Governor Names Small Kingston Brewery ‘Best in New York State’

The New York Governor loves her beer, and there's one Hudson Valley brewery that has earned her highest praise.

New York is home to the largest state-level beer competition in the country. The New York State Craft Beer Competition is open to all 525 breweries in the Empire State and judges them in 31 different categories.

Bronze, silver and gold medals are given out in each beer style, but the most prized title is "best beer in New York State". This year, Governor Hochul appeared at the awards ceremony to bestow the top honor to a tiny brewery right here in the Hudson Valley.

Several Hudson Valley Beers Win Medals in Competition

The Mid-Hudson Region was well represented at this year's beer competition, with local breweries earning medals for their best beers.

Hudson Valley Brewery in Beacon earned the silver for Incandenza in the Simple Sours category. Mill House Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie also earned a silver medal for its popular Velvet Panda stout.

A tiny brewery in Kingston, however, wowed the crowd not only earning a gold medal for their entry but also the coveted Governor's Cup for having the best beer in the entire competition.

Small Brewery in Kingston, New York Has the Best Beer in New York State

Governor Hochul took the stage at the end of the awards ceremony to show her support for breweries throughout New York State. The self-proclaimed beer fan even threw out some free advice, encouraging brewers to take advantage of the upcoming total solar eclipse by brewing a dark stout in honor of the rare event.

Hochul has been a strong supporter of New York breweries, cutting through red tape to help speed up licenses and offering financial support to small startups. The governor admitted that she's a huge fan of beer. In fact, she often offers unsolicited suggestions to her nephew who works as a brewmaster.

At the end of her speech, Hocul announced the winner of the Governor's Cup. The award is given out to the very best beer of the entire competition. This year, the honor went to Kingston Standard.

The brewery's beer nemaed Love Is Overtaking Me won the gold medal for Barrel Aged Sour and was ultimately named the best beer out of all of the medal winners. The beer is described by the brewery as "a beautiful marriage of Brett fermentation, Oak and an assertive dose of some of our favorite Pacific Northwest hops." The beer clocks in at 5.3% alc/vol, making it quite drinkable too.

Opened just five years ago, Kingston Standard is located on Jansen Avenue in Kingston, just a block away from Broadway. The nano-brewery says it makes "small-batch beers that pay homage to Kingston New York's singular culture and history". Kingston Standard is also a "test kitchen" that offers artisanal pizzas, pretzels and oysters.

If you love the combination of craft beer and gourmet food, check out the six Hudson Valley breweries with the best menus below.