15 best breweries in New York

Craft beer has gone from stuffy weekend hobby to booming business as the revolution spreads across the world. While every country and city can lay claim to its own traditions and microbrewery scene, New York has a particularly good selection of young, hip operations producing big, bold beers to be enjoyed in their very own taprooms. Here’s a list of 15 of the best

Starting as a 20-barrel brewhouse, this brewery has made itself proudly part of the neighbourhood in Queens. A project that began from the passion for brewing and experimentation, it is still very present and reflected in the quality of small-batch beers, with a particular flair for fruity IPAs.

Rob Kolb and Anthony Accardi bring their expert knowledge of yeast and hops to bear on traditional brewing styles to reinvigorate and elevate at this brewery, which is all about good beer in good company in a light-filled, hip industrial setting.

Located in beautiful downtown Farmingdale, this farm brewery sources locally-produced hops and grain, combining them with its own yeast strains to produce very well-crafted beers, ales, stouts and IPAs. A microbrewery that produces small batches of creative, award-winning beers for your drinking pleasure.

Greenport Harbor Brewing was founded by North Fork locals John Liegey and Rich Vanderburgh, whose passion for home-crafted beers grew from hobby to a thriving business. Today it includes two tasting rooms, a restaurant and distribution across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, while every drop of its delicious beer is made with care across two breweries in North Fork, Long Island.

A local brewery set in a former dairy barn in the Butternut Valley, Butternuts employs traditional techniques to brew in its direct-fired, brick-clad copper-top kettle. Enhanced with modern processes, the team consistently produces high quality, unique beers and ales. There's an old-time feel in this honest-to-goodness, small-town brewhouse.

More than an award-winning brewhouse serving delicious bees to the people of Buffalo, this is a community hub that brings people together through a passion for craft beer. Good vibes proliferate here in this bright, open, welcoming space.

Their first brewery on Coney Island, known as 'the smallest brewery in the world' was destroyed in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy, but three years later a bigger, better version was built just a few steps away from the original. Offering a wide range of seasonal beers and American classics, the tap room is a perfect spot to wet your whistle when visiting 'the playground at the end of the world'.

Coney Island Brewery
1904 Surf Ave
Brooklyn, NY, United States
+1 718-996-0019

Located in Freeville, NY, on a real-life working farm, this is not a factory-made beer. Using hops grown on their own land, Hopshire make's beautiful craft beers augmented with seasonal flavours. This is how beer should be enjoyed, in an environment that preserves agricultural tradition in New York.

This Rochdale brewery and taphouse has a wide range of high-quality brews, from ales, to stouts, IPAs and delicious seasonal ciders. Don't miss it.

Located in a 5,000 square-foot warehouse in Bushwick, Brooklyn, this brewery leans on a proud brewing tradition of the area's German immigrant tradition. With young and vibrant, fresh and fruity beers full of flavour for your refreshment, this brewery already has 40 years of expertise and knowledge behind every brew.

With a community approach to beer-making based on local relationships with suppliers and producers, LIC Beer Project creates big, bold beers that represent the best of micro-brewing. Explore a range of flavourful beverages in a relaxed and welcoming taproom for the discerning craft beer enthusiast.

Other Half is a local brewery whose founders, friends Sam Richardson, Matt Monahan, and Andrew Burman have a mission - "to create beers that they wanted to drink from a company that they wanted to be a part of". Collaborating with like-minded breweries across the US and the world, the Brooklyn taproom maintains its local soul with a dedication to craft.

Other Half Brewing Company
195 Centre St
Brooklyn, NY, United States
+1 212-564-6065

From weekend homebrewing in Far Rockaway backyards, to a brewery in Long Island City, Queens, all beers here are expertly crafted by hand and available across New York, but the best place to enjoy them is their very own taphouse in the heart of Queens.

Located along the south shore of Long Island in beautiful Oceanside, NY, this brewery is an upgrade on the original that was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. They have managed to balance scale with taste however, and with 50 styles of beers on offer, there is something for everyone.

A brewpub on Seneca Lake in Hector, NY, this is a special place with beer, food, music and picturesque scenery. Set in a renovated 19th-century barn with sweeping views of Seneca Lake, this is a spectacular place to enjoy quality beers at sunset.