Hudson Valley brewery knocks off Syracuse restaurant in annual NY’s best burger contest

Chatham, N.Y. — A brewery in Hudson Valley has knocked off a seven-time champion in New York’s best burger competition.

The New York Beef Council this morning announced Chatham Brewery as the winner of this year’s “Best NY Burger” competition. This is the first win for the brewery, located at 59 Main St., Chatham, about 30 miles south of Albany.

Chatham Brewing’s burger, the Loaded Brewery Burger, was voted the favorite among the 19 judges who visited the 10 finalists over the past month. In a press release announcing the winner, the Beef Council said the brewery’s sandwich won by “captivating taste buds with its tantalizing flavors and innovative presentation.”

The Loaded Brewery Burger is made with a locally raised beef burger topped with white cheddar macaroni and cheese, applewood bacon and molasses barbecue sauce. It’s served on a toasted King’s Hawaiian sweet roll.

This is the first year that Ale ‘n Angus competed and didn’t win. The Syracuse restaurant and bar has won seven times. The only year it didn’t compete was 2020, the year the contest was done virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year’s top 10, listed alphabetically, were:

317 @ Montgomery, Syracuse

Ale ‘n Angus, Syracuse

Bear Creek, Brewerton

Ben’s Fresh, Port Jervis

Brewer Union Cafe, Brewerton

Butchers & Sons, Corning

Chatham Brewery, Chatham

Danny D’s Burgers, Port Jervis

Rock Burger, Niagara Falls

Tap It Bar & Grill, Rochester

A panel of anonymous judges visited each of the finalists in April. They evaluated their burgers based on taste, appearance and adherence to proper doneness standards (160 degrees).

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Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. You can also find him under @HoosierCuse on Twitter and on Instagram. Sign up for his free weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.