Catskill Brewery Wins Best Craft Brewery in Hudson Valley Award, and Other Awards at 2025 Tap NY Beer Competition

Livingston Manor, NY (July 1, 2025) -- Catskill Brewery was awarded The Matthew Vassar Brewer’s Cup for the Best Craft Brewery in the Hudson Valley, and also earned a Silver Medal for their Grass Wagon IPA at the 2025 Tap NY Beer Festival & Competition, held June 28–29 in East Durham, NY. Chosen from dozens of breweries across the region, being named the Best Craft Brewery in the Hudson Valley at this event acknowledges Catskill Brewery’s unwavering dedication to excellence—from sourcing the best ingredients and supporting sustainable practices to delivering exceptional taste and experience. 

“We’re thrilled that the community sees and supports our commitment to quality, sustainability, and our mission of making the best beer in the region. Being named the best brewery in the Hudson Valley means a great deal to all of us." said Catskill Brewery’s Head Brewer Mike McQuiston. “This award reflects the passion and personal investment of our whole team, as well as the wonderful support we have from the entire region.”

These recent accolades add to Catskill Brewery’s long list of industry awards including: a People’s Choice Award at Tap NY, gold and silver medals at prior Tap NY competitions for their Eye of Newt gueuze-style ale, a World Beer Cup Bronze medal and Tap NY Gold medal for their Nightshine Black Lager, and 3 Gold medals and a Bronze medal at New York State Brewer’s Association Craft Beer Competitions for Ball Lightning Pilsner, Freak Tractor Saison, and Ratface Macdougall Double IPA, and Grass Wagon IPA respectively.

Since their founding in 2014, Catskill Brewery has grown steadily to become one of the premier craft breweries in the Catskills and Hudson Valley regions; and they have consistently been one of the most awarded breweries in New York. These new achievements add to their legacy and celebrate Catskill Brewery’s commitment to quality, consistency, innovation, and community engagement in the vibrant craft beer landscape.

The awards ceremony took place at the Tap NY Beer Festival held in East Durham, NY on June 28th and 29th, 2025. Awards were given for various styles and categories, with many NY breweries competing. The Tap NY Beer Festival & Competition started in 1998, and is one of the largest and longest running craft brew festivals in the country. It has been attended by more than 100,000 beer lovers throughout its history.

Catskill Brewery’s year-round Grass Wagon IPA also took the Silver medal in the hotly-contested IPA category— frequently the most competitive category with the highest number of entries in beer competitions nationwide. “Grass Wagon was specifically designed to be very flavorful and aromatic, while remaining highly sessionable,” explained McQuiston. “We’re incredibly proud of these awards, as well as the many other awards our team has earned over the years.”

About Catskill Brewery

Founded in 2014 in Livingston Manor, NY, Catskill Brewery has become a celebrated craft brewery in the state of New York and beyond.  The company operates a production brewery, with a busy taproom and food truck that serves elevated comfort food made with high-quality, locally sourced ingredients from their local region. Catskill Brewery's mission is to brew beer that expresses the essence of the Catskils: the rivers, the mountains, and the earth— to practice sustainability as a lifestyle, to support their local communities, and to express everything that makes the Catskills a unique and beautiful place.

Alongside Grass Wagon IPA, their year-round offerings include the best-selling Ball Lightning Pilsner, Devil's Path IPA, Nightshine Schwarzbier, seasonal offerings John O' the Birds Hefeweizen, Yellow Sally Summer Ale, Barkaboom Oktoberfest lager, and rotating specialty releases like the High Peaks IPA series, and their Forbidden Fruit Sour Ale series of beers— now distributed to bars and beer retailers throughout all of NY and NJ.

We invite all beer lovers in the Catskills, Hudson Valley, and beyond, to enjoy Catskill Brewery beer everywhere it can be found, and to stop by Catskill Brewery's taproom, food truck, and outdoor beer garden in Livingston Manor, NY to meet the team, taste their award-winning beers, and enjoy great food, live music, and events year-round.