20170309

'TAP NY' craft beer fest ready for its 20th anniversary event

The 20th annual "TAP NY Craft Beer and Food Festival" is set for the weekend of April 29-30 at Hunter Mountain.

To this point, 77 New York breweries already have registered for this anniversary event, and more are expected. That lends support to the organizers' claims that the event not only is the largest craft beer festival in New York, it is the largest single-state craft beer event in the nation.

Food also is a featured component of the event. In addition to the usual array of hand-passed hors d'oeuvres, soups and sandwiches, the food theme for this year's event is "hot dog creations from ball parks across the country."

Four cups and medals in 12 different categories are on the line for the brewers. Competition is divided into Hudson Valley breweries and breweries from all over the state.

The cups winners in 2016:
F.X. Matt Memorial Cup (state's best craft brewer) -- Big Ditch Brewing Company of Buffalo
Matthew Vassar Brewers Cup (best Hudson Valley craft brewery) -- Crossroads Brewing Company of nearby Athens, Greene County
Governors' Brewers' Cup (best craft beer in state) -- Union Station Belgian Quad from C.H. Evans Brewing/Albany Pump Station
John  Calen Memorial Award (best brown ale in state) -- Hometown Brown Ale from Steuben Brewing Company if Hammondsport
Tickets, with a variety of prices depending on the packages purchased, are available online. Hunter Mountain is located in the Village of Hunter in Greene County. From the Greater Capital Region, take the Thruway south to Exit 21 (Catskill), turn left after exit and go about two miles to Route 9W, take 9W south to Route 23A, then 23A west to the venue. Click here for directions from other starting points.

• Go here for Notes On Napkins
• Go here for Dowd On Drinks
• Go here for Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

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