New York State Brewers Association Announces 326 Craft Breweries Across New York State

New York State has surpassed 300 breweries for the first time since Prohibition, and now has a total of 326 in the state according to the New York State Brewers Association (NYSBA). The NYSBA was founded in 2003, at that time there were only 38 breweries in the state, but do to favorable legislation in recent years by Governor Andrew Cuomo and his administration, the number of breweries continues to grow, adding to a $4 billion economic impact in the state, that ranks 4th highest in the country. "Before Prohibition, New York State had 350 breweries with a population of 5 million people," said Paul Leone, Executive Director of the NYSBA. "Today, we are seeing an average of one brewery opening every 10 days, so we should eclipse the 350 mark sometime this summer or fall."

Another reason for the growth can be attributed to the 2013 Farm Brewing license that was created to incentivize and require breweries to use NYS grown hops and malting barley. This has reignited the hops industry with hundreds of acres being grown and harvested each year as well as multiple local malt houses now opening around the state to meet the demand.

To make it easier to locate the breweries in New York State, the NYSBA has created a New York State Beer Trail® map that lists every brewery in the state as they open. It is updated regularly as new breweries come on line. "New York is a big state that still has area's that could use a local brewery," added Leone. "As long as the quality stays as high as it is, we could see growth topping 500 or more breweries throughout the state." A link to the map can be found here: newyorkcraftbeer.com/beer-finder

In February 2017, the NYSBA will debut its first iOS/Android app designed to be a one-stop mobile location for New York State breweries and beers. Select features will include a rewards-based Passport program, brewery locations by region, label scanning, suggested brewery tours, beer lists, style guides, social media integration, and more. The Passport program allows users to "stamp" their passport by visiting NYS breweries while incrementally earning rewards such as brewery discounts, gear, and plaques!

Official information regarding the New York Craft Beer app will be announced in the coming weeks.

About the New York State Brewers Association
The NYSBA was cofounded in 2003 by David Katleski of Empire Brewing Company to serve as a promotional and legislative proponent for New York State breweries, microbreweries, brewpubs and brewing affiliated businesses. The growth of the Craft Beer segment continues to be strong and New York State's share of that growth has exceeded that of breweries on the national level.

In 2013, the NYSBA appointed Paul Leone as its first ever Executive Director as well as a new Board of Directors with revitalized energy and expertise. With this added level of managerial experience, the NYSBA is working diligently to rival other State's associations and guilds and bring self-sustainability, and profitability to an already strong and vital organization.