Thanks to funding from Empire State Development, GrowNYC is hosting a rotating cast of New York State brewers and distillers paired with a local restaurant at our Union Square and Grand Army Plaza Greenmarkets every Saturday until November 21. Each week shoppers will have the opportunity to sample and purchase beer and spirits made of local ingredients, taste market-fresh dishes that complement the craft beverages on offer and purchase regionally grown flours, wheat berries, pastas, and dried beans from our Greenmarket Regional Grains Project.

Over the past five years, the Northeast has seen a resurgence of interest in small grain production coinciding with innovative grain based product development in the food and beverage sectors. Consumer demand for local foods along with policy initiatives such as Governor Cuomo’s Farm Brewery and Farm Distillery legislation, and the work of Greenmarket’s Regional Grains Project have helped fuel the grain renaissance in New York State. 

GrowNYC is thrilled to provide a marketplace for these innovative craft brewers and distillers to introduce their New York State products to Greenmarket shoppers. Check the Beer & Spirits of New York Pop-up webpage for updates on each week's participants.    

In particular, the craft beverage industry has seen dramatic and unprecedented growth. Since 2011, the number of farm distilleries in New York State has increased 450 percent, from 10 in 2011 to 55 today. The number of craft breweries alone has more than doubled from 2012 to 2015, from 95 breweries in 2012 to 207 in January, 2015. GrowNYC was at the forefront of this surge when we partnered with Brooklyn Brewery to help source the ingredients to create a truly local beer. In 2013, Greenmarket Wheat was born and today it is one of Brooklyn Brewery's perrenial brews and is made with 70% local ingredients including NY State wheat, hops, barley and honey. 

The Beer and Spirits of New York Pop-up stand received funding through Empire State Development’s Craft Beverage Marketing and Promotion Grant Program, in coordination with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The program was created to increase the profile, awareness and sales of New York State produced wine, beer, spirits, and hard cider, and provides matching funds for the marketing and promotion of craft beverages. The Craft Beverage Marketing and Promotion Grant Program is administered in alignment with the Governor’s Taste NY initiative, and Taste NY branding will be used throughout the pop-up stand.