TAP NY 2014
It seems that every year the TAP New York Festival
gets a little better. Despite the damp dreary weather on April 26 and 27, the 17th
annual event at Hunter Mountain Resort still drew a large crowd of visitors.
The thirsty visitors consumed hundreds of kegs of craft beer brewed primarily
in New York.
Seventy-five breweries were featured at TAP New York
this year, which was the largest number to date for the highly prestigious
event. Many of the attendees were new to the festival for 2014. Among them was
a new distillery called Hudson Valley Distillers located in Clermont, NY. The
new distillery had actually just opened up a week prior to TAP New York,
according to one of its partners, Chris Warren. He commented, “This is our
first weekend being open. Our wives are back at the farm and we're here manning
the table.” In addition to a vodka, the distillery produces an apple jack
concoction that starts by creating a hard-cider and then distilling it.
There was much more to TAP New York than fermented apples,
though. The food at this year's event seemed significantly improved from past
years, especially in regards to vegetarian selections. One such example was a chickpea
curry. There were also plenty of popular dishes for the more carnivorous sort,
including a pulled pork sandwich that attracted long lines of event visitors
and traditional bar favorites like Buffalo chicken wings.
There may have been some long lines for popular food
choices, but the large selection of breweries made it easy to always keep your
complimentary glass filled with award winning brews. The distinguished winners
of the celebrated event included C.H. Evans Brewing in Albany, which took the
John Calen Memorial Award for their Kick Ass Brown Ale. The Matthew Vassar
Brewers' Cup is bestowed upon the Best Craft Beer Brewery in the Hudson Valley.
Captain Lawrence Brewing Company was proud to take the Brewers’ Cup back to
Westchester for 2014.
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Janine Baker is disappointed that Patrick Sylvester of
Keegan Ales has run out of their new Bourbon Porter.
|
Two of the most prestigious and sought after awards
at TAP New York are the F.X. Matt Memorial Cup given to the best New York
Brewery and the Governor's Cup given to the Best Craft Beer. Keuka Brewing
Company in Hammondsport, NY won this year for best brewery. Ommegang Brewery in
Cooperstown took home the award for the best craft beer for their delicious
concoction, The Witte.
Despite the cool damp weather, the warm smiles on attendees’
faces made the event a great success. Patrick Sylvester of Keegan Ales in
Kingston summed up the camaraderie of the day: “My favorite part of TAP New
York is just the overwhelming support for all of the craft beers and networking
opportunities with people from all over New York.”
–photo and text by Eric Ortner
Posted by Unknown
on 3:36 PM.
Filed under
Beer & Wine,
Food & Restaurant,
TAP NY
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