Explore the 200 craft breweries found along New York’s Empire State Trail
Home to more than 460 breweries statewide, New York knows beer. To make it easier to find a beer near you, the New York State Brewers Association in 2017 launched an app that allows users to find breweries across the state, check-in digitally, and earn stamps on their “tasting passport.” To encourage support of local beer makers and the use of the under-construction 750-mile Empire State Trail, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday a new passport program specifically targeting 200 craft breweries found along the trail.
The Empire State Trail, first announced by Cuomo in 2017, will continuously connect New York City to Canada upon completion at the end of this year. The project, made for pedestrians and cyclists, builds upon two existing trails—the Hudson River Valley Greenway and the Erie Canalway —and runs from Battery Park City to the tip of Lake Champlain and from Albany to Buffalo, as 6sqft previously reported.
The new Empire State Trail Brewery website and passport maps out 200 craft breweries located within 10 miles of the Empire State Trail. At each brewery along the trail, visitors can digitally check-in on the app and earn a stamp for the Empire State Trail Passport and the existing program, the Think NY, Drink NY Passport.
“The New York State Brewers Association is excited to partner with the Empire State Trail,” Paul Leone, executive director of the New York State Brewers Association, said. “Almost half of the State’s craft breweries are within 10-miles from the Empire State Trail, making this the perfect initiative to shine a light on the Trail and the State’s craft beer industry.”
Checking in on the app gives users points that can lead to rewards, like neck gaiters, shirts, and backpacks. Anyone who visits all 200 breweries along the trail will receive a branded cooler, backpack, and a t-shirt that reads: “I completed the Empire State Trail Brewery Passport.”
“During this unprecedented and challenging time, this new partnership will make it even easier for New Yorkers to experience both this great state’s natural beauty and world-class craft beverages,” Cuomo said in a press release.
“Tourism and recreation are at the foundation of our local economies, and as we near the completion of the Empire State Trail by the end of this year, this program will both benefit local residents and spur economic activity in communities across the state.”
To learn more, download the official New York State Craft Beer App, which has a map of every brewery in the state and helps you win free stuff, here.
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