The New York State Brewers Association (NYSBA) is excited to announce their first ever New York State Virtual Craft Beer Tasting Experience presented by Growler Werks. Held on Saturday, May 2, 2020, this online tasting experience will feature four 90-minute tasting sessions, each one highlighting a different NYS brewery. In preparation for each session, two special NYS craft beers (up to 64 oz. total) will be shipped directly to the homes of ticket holders, who will be able to participate in an exclusive Zoom call with the brewers and owners of that session’s designated brewery.

The New York State Virtual Craft Beer Tasting Experience will replicate the experience of visiting craft breweries across New York State that craft beer enthusiasts have come to love. These intimate tasting sessions will include engaging and interactive discussions about flavor profiles, style categories, stories behind beer names, brewery folklore and more. Each tasting session will be accessed through a special Zoom code for ticket holders and limited to a certain number of participants. Sessions will be carefully planned and coordinated, ensuring high quality video and audio for the ultimate virtual tasting experience.

The schedule for this exclusive tasting event is as follows:
SESSION 1 | 12:00-1:30 PM: SingleCut Beersmiths (Queens/Clifton Park)
SESSION 2 | 2:30-4:00 PM: Lake Placid Pub & Brewery and Big Slide Brewery & Public House (Lake Placid)
SESSION 3 | 5:00-6:30 PM: Industrial Arts Brewing (Garnerville/Beacon)
SESSION 4 | 7:30-9:00 PM: Prison City Pub and Brewery (Auburn)

Passes are designed to be enjoyed by 1-2 people. When purchasing tickets, participants will be allowed to choose up to four tasting sessions individually or make a day of it and buy an all-access pass to receive the benefits of all four sessions at a discounted price. Each session will include two styles of beer from that brewery, totaling up to 64 oz., or the amount of two crowlers. Beer will be shipped directly to the ticket holder’s house and will arrive the day before the virtual tasting event to ensure product freshness.

“We love interacting with our customers, and we are always proud to show off what we are brewing,” said Chris Ericson of Lake Placid Pub & Brewery and Big Slide Brewery & Public House. “One of the worst things about this pandemic is the lack of personal contact in an industry largely based on personal contact and relationships, so this is an exciting and unique opportunity to get in front of our customers, our fans, and some new people, to ‘share’ a beer or two and tell our story.”

“We’re super excited to host a unique virtual tasting event at Prison City to help support the NY State Brewers Association,” said Marc and Dawn Schulz with Prison City Pub and Brewery. “We’re really digging this new way of bringing consumers ‘into our pub’ and look forward to sharing some beers together.”

“2020 has been financially devastating to so many small businesses who have had to reduce business, close or lay off staff members – and breweries are no exception,” said Paul Leone, executive director, New York State Brewers Association. “We created this virtual tasting experience not only to bring attention to the breweries in our state, but to give craft beer fans an opportunity to try beer they may not have been able to try otherwise without having to leave their homes. At the same time, these virtual tasting experiences will help the NYSBA raise critical funds to keep us operating to help and protect the breweries in our state.”

The cost of a single session ticket is $65, which will include 64 oz. of beer and a 90-minute Zoom session with the brewers and owners. Each session will be limited to 100 participants. An all-access pass for all four sessions can be purchased for $240 and will include beer from all four breweries.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the New York State Brewers Association, a 501(c)6 non-profit trade association promoting and protecting the over 460 craft breweries in New York State.

For additional information about the New York State Virtual Craft Beer Tasting Experience presented by Growler Werks and to purchase tickets, visit https://thinknydrinkny.com/festivals/nys-virtual_experience/.

About New York State Brewers Association

Founded in 2003, New York State Brewers Association (NYSBA) promotes, protects and educates about the culture and business of New York State breweries. Their goal is to defend the vital interests of the New York State brewing industry while encouraging the consumption of fresh, local beer across the Empire State. With over 400 breweries, it’s easy to Think NY, Drink NY. More information is available at https://newyorkcraftbeer.com/.