Enjoy a local beer along the Empire State Trail

What do you do when you’ve spent the day on the Empire State Trail and you suddenly crave some high-quality beer? There’s an app for that!

New York State has partnered with the New York State Brewers Association to launch a new program highlighting the more than 200 craft breweries found along and near the Empire State Trail: the Empire State Trail Brewery Passport.

The virtual program, available through the existing New York Craft Beer App, encourages New Yorkers to visit breweries within 10 miles of the Empire State Trail’s 750-mile route from Albany to Buffalo via the Erie Canalway Trail, and from New York City to the Adirondacks via the Hudson Valley Greenway and Champlain Valley Trails. Visitors to each brewery can ‘check in’ on the app to earn points toward rewards such as commemorative neck gaiters and shirts. Those who check-in at all 200 will receive a cooler backpack and t-shirt announcing their completion of the full program. Participants are encouraged to drink responsibly and keep COVID-19 precautions in mind during their travels.

Here are nine of our favorite breweries along the Empire State Trail

The New York Craft Beer App is the first state-wide beer app in the country and is available for both Apple and Android devices. Through the app, enthusiasts can find every brewery in the state, searchable by region, and create their own personal itinerary of selected breweries. For more information about the New York Craft Beer App, visit https://thinknydrinkny.com/ (must be 21 or older).

Other attractions and amenities along the Empire State Trail can be found by visiting www.cycletheeriecanal.com or www.empiretrail.ny.gov, or by purchasing the indispensable guidebook, Cycling the Erie Canal: A Guide to 360 Miles of Adventure and History along the Erie Canalway Trail at www.ptny.org/shop.