Don't Fear the Beer

Relief for farm brewers, beer for your blood, and a visit to Root + Branch

Last year’s Blocktoberfest at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

We’ve reached the dog days of summer, and if you’re down in a mid-summer rut, this is your friendly reminder that the Brew York Calendar is updated regularly with beer events to give you inspiration to get out and have some fun. This weekend, there’s Sweet Avenue’s first anniversary, an Oyster Festival at Strong Rope Red Hook, and a Caribbean-themed beer release at Wild East.

Also, if you read this and happen to manage a venue that hosts beer-related events, feel free to bookmark this form and I’ll toss your beer event on the calendar. Help me help you!

If you’re begging for relief from this brutal heat and need a beer event to look forward to in the more distant future: the NYC Brewers Guild’s annual Blocktoberfest is back. The fall celebration of New York City beer (and fundraiser for the guild) returns to the Brooklyn Navy Yard this year on October 1st. Early bird tickets are on sale now.

Governor signs reprieve for Farm Brewers into Law

Hop trellises at Climbing Bines Brewing Company in Penn Yan, New York, one of the state’s first licensed farm breweries

Governor Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill 7655 into law at the end of June, letting farm brewers breathe a sigh of relief for at least another six years by extending the requirement that New York farm beer source at least 60% of its hops, malt, and adjuncts from the state through 2028.

Back in 2012, when New York’s original farm brewery bill was passed, the law had a graduated climb in required New York-sourced ingredients: 20% of raw materials had to be sourced from the state through 2018, then 60% through 2022, then 90% thereafter. At the time the bill was passed, I expressed concern that the step-ups should have been from the onset of the issuance of a license, allowing the demand for locally-sourced ingredients to grow as breweries grew and matured. And by 2014, the state’s industry leaders were expressing a similar concern that a hard cut-off date could leave many breweries without the ability to source enough in-state ingredients to meet the requirements of the law.

When January 1, 2019 and the 60% requirement arrived, most of the state’s farm breweries were ready, as beer agriculture expanded across the state to offer more hops and malt to brewers who wanted it. In fact, even as the requirement jumped, the number of licensed farm breweries continued to grow, taking advantage of the benefits of the license, which include the ability to open branch locations and serve farm wine, cider, and liquor in their taprooms.

But since then, there has been a slowdown in beer agriculture. Hop acreage in New York State is down 25% in the past four growing seasons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s happened as the number of farm brewery licenses in New York has jumped from around 200 to well over 300 — and the more successful farm breweries have grown and require more materials just to meet the 60% requirement. A jump to 90% may have been a challenge for some brewers who chose to use a portion of hops from more traditional growing regions like the Pacific Northwest and Germany in their farm beers to offset some of the less-desirable characteristics of some New York-grown hops.

The bill signed into law by Hochul simply revises the end date of the 60% requirement to December 31, 2028 and the start date of the 90% requirement to January 1, 2029. What happens over the next six years is anyone’s guess. With government support, Cornell University rolled out a malting barley bred for the state’s climate and pathogens last year, and now has turned its attention to breeding hops, something that could ultimately increase both yields and demand for New York-grown hops — moves that could pave the way for the future of beer agriculture in the Empire State.

Pint for a Pint: NY Blood Center partners with breweries

Trade your blood for a beer. This week, the New York Blood Center launched their Pint for a Pint program, offering those who donate blood a pint of beer at breweries and bars across the Tri-State area.

When you make a blood donation at any NYBC donor center through September 10th, you’ll get a voucher that you can redeem for a pint of beer at taprooms like Brooklyn Brewery or Coney Island Brewing Company in Brooklyn, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company or Wolf & Warrior Brewing Company in Westchester County, Sloop Brewing in Dutchess County, Destination Unknown Beer Co. or Ubergeek Brewing on Long Island, and more.

You can book an appointment at a donor center through the NYBC’s Donor Portal.

Brewery Tracker

Total brewery count: 2,746
Total breweries visited in 2022: 217
Total breweries visited in New York: 256

Brewery Visit of the Week

Brewery #2746, Root + Branch Brewing, Copiague, New York (Visited 29-Jul-2022)

After nearly five years of nomadic brewing, Long Island’s Root + Branch finally has a home of their own in Copiague, just steps away from the LIRR. And the somewhat spartan, long-ceiling taproom feels nearly perfect for the brand, the brainchild of brewer Anthony Sorice, who staked his brand’s success on hazy IPAs and Imperial Stouts — bold beers that don’t require a visually distracting taproom. The clean and skylit taproom is calming, and the taps are pouring some phenomenal beer, including the Fear Double IPA with apple blossom honey, Anthora II Coffee Stout, and lo and behold, a pilsner! Rieder, a Czech Pilsner with Saaz hops, shows that Root + Branch has spread its wings in its new spot (so did the Fleur Du Mal Witbier with orange peel and coriander). With a patio that’s almost as large as the taproom itself, there’s plenty of space to sip these beers indoors and out.

A tip for those visiting: while the address of the brewery is on Marconi Boulevard, the entrance to the taproom is under the railroad viaduct on Railroad Avenue, just a block west of the Copiague LIRR station. The trip from the city is under an hour if you catch the right peak-hour train out of Penn Station.

Long Read of the Week

I enjoyed reading Beth Demmon’s profile of Other Half lead brewer, Other Half Women’s Forum creator, and Michael James Jackson Foundation board member Breeze Galindo in her excellent newsletter, Prohibitchin’, this week. If you don’t know how significant Breeze’s impacts have been to beer here in New York, it’s time to get familiar with what she’s done and what she’s doing.

One Last Thing

I’m starting to plan out my return to Belgium at the end of August, including my first visit to BXL Fest and Bruges, which I’ll probably enjoy a lot more than Colin Farrell did. Always looking for recommendations from you all if you’ve got them!

Cheers,
Chris