I recently had the privilege of coordinating the “OvR Beer Bus” from NYC to the best craft beer festival in New York, TAP NY. It was my first time at the festival and I must say, it was nothing but good times! Never heard of TAP NY? Then you surely missed out. With over 80 breweries present all from NY state and over 280 different beers to sample, there was plenty to see, a lot to do, and way way too much to drink…. Good problem to have!
The day couldn’t have been more beautiful, with sunny skies and the sun beaming down on all of the happy patrons of TAP NY. It was weird being at Hunter Mountain in the warmth. Usually I’m layered up and riding the chairlift, but on this day I was walking around in a t-shirt and enjoying the sun.
After exploring the grounds and sampling the many different styles of beer, I found my favorites. First… a beer from Stoneyard Brewery, I found myself coming back to sample over and over again. The name, Imperial Quince IPA and it was glorious! Brewed with quince, which the brewmasters told me was like a pear (but not a pear), it had a walloping 10.9% alcohol content. The addition of this quince gave the IPA a mild fruity flavor, giving off a disctinct champagne vibe. This stuff is liquid gold! I went off on a tangent right there on the scene! Stoneyard has an excellent viral marketing campaign for making “the real champagne of beers” (watch out Miller).
My second favorite brewery at TAP had to be Flagship Brewery from Staten Island. Raised on SI, I’m always quick to defend the misfit borough of NYC. After tasting a few of these brews, I can honesty say Flagship makes me proud to be from Staten Island! Crazy as it is, I randomly struck up a conversation with a couple at the festival. After a bit of small talk, my new brew buddy John revealed himself to be one of the owners of Flagship. We talked SI roots for a bit, and as we dove deeper into island talk, he claims to recognize me… TURNS OUT I WAS HIS PAPERBOY FROM 15 YEARS AGO!!! I was definitely a bit drunk but my mind was thoroughly blown by this solid coincidence along with their awesome product!
TAP NY is a blast, and an annual OvRride tradition that I look forward to being a part of for years to come! I’m already looking forward to next year’s! Be on the lookout.. because we will definitely be heading out to more Craft Brew Festivals in the future.
As always…
This is Jeremy Mountain!