Less Pabst Blue Ribbon and Heineken Lager. More Ithaca Apricot Wheat Ale, Lake Placid Ubu Ale and ... Labatt Blue?
The New York State Fair changed the rules for its beer and alcoholic beverage vendors for 2025. In recent years, at least 80 percent of the beverages at each stand had to be made in the state of New York. This year, the requirement moved up to 90 percent.
That's a relatively small change, but it means some vendors are serving more New York craft beers, hard ciders and seltzers.
At The Shamrock Tavern facing the Midway, for example, owner Steve Sommers this year added brands like Sloop Juice Bomb from the Hudson Valley and the Ubu Ale from Lake Placid.
"I have no problem selling New York beers, as long as customers are buying it," Sommers said. "So we'll see how it goes."
At the Beer Garden near the east end of Restaurant Row, owner Erinn McDowell jumped at the chance to add new New York beers.
"We like a challenge," said McDowell, whose changes included adding Ithaca Apricot Wheat Ale to the list of other Ithaca Beer Co. brews she's already carrying. "Get more New York craft beer? For us it's 'Game on!'"
But it doesn't mean you can't still find non-New York beer. The Beer Garden, for example, still hosts a cart where you can buy Pabst Blue Ribbon, which was founded in Milwaukee and is now based in Texas.
The increase in New York beverages is not always so easy to see. The origin of some beers is often camouflaged by corporate takeovers, mergers and contracts.
For example, any beer or beverage made by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer, can qualify as brewed in New York because the company has a large brewery just outside Baldwinsville.
At the Tikki Turtle stand in the Colonnade Building, for example, a new beer is Golden Road Mango Cart. Golden Road is a Los Angeles area craft brewer that has been bought by Anheuser-Busch.
"They say it's made in New York, so we have it," said Tikki Turtle owner Jim Kerwin. (The Golden Road label indicates the beer is made in California and New York).
Anheuser-Busch InBev is also the owner of NÜTRL, a national vodka seltzer made at the Baldwinsville brewery.
"It works for us because we need a seltzer made in New York and here it is," McDowell said.
And then consider Labatt Blue and Blue Light. Most people probably think of them as Canadian, because the Labatt brewery is based in Toronto (although it too is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev).
But the Blue and Blue Light for the Northeast market is now made at the Genesee Brewery in Rochester, under an agreement with Genesee owner FIFCO USA, which owns Labatt's U.S. distribution rights.
Some stands surveyed by syracuse.com at the fair are dropping brands like Heineken, made in the Netherlands, for Labatt.
Many stands have also dropped Twisted Tea, an alcoholic drink made in Cincinnati by the Boston Beer Co, (Sam Adams). It's been replaced by Lipton Hard Iced Tea, which is made under contract at the Genesee Brewery in Rochester.
"It's a great idea (increasing the beers made in New York)," Kerwin said. "But I'm not sure it's going to increase sales."
For some stands, the change was easy.
"We already had a lot of New York beers, so it wasn't a big lift to get to 90 percent," said Jen Sholly, manager at the Tully's Draft House near Gate 1 and the Tully's food stand near The Eatery Building. "I don't think most people are even going to notice."
Paul Leone, executive director of the New York State Brewers Association, said he appreciates the intent of the change. But he thinks the rules could be tightened up to make sure they apply to the roughly 500 craft breweries based in New York.
"I think selling California brands (like Golden Road) brewed in NY at the New York State Fair as a New York made beer defeats the purpose (of the increase)," he wrote to syracuse.com. "There are so many local family run breweries in the area that would love to sell their beer at the fair but won't have the opportunity due to the loophole exploiting the spirit of this requirement."
"It's the New York State Fair," Leone said. "It should be pushing New York brands."