Here’s some brews you can use: Today, April 11 has been declared New York Craft Beer Day.
This past week, Governor Kathy Hochul’s office announced the initiative, along with the roll-out of other hop-centric events in the coming weeks.
“Every day should be craft beer day in New York,” said Kathy Hochul at an event upstate, in which she presented the official proclamation to New York State Brewers Association executive director Paul Leone. Indeed, it’s an industry that engages more than 500 craft breweries statewide, amounting to 22,000 jobs and a $4.8 billion economic impact, according to the NYSBA.
The Empire State is the second largest craft beer market in the country. While U.S. craft beer sales have seen a bit of a decline in recent years — data from 2023 showed a 1% decrease in volume U.S. sales. Meanwhile, thought, craft breweries seem to be on the rise, with 100 new regional breweries added in that same year, according to the national not-for-profit The Brewers Association.
While it’s difficult at this juncture to make sense of how the recent topsy-turvy tariffs from the Trump Administration will affect domestic craft beer sales and production, Hochul isn’t waiting to find out.
To kick off the initiative, several local breweries are offering quenching incentives to get out there and sip local, including brewer Rory McEvoy of Kidd Squid in Sag Harbor, who will be offering $2 off every tap pint to mark the occasion this Friday, and Twin Fork Beer Co. in Riverhead, who will be pouring out dollar-discounted pints all day.
Also to note: May 8 – 11 is the fifth annual NYS Pint Days at participating New York State breweries, where you can nab your very own Pint Days pint glass for a buck (this year’s design is by cartoonist and beer educator Em Sauter of @pintsandpanels).
For more New York craft brew fun, check out the official New York Craft Beer app. Access it here.
