. entry is $45 for NYSBA members and $65 for non-members. Each NYSBA member receives one free beer entry with their membership and there is no limit to the number of beers a brewery can submit. Beers must be entered online no later than March 10, 2020 and arrive at the warehouse no later than March 11, 2020.

Beers may be submitted for the following 25 beer style categories:

• Light Lagers
• Amber and Dark Lagers
• Wheat Beer (American, Wit, Hefe)
• Golden/Blonde Ale (American, Kolsch, Cream Ale)
• Amber/Red Ale (British, American, Irish, Scottish)
• Pale Ale
• Hazy Pale Ale
• American IPA
• Hazy IPA
• American IPA Variations
• American DIPA
• Barrel Aged Sour
• Barrel Aged (Non-Sour)
• Belgian Farmhouse
• Belgian Other (Trappist, Strong, etc.)
• Experimental
• Fruit and Spice Beer – Non-Sour
• Fruit and Spice Beer – Sour
• Brown Ale (American & British)
• Porter (Non-Imperial)
• Stout (Non-Imperial)
• Imperial Stout and Porter
• Strong Ale (Non-Belgian)
• Kettle and Simple Sours
• Wild and Sour Ale

In 2019, the New York State Craft Beer Competition received 813 entries – the largest number of entries in the competition’s history – from 160 breweries across New York State. Seventy-four medals were awarded to 53 breweries and the 2019 Governor’s Craft Beer Cup was awarded to Prison City Pub & Brewery of Auburn, NY for their Wham Whams in the experimental beer category.

Additional information about the 2020 Competition is available online.