Auburn's Prison City Pub & Brewery and Weedsport's Lunkenheimer Craft Beer Co. acquitted themselves well at the third annual New York State Craft Beer Competition.
The competition's winners were announced Friday night at the New York State Brewers Association's annual conference in Albany. Prison City took four awards and Lunkenheimer took three, making the Cayuga County breweries two of only three in the state to win at least three awards, along with Threes Brewing, of Brooklyn. A total of 74 medals were awarded.
Prison City took the night's top prize, the Governor's Cup for best beer in New York, for its Barrel-aged Wham Whams, an imperial stout aged in Willett bourbon barrels and conditioned on toasted coconut and vanilla beans. The State Street brewpub also won gold in the Experimental category for the same beer, plus silver in the Pale Ale category for its Illusion of Knowledge pale ale, the same beer ranked No. 7 in a 2018 blind tasting of 151 pale ales from across the country by Paste Magazine. Last, for its fourth award, Prison City took bronze in Wild and Sour Ale for its dry-hopped sour Laser Brain.
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Meanwhile, Weedsport's Lunkenheimer took gold in Strong Ale (non-Belgian) for its Barleywine 2018, third in Fruit and Spice Beer (Non-sour) for its Toasted Coconut Porter, and gold in the New York State Beer category. The last category judged breweries that use at least 20 percent New York state hops, malt and other ingredients, and fielded 353 qualified entries.
Prison City's Governor's Cup win dethroned Threes Brewing, which won the award the first two years of the competition. The event's third year saw more than 100 breweries enter 813 beers, all of which Barrel-aged Wham Whams topped to win the Governor's Cup. The state Craft Brewers Association and the Raise a Glass Foundation organized the competition, which had 56 judges.
Barrel-aged Wham Whams is no stranger to statewide prestige: It was the beer Prison City entered into Gov. Andrew Cuomo's inaugural Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge in 2017 after the brewpub finished in the top five of the competition's online vote. The Auburn brewpub also took gold in the New England-style IPA category, for Control for Smilers, at last year's New York State Craft Beer Competition.
Of the awarded Cayuga County beers, Prison City's Illusion of Knowledge and Lunkenheimer's Barleywine 2018 are currently on tap at each location.Â
"The diversity of this year’s winners is a clear example of the high-quality craft beer being brewed all over the state," state Brewers Association Executive Director Paul Leone said in a news release.
Gallery: Cayuga County's new craft beer scene
From left, Joe Shelton and Mark Grimaldi are the brewers and owners of Aurora Ale and Lager Co.
Growlers are on display at the recently opened Aurora Ale and Lager Co.
From left, Mark Grimaldi and Joe Shelton are the brewers and owners of Aurora Ale and Lager Co.
Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co. owners Derric Slocum and Kristen Lunkenheimer-Slocum stand in front of their truck and brewery in Weedsport in 2015.
Kristen Lunkenheimer-Slocum prepares a flight of beer at Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co. in Weedsport in June 2015.
A flight of beer is prepared at Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co. in Weedsport in 2015.
Brewer Ben Maeso gets help from his brother Dan Maeso with mashing grains at Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn in July 2015.
Head brewer Ben Maeso mashes grains at Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn July 16.
Prison City Pub & Brewery head brewer Ben Maeso and owner Dawn Schulz work together to promote their house-made craft beer and pub-style food.
Grain sits ready to be mashed at Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn. Mashing is the process of extracting flavor and sugar from grains combined with water. The mixture is then heated to make it a more easily fermentable substance.
Ben Maeso gets help from his brother Dan Maeso with mashing grains at Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn July 16, 2015.
Hop pellets will be incorporated during the brewing process at Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn July 16.
Garrett Shepherd serves a beer as his mom, Debbie DiNardo, helps behind the bar June 19 at The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. in Auburn.
Garrett Shepherd serves a beer to musician Brian Clare June 19 at The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. in Auburn.
The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. is one of four breweries to open its doors in Cayuga County in the last year.
A beer rests on the windowsill at The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. in Auburn.
Garrett Shepherd talks to a customer as his mom, Debbie DiNardo, helps behind the bar June 19 at The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. in Auburn.
Mike Sigona, owner of Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market, pours a beer with his new tap system. Sigona recently expanded from carrying a variety of craft beers in cans and bottles by adding a six-tap system that offers "hard to get" draught beers.
An IPA from the Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market in the Genesee Center mall on Genesee Street in Auburn.
The Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market offers a vast variety of craft beer in the Genesee Center mall on Genesee Street in Auburn.
The Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market offers a variety of craft beer in the Genesee Center mall on Genesee Street in Auburn.
Lake Life Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or david.wilcox@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter .
David Wilcox
Executive editor
