Did you know that right now, to be licensed as a Farm Brewery, any beer brewed in the State of New York must have 20% of its ingredients (besides water) grown right here? Apparently the current acreage devoted to growing the ingredients for beer cannot support the need.

And...that the number of breweries being built in the NYC area alone are expected to double in the next year or two. Anyone want to start growing hops?

I learned this fascinating information plus much much more from my resident beer experts, Sarah and Giancarlo. Their book “Beer Lover's New York: The Empire State's Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Beer Bars” will be published this February. If you like beer, I would highly recommend getting this book.

Of course, I can’t miss this opportunity to plug their website which is packed with great information on the craft beer culture in NYC…BeerUnion.com. :)

I wanted to know more about this growing industry and especially how my favorite beer is made. Founders KBS. It’s only released once a year in March and is, IMHO, the best beer I have tasted.

What’s your favorite beer?