At this point, the story is familiar. As Brewers Assocation director Paul Gatza and economist Bart Watson presented their annual State of the Industry Report at the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver last week, the drum-beating about craft beer’s continued growth was deafening. With double-digit growth in the craft segment for the last four years, it’s easy to imagine that the Brewers Association’s stretch goal - 20% market share of all beer volume by 2020 - is achievable. But the industry stands now at 8% market share, and there are noticeable hurdles to overcome before craft beer can reach a tipping point where it’s a part of the American mainstream.

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The second offering in Brooklyn Brewery’s new Brooklyn Quarterly Experiment series will be released next month, and it’s something longtime fans of the brewery will remember from years past. Cuvée Noire will make its triumphant return in bottle form in May at their brewery in Williamsburg. Cuvée Noire was a release in their Brewmaster’s Reserve series back in late 2010. It’s a strong stout with roasted malts, Mauritius sugar, sweet orange peel, and Belgian yeast. It’s then aged in oak barrels for six months before heading to the bottle for re-fermentation. And those bottles will be released on Saturday night, May 3rd, in a party at the brewery.

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New York breweries took home six awards, including two golds, at the World Beer Cup on Friday night in Denver. The bi-annual competition capped off a week of the Brewers Assocation’s Craft Brewers Conference, and included brewers from all over the world. A total of 4,758 entries from 58 countries were judged blindly by a diverse panel. 281 awards were presented at the ceremony, to breweries as large as Coors and as small as a streetside brewpub in Saratoga Springs.

Competition was stiff this year, with the largest number of entries coming in the American IPA category (223 beers entered) and an average number of entries per category up 22% from a year ago. Below are the winners from New York state, along with the total entries in the category in which they won.

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It’s finally going to hit room temperature this week, and spring fever has definitely hit New York City. So, if you’re stuck at a desk right now, where can you go this weekend to soak up the sun and warm weather? Here’s a few of our favorite places best-suited for drinking craft beer in the great outdoors:

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Governor Cuomo’s office held its second statewide Wine, Beer, Spirits & Cider Summit today in Albany, bringing together leaders from the industries and officials from various state agencies to discuss how to continue to move the state’s beverage industries forward.

The summit opened with Governor Cuomo highlighting some of the big advancements the state’s beverage industry has made since he took office. In four years, the number of breweries in New York State has increased 180% and the number of cideries has jumped 380%. Jobs in the beer sector alone have tripled since he took office, with now over 3,000 employees working in the brewing industry in New York State. He also highlighted the state’s four billion dollar growth in tourism, spurred by promotional efforts like Taste New York, which includes aggressive promotion of beer, wine, spirits, and cider - including at branded retail locations in travel hubs throughout the state.

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Because the city can’t seem to go a week without a new beer spot opening, First Look is our roundup of the latest places to open that specialize in craft beer - bars, restaurants, and stores. This week, First Look ventures to the latest beer bar to hit 9th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, a new location of a craft beer chainlet in Williamsburg, and new downtown craft beer hideaway.

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