All Over Albany

Schenectady Ale Trail

Great Flats Brewing in downtown Schenectady.

There is now a Schenectady Ale Trail and -- as you might guess from the name -- it's a collection of craft brewers in Schenectady County that are already operating or will be soon:

+ Frog Alley Brewery - opening soon in the new Mill Artisan District development in downtown Schenectady
+ Wolf Hollow Brewery - Glenville
+ Great Flats Brewery - downtown Schenectady
+ Mad Jack Brewery - in the Stockade in Schenectady
+ Druthers Brewery - Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady
+ Back Barn Brewery - opening in 2019 in Duanesburg

The marketing effort is offering a digital passport program for $40, which includes a free beer flight at each of the breweries. And if you go to all stops, you can get a free t-shirt.

The announcement of the Schenectady Ale Trail from Discover Schenectady also included some bits about the various brewing system capacities and production at the participating breweries that might be interesting to beer nerds. They're below.

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Follow up: Delaware Supply

AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year.

Delaware Supply opened just before Christmas last year next to the Spectrum in the space that had been a series of coffee shops.

The craft beer bar is owned by Colin Pratt, who was previously a manager at Westmere Beverage in Guilderland and as a bartender at Albany Ale and Oyster in Albany.

"Business has been good," he said when we stopped in recently, noting that opening around the time of the Academy Award season provided an early boost as people flocked to The Spectrum to see nominated films.

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Follow up: Fort Orange Brewing

AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year.

Fort Orange Brewing became Albany's third operating brewery when it opened in a space on North Pearl Street in the Warehouse District last October. It's the product of three friends from Castleton -- Craig Johnson, John Westcott, and Jim Eaton -- who decided to make the jump from home brewing.

The space serves as both a brewery and taproom, and on a recent Wednesday night it was busy with people playing in the brewery's popular cornhole league.

"We're very pleased with where we're at being nine months into this thing," Jim Eaton told us a few days later as we talked about how things have gone for the startup brewery -- and their plans to keep growing...

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Frederick Hinckel and the Hinckel Brewery

The Hinckel Brewery building with the Empire State Plaza in the background. / photo: Tim Jackson

On the northwest corner of Park Avenue and South Swan Street in Albany's Hudson/Park neighborhood, a multi-building complex takes up almost half a city block and dominates the immediate area. Constructed in the late 1880s, this behemoth played a vital role in the brewing and distribution of beer across the city and the country.

This is the story of immigrant, brewmaster, and former Albany resident Frederick Hinckel -- and the Hinckel Brewery.

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Here's a map of every brewery in New York State

Great Flats Brewing in Schenectady is one of the many new farm breweries around the state.

As of mid February of this year New York State had 400 breweries, the Cuomo admin announced this month. That's said to be a new record for the number of individual breweries in the state, surpassing the former high count of 393 in 1876.

When that announcement arrived, we put together a map of the 46 breweries in the greater Capital Region.

People seemed to like that, so we figured, hey, why not just roll together a clickable map of all 400 breweries around the state?

So we did. And here it is.

(Also: A quick run though some New York State brewing history.)

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There are now 400 breweries in New York State

Fort Orange Brewing, which opened in Albany last October, is one of the 400.

Bonus: We've added a map of the Capital Region breweries.

New York State now has more breweries than at any other point in history, the Cuomo admin reported Wednesday.

There are 400 breweries operating in the Empire State. The previous high count was 393 in 1876.

The Cuomo admin points out there have been 243 new breweries licensed since 2012, and 202 of them have gotten the OK to operate under the relatively new farm brewery license that took effect at the start of 2013. That license relaxes a bunch of rules for breweries if they use a certain percentage of ingredients grown in state. (There's also a farm winery license that dates back to the 1970s, as well as more recent farm distillery and farm cidery licenses.)

It's probably true that New York is also riding the general rising tide of craft beer over the last decade or so. Example: In 2016 overall production of beer in the United State was flat, but craft beer production was up more than 6 percent and grew to more than 12 percent all beer produced in the US.

Here's the whole list of breweries, which includes 46 in the (greater) Capital Region....

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Spring beer festival season will be here soon

Last year's Albany Craft Beer Festival at the Washington Ave Armory. / photo via Albany Craft Beer Festival Facebook

The natural rhythms of late February through April: melting snow, the first green shoots, and migrating packs of beer nerds.

Yes, spring beer fest season will soon be here, and again there are a handful of festivals around the region...

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A new, expanded spot on Lark for Pint Sized

The planned new spot.

The Lark Street craft beverage shop Pint Sized is moving -- to a new location, and to a (somewhat) different format.

"It's time to grow, to move on to better things," owner August Rosa said Tuesday.

Here's a little bit about what's up with the shop and Lark Street generally...

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A look around Delaware Supply

Some quick follow-up on Delaware Supply, the craft beer bar that's been in the works for the space next to The Spectrum that was previously a series of coffee shops.

It opened shortly before Christmas, and here are a handful of pics along with a few other bits...

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Where to get a custom pint glass?

Sean emails:

Do any of your readers know of any local places where I could have a pint glass etched with a custom logo? There are tons of websites out there that do this, but I'd love to go local if possible.

These sorts of custom glasses are so common now, there's gotta be at least one local place that can do this.

Got a suggestion for Sean? Please share! And a sentence or two about why you're recommending a place can be helpful.

photo: Deanna Fox

Albany Craft Beer Festival 2018

The Albany Craft Beer Festival is set to return to the Washington Ave Armory April 7. And tickets are already on sale -- they're $65. The ticket includes "access to an unlimited tasting of 100+ rare and special release beers" along with five-ounce tasting glass.

This is the second year for the festival, which is run by the crew at the Brew Crew / Oliver's. This time around it's breaking the festival up into two sessions -- noon to 3 pm, and 4-7 pm. Each is capped at 750 people.

The website has yet to list participating beers and breweries. "As you know, many of the breweries we feature are famous for their hoppy beers. Due to the importance of the freshness associated with IPAs, DIPAs and Pale Ales, confirmation of specific offerings won't happen until very close to party time. If you attended last year, you know we brought the noise!"

The festival is part of a larger Albany Craft Beer Week, which stretches from April 2-7.

A look around the new Fort Orange Brewing

The new Albany brewery -- Fort Orange Brewing -- officially opened Wednesday afternoon.

Its space, a combination brewery/tap room, is on North Pearl Street in the Warehouse District. Six of its brews were on tap, along with cider from Nine Pin.

Fort Orange Brewing is the product of Craig Johnson, John Westcott, and Jim Eaton. The three friends from Castleton started brewing at home together a few years back and decided to make the jump to a full brewery. As Eaton told us back in August, the plan is to offer their beers in the tap room, along with snacks. They'll also be inviting food trucks to set up outside. Eaton said the goal is to create a family-friendly atmosphere.

It's the third brewery now operating in the city of Albany, joining the C. H. Evans Brewing (the Pump Station) and Druthers. The craft beverage producer list also includes Albany Distilling Co. and Nine Pin Cider.

Here's a look around the new place...

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Here are a few bits for the new bar planned for the space next to The Spectrum

In the works for the space next-door to the Spectrum: Delaware Supply, a bar focused on craft beer.

Owner Colin Pratt got a conditional use permit for the project approved by the Albany planning board Thursday night.

Here are a more few bits about what's in store...

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100 Mile Beer Fest

The 100 Mile Beer Fest will be at Lakeside Farms in Ballston Spa October 7. Blurbage:

We're a brewer-focused festival hosting only 25 of the 150+ breweries within a 100 mile radius from Lakeside Farms in Ballston Lake, NY. Some may be behemoths of sales, others may be unheard of mysteries, but many you'll be familiar with their names, product, and reputation. Each year we'll have the brewers we hand-select, come and pour their own creations for you.

A list of some of the participating breweries is below. And as the materials for the event note, the list is subject to change.

Tickets for the festival are $52 and available online. Organizers say net proceeds will go to Friends of Clifton Park Open Space.

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Collar City Beer Invitational 2017

Troy Craft Beer Week returns September 11-17. And this year's schedule of events includes the Collar City Beer Invitational at Takk House September 15. Event blurbage:

A signature event for Troy Craft Beer Week, the Invitational will feature over 30 hand selected breweries from around the world, around the nation, and around the corner. Each attending brewery will be pouring rare and unique beers from their portfolio, sure to satisfy even the most discerning palate. Takk House, our unique venue in beautiful and historic downtown Troy, allows for a level of interaction and connectivity between producer and consumer not found at typical beer festivals. Try something new and rediscover something you love, all with unmatched access to the folks that know the product inside and out.

That link above includes a list of participating breweries and food vendors. The event is Friday, September 15 from 7-10 pm. Tickets are $65 and available online.

Troy on Tap
Also that weekend: The return of the Troy on Tap Beer Festival that Saturday, September 16 at a field along the river on the south side of downtown Troy. More than 65 craft breweries are scheduled to participate.

General tickets are currently $35 (price increases after September 10), and VIP tickets are $55.

Restaurant week
That week is also restaurant week in Troy. The lineup of participating restaurants is TBA.

photo: Matthew 'Fuj' Scher

Fort Orange Brewing

Jim Eaton in the Fort Orange Brewing space. He's part of the team that includes Craig Johnson and John Westcott.

Albany's Warehouse District is in line to add another craft beverage producer this fall with the planned opening of Fort Orange Brewing.

Here's a quick overview of what's in the works and who's involved...

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A look around Great Flats Brewing

Every month it seems like there's a new brewery somewhere around the region. And one of the most recent is Great Flats Brewing in Schenectady.

The brewery opened three months downtown, and this Thursday had its official ribbon cutting.

Here's a look around the brewery space, along with a few bits about what's going on there.

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Hudson Valley Hops 2017

The Hudson Valley Hops event is back at the Albany Institute April 8. Tickets are $35 ahead and available online.

The annual event celebrates the history of brewing in the Hudson Valley, and this year has an Erie Canal theme. There will be tastings, a local IPA blind taste test, and special Irish Red Ales from Chatham Brewing and local craft beer pioneer Bill Newman in collaboration with Brown's.

Local brewing artifacts will also be on display.

Here's the list of participating breweries...

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A handful of upcoming craft beer festivals

From a previous Craft New York Brewers Festival at The Desmond. / photo: New York State Brewers Association

Whatever you call that in-between season from late February through April -- often not totally winter, but not really spring -- also happens to be a beer fest season.

And this year is no different, with a handful of festivals around the region...

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Albany Craft Beer Week and Festival 2017

There's an Albany Craft Beer Week planned for April 17-23, with an Albany Craft Beer Festival on April 22 at the Washington Ave Armory.

The organizers of the week and festival are from Oliver's in Albany and Westmere Beverage in Guilderland. Press release blurbage:

The festival will focus on high-end and limited-release craft beer. Rather than offering an alternative VIP admission that would exclude many consumers from sampling, the organizers are working to curate a selection of hundreds of these exclusive beers making the entire experience VIP. In addition to providing a never-before-seen selection of beer, the festival will offer the opportunity for many consumers to talk to brewers, reps, and other beer enthusiasts. There will be local food vendors, festival-centric merchandise, charitable raffles and giveaways.

Tickets for the festival are $65, which includes a tasting glass, unlimited tastings, and four tokens for limited quantity beers. There's also a $20 ticket for designated drivers which includes a $10 food voucher and one free Stacks Espresso coffee.

It looks like a detailed schedule for the events during the week has not yet been posted.

A look at the Beer Diviner's new Troy tap room

Quick follow-up on the news that Beer Diviner was opening a tap room in downtown Troy: The bar is now open at 461 Broadway (at the corner with 5th Ave) -- and the grand opening is set for this Friday.

Here's a quick look around, along with a few bits about the new place...

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Can't afford a brewery? Share one.

Next year it will become legal in New York State to operate what are essentially shared brewery/cidery/winery production facilities that home brewers will be able to drop in and use.

Legislation allowing these "custom centers" passed earlier this year, and the governor has now signed it, the Cuomo admin announced this week.

From the memo for the Senate bill, sponsored by David Carlucci, a Democrat who represents Rockland County:

[The legislation creates] a new custom beermakers' center license that authorizes the operation of a custom beermakers' center facility to provide individuals with rental space (to make and store homemade beer), the use of equipment and storage facilities, and/or beer making supplies for the production of beer for personal household use and not for commercial use or resale purposes. It defines beer making supplies as products grown or produced in New York in quantity amounts as determined by the State Liquor Authority. A custom beermakers' center licensee would be authorized, if permitted by the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau,(TTB) to conduct training classes on how to manufacture beer and conduct certain tastings of beer produced on the premises.

The legislation does the same thing for cider and wine. From a Cuomo admin press release:

New York's craft beverage industry is one of the fastest growing in the nation, however many urban and suburban residents often cannot afford or do not have access to the appropriate space or equipment to make homemade beer, cider, or wine in their homes or apartments. These custom production centers not only provide space and lower the overhead costs of production, but they also provide amateur brewers and wine and cider makers with the local ingredients and expert training needed when first starting out.

The legislation takes effect in six months.

We hadn't heard about these sorts of production centers before, so we poked around online looking for examples and found a few that look somewhat similar -- including one in Boston, and another in New Hampshire.

Beer Diviner planning Troy spot

461 Broadway in downtown Troy

Update: Here's a press release about the new taproom, which mentions an opening date will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Check it out: It looks like The Beer Diviner is setting up a bar in downtown Troy.

The brewery mentioned the plan for 461 Broadway recently on both its Instagram and FB page. (Also: The building is owned by Harry Tutunjian, and he tweeted a welcome to the location to the brewery Wednesday afternoon.)

The Beer Diviner currently has a farm brewery and tasting room in Cherry Plain in Rensselaer County. A few years back Casey talked with owner Jonathan Post about the operation, his approach to beer -- and how he became known as the Beer Diviner.

We have an email in with The Beer Diviner and we're hoping to hear back about a potential opening date.

461 Broadway? If that address seems familiar, it was the location for both Nibble, and before that, Francesca's.

Chicken spiedies at Excelsior Pub

I recently had a conversation with two chefs transplanted to this area from Manhattan. When I asked them what they thought of the Upstate food scene, they answered exactly how you think they might: "There is no good food scene outside of New York City."

I'm pretty sure my immediate reaction was an audible "pfffft" and an eyeroll so strong it shook leaves from trees.

Of course they would say that, stuck inside a tony restaurant for hours upon hours, without any chance to scope out what's unique about the food landscape here.

Fortunately they wouldn't have to travel far to sample the best parts of Upstate cuisine. Excelsior Pub, which reopened a year ago in Albany after a lengthy hiatus, serves up only New York State-produced wine, beer, and spirits -- with a food menu that hits the hallmarks of Upstate eats: Beef on weck. Hoffman's hot dogs, Buffalo wings, garbage plates.

Not to be left off the list is chicken spiedies. Not quite a sandwich and yet not something completely different from a sandwich -- sort of like a hot dog, or maybe a gyro, wherever that falls on the sandwich spectrum -- chicken spiedies are a true taste of Southern Tier food.

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Artisanal Brew Works

It seems like there's a new craft brewery/distillery/cidery popping up (almost) every month lately. The newest: Artisanal Brew Works in Saratoga Springs. The brewery has an opening party this Saturday (July 23) starting at 1 pm, with food from Nine Miles East.

Artisal Brew Works is in the former Serotta bike factory space on Geyser Road southwest of downtown near SPAC (map). Also located there: Upstate Distilling Co.

The two people behind ABW are both high school teachers. Over at the Saratogian, Lauren Halligan recently talked with them about how they got into the brewery business, and the types of beers they're making (there's an emphasis on Belgian styles).