Empire State Brewery Trails

Industry News by DREWSESLU

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Lawmakers in Albany are encouraging residents and visitors alike to enjoy a tall, cold one. A bill making its way through the Legislature aims to create a New York state beer trail, similar to those the wine industry has successfully used to attract millions of oenophiles to the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley and eastern Long Island. Sponsors of the legislation say it will highlight the reemergence of breweries in New York and help brewers cash-in on the popularity of their oatmeal stouts, India pale ales and bitters. Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, A Brooklyn Democrat who doesn't drink, is sponsoring the bill not only to attract beer drinkers to the state, but also to honor New York's rich brewing heritage, which dates back to the 1630s when the Dutch West India Company established the country's first public brewery in New York City, he said. A century ago, there were more than 40 breweries in Brooklyn alone. "Such a rich history of the brewing industry is here and we ought to be exploiting that if we can," said Lentol, whose district was the home of original Schaeffer brewery and currently hosts the Brooklyn Brewery, a regionally well-known outfit. "I can't think of any other state except Wisconsin that has as much brewing tradition as New York. It's part of our heritage." http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--beertrail0619jun19,0,5654764.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

19 years ago