State inadvertently took away beer at Boilermaker Post-Race Party

Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch

The fate of the Boilermaker Road Race rests in the hands of the New York State Assembly.

Without its intervention, state law won’t allow the Boilermaker Post Race Party to serve beer, no doubt lowering spirits throughout the racing community.

It all started when the New York State Legislature voted last year to make it easier to get beer on Sundays, state Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, explained. That law increased the number of hours that convenience stores can sell beer on Sundays.

Many area residents consider the Boilermaker Post-Race Party, seen here in an O-D file photo from 2023, the highlight of the Boilermaker Road Race. This year the free beer is under threat unless the New York State Assembly passes a bill to save it before this year' race.
Many area residents consider the Boilermaker Post-Race Party, seen here in an O-D file photo from 2023, the highlight of the Boilermaker Road Race. This year the free beer is under threat unless the New York State Assembly passes a bill to save it before this year' race.

But in making that pro-beer change to state law, the legislature inadvertently repealed another law that made it possible for the post-race party to serve free beer, Griffo said.

Griffo noticed the repeal and voted no on the change last year. And he introduced a bill in the state Senate to let the beer flow in Utica again. That bill has passed the Senate, Griffo announced in a Thursday statement..

Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, D-Marcy, introduced a companion bill in the Assembly, where the bill has been referred to the Ways and Means Committee.

“The Boilermaker Road Race is an extraordinary event that attracts thousands of people to the City of Utica, Oneida County and the Mohawk Valley,” Griffo said in the statement. “The post-race party – and a cold Utica Club or Saranac beverage – is tradition for many who run or attend this event.”

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If passed by the Assembly, the legislation would let the tradition flow on and give the F.X. Matt Brewery back its chance to let the world taste its beers, Griffo said.

If the Assembly wants Utica’s biggest party of the year to roll on, it will have to act soon. The Boilermaker Road Race takes place on Sunday, July 14.

Without the beer, runner might just ferment, er, foment revolution.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Griffo trying to re-instate rule to let Boilermaker party serve beer

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