Also titled.. The East Coast: Where you can find a brown ale in every bar and taproom.
Last month my girlfriend and I traveled to her hometown in upstate NY to spend time with her family for Christmas. So naturally I dragged her to several breweries within a 60mi radius. Here is what didn't suck in bumfuck NY..
Breweries:
The first brewery we went to was terrible, so we'll just skip over that one.
Common Roots (South Glens Falls) was the next brewery we visited, and by far my favorite. Not only were their beers awesome, but Christian and his staff were incredibly hospitable. He gave us a tour of the production area, where we got to check out their set up. Common Roots has a 10bbl system, and they are currently in the process of installing a 30bbl. All of the stainless was made/welded down the street by a local company, and in the back they had a coolship. We tried a few of their beers, including some from their funky/sour program, and a collaboration with Plan Bee. If you're in the area, I highly recommend this brewery.
Mean Max (Glens Falls) is located in the "downtown" area. They are an up and coming brewery with a simple brewhouse set up. The head brewer/co-owner Matt happened to be in, and gave me a nano tour (haha..). He told me that Mean Max was doing really well, and recently he and his partner were able to leave their full time jobs to focus solely on the brewery . My girlfriend and I shared a couple of flights, and played some darts. I'm not sure if we were playing by the actual rules, but more importantly, I won. Anyways, I really liked their clean can designs, and I'm excited to try a barrel aged bottle they sent me home with.
Single Cut North (Clifton Park) We were headed to Troy, and realized this spot was on the way (and recommend) so we stopped in. It turned out that this was just a little store/their production facility. But they had a record player with some rad tunes, and the nice merch ladies offered us samples, so we hung out for a bit. Their main taproom is in NYC (Queens). Apparently Single Cut North will be a full functioning tasting room in the near future. But for now you can snag some of their cans and crack them open at the distillery across the street.
Browns Brewing (Troy) Next we made it to Browns, and got a tour from the head brewer, Lee. Browns has been around since 1993, in a renovated 150+ year old warehouse turned pub/brewery. The brewhouse is half way between the basement and main floor (see photo). The cellar area, was actually a cellar(/dungeon), filled with grundy tanks turned into fermentors, and where they stored their barrels.
Browns Brewing brewhouse
Rare Form (Troy) I fell in love with Rare Forms retro vibes. Here you can snag a charcuterie board beneath a disco ball, and play some N64 (my personal favorite gaming console- what's up Ocarina of Time). Kevin, the owner, showed us around. They have a basement (definition of a basement linked for SoCal natives) for storage, and have to carry single bags of grain in through the front door and down those stairs. No thank you.
**Breweries to Look Out For on Tap Around Town: Suarez Family, Hudson Valley, Slyboro Cider House, Indian Ladder, Plan Bee, Sloop, Unified, Paradox, Prison City
Bars, Restaurants, Etc.:
Pint Sized (Saratoga Springs) Cozy little craft beer bar and bottle shop, with games.
Henry Street Taproom (Saratoga Springs) This spot had a decent list of craft beer, including a lot of locals. Loved the taxidermy, and the fireplaces were perfect and toasty during our December visit.
Mouzon House (Saratoga Springs) A bar/restaurant located inside a beautiful remodeled 1883 victorian home. The cocktails and New Orleans style food were delicious. They have great live music here in the small front bar area.
Roosevelt Baths and Spa (Saratoga Springs) I wrote all about this place in an instagram post. Click here to check it out.
Albany Pump Station aka CH Evan's Brewing (Albany) I highly recommend the general tso's cauliflower. The beers were okay, but nothing mind blowing.
Hikes:
-Tongue Mountain (Bolton Landing) takes you around Lake George.
- Indian Head and Fish Hawk Cliffs (Lake Placid) GORGEOUS views.
- Sleeping Beauty, Buck Mountain, or Prospect Mountain (Lake George) all will give you great views of the lake once you reach the top.
**Highly Recommended, Did Not Visit:
- The Ruck (Troy) who doesn't love a good dive bar?
- The Sinclair (Saratoga Springs)
- City Beer Hall (Albany)
- Spektor (Glens Falls) coffee
- Kru (Saratoga Springs) coffee
- Bombers Burrito Bar (Albany, Schenectady or Troy) was approved by San Diegans, so you know it's legit
- Franklin Alley Social Club (Troy)
- Pecks Arcade (Troy)
- Westmere Beverage (Albany) bottleshop
- Delaware Supply (Albany)
- The Confectionery (Troy) Wine bar, small plates, coffee
HUGE thank you to all the breweries we visited and their amazing owners and employees. Our time would not have been as enjoyable without y'all. Thank you for the hospitality, the beers, the great stories, and the recommendations.
