Athens Brewery Nominated Among Best New Breweries in America

Brewery in Athens Gets National Praise

A rising local brewery is getting some well-deserved national love — and now it needs your votes.

According to USA TODAY 10 BEST, Deep Fried Beers inside Night School Pizza (35 mins south of Albany) in Athens has been nominated as one of the best new breweries in the country, honoring standouts that have opened since 2023.

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A panel of beer experts selected their favorites, and now readers decide who makes the Top 10.

Operating out of the lively Night School pizza spot, Deep Fried Beers has quickly made a name for itself with bold, creative brews. The brewery specializes in ultra-hoppy DIPAs and mouth-puckering sours — including the boozy "Macrowave TIPA" and the fruit-forward "Sour Patchwork 2", packed with raspberry notes.

Along with their own creations, guest taps and Night School favorites keep the menu fresh for beer lovers making the trip to Athens.

Vote Once Per Day

It’s a huge nod for a young brewery hoping to follow in the footsteps of some Upstate heavy hitters like Fidens, Common Roots, Wayward Lane, Druthers, and Brown’s — all places that helped put the Capital Region craft beer scene on the map.

Now it’s up to fans to help push this local favorite into the national spotlight. You can vote once per day until Monday, February 23rd, at noon, with winners announced on March 4th.

Bottoms up, Upstate — let’s show them what our craft scene is all about.