Wrapped up our 4 day, 3 stop trip around the Fingerlakes Region yesterday. All told, we managed to stop at 9 breweries/brewpubs. We even overcame having an 8 week old baby with us and blowing snow for half the trip! I kept calling it our "Ambitious Vacation 2010". It definitely had Griswalds potentially written all over it...
Day 1
Our first day we stopped in Syracuse. Got there around noon and headed straight to Suds Factory. I know I was warned, but I wanted to stop everywhere so we gave it a shot. HORRIBLE! I had the brown ale and they definitely pushed it out too quick. Diacetyl to the extreme. My wife actually was ok with their pale ale, but I didn't try anything else. The food was only sort-of ok also. The place definitely had a college kid atmosphere. Ten years ago I probably would have loved it.
I shot over the Middle Ages after that, but the baby was acting up so I had to be fast. I was the only person there and they offered a tour, but I didn't have time. As soon as you walk in the door it smells amazing, and the whole place screams middle ages, so the name fits perfectly. I tasted a stout from their taps. Slightly too roasty for me, but I could tell they make good beer right away. Picked up a six pack which we polished off in the hotel that night. I was VERY impressed! The hops in their pale ale and IPA really pop. I enjoyed them, which says a lot because I'm not an IPA or hop person normally.
That night we had Dinosaur BBQ take out because it was snowing. Nothing to say on that other than if you like BBQ, you need to go there one day, period.
On the way out the next day we stopped at Empire. For only being around the corner, it's miles away from Suds Factory. Much better atmosphere, not a typical college town place for sure. Every beer they had was great (I did the sampler this time). They had a beer made with local grapes which I would describe as "interesting", but everything else was impressive. I even grabbed a growler of their IPA, which again, says a lot. Unfortunately the waitress didn't tell me that they had just put some fresh Empire State Pale Ale on tap, so I didn't get to try it. Everything I read says that is their best beer, so I am made that I missed it.
Day 2
Nothing much to describe here. We let Empire and headed to Baldwinsville to pull into the Budweiser parking lot just so I could put it on my list of visits. I actually like regular Bud, so I try to stop at their big plants when I pass them. Headed north to Owesgo, hoping to go to King Arthur's. WARNING.... they are closed! Nothing online indicates that other than the fact that no one picks up the phone, but the answering service is still on so you are left wondering. I wanted to see the lake anyway, so we gave it a shot. Oh well...
Day 3
We left Oswego and headed straight to Wagner's in Lodi. This was added on after the King Arthur's debacle (thank the beer gods for my wife's Blackberry). She did an almost hour long wine tasting, which ended up fine with me because the guide wanted to clear out the bottles from the weekend which meant plenty of free wine for both of us! Right next door is their brewery, so after warming up with the wine we headed over there. Thankfully the baby had to eat, so we had some time to spend here and could drink a little more. Their lagers were nothing to write home about. Both had noticeable diacetyl. Sad because with sometime they both would have been good beers. But they had a seasonal honey wheat with local honey that was really impressive, and their pale ale with local cascades was amazing also. That was when I realized that NY cascades are starting to grow on me. I'm going to have to find someone I get them from...
After grabbing a bunch of beer for home, we headed to Watkins Glen to grab a bite at Roosterfish/Wildflower Cafe/The Crooked Rooster Brewpub. This place deserves to have 3 names, it is that good! The food was all locally sourced, fresh made with intense flavors, perfect for pairing with beer. I had a goat cheese and bacon pizza that was definitely one of the best pizzas I have ever had. My wife had a duck salad. The nut brown I started with was so-so, but their amber is worth seeking out. I love amber ales, and this was a great one. Once again, the pale ale and ipa stood out, but the two girls there at the time didn't know where the hops come from. I would guess they were the same as Wagner's.
Whew... writing this is making me realize just how crazy this trip was...
Next we headed to Ithaca. I dropped my wife and daughter off at the hotel and headed to Ithaca Brewing. Talked baseball and hung out for a few with the guy in the tasting room. He also offered a tour but I didn't have time. I put together a six pack, grabbed one of their specialty 750's and was about to leave when he started pouring samples. WOW... one of my friends loves Cascazilla, but Flower Power was AMAZING! My favorite IPA by far. I quickly re-ordered my six pack to add a few of them. I tried a few of their other beers, but the pale ales and IPA's stand out at Ithaca, it's definitely their strength.
For dinner, we hit Bandwagon Brewpub downtown. The food was awesome, but they are new at brewing and only brew 10 gallon batches in the kitchen. They are definitely pushing out their beer too young. It was nothing special at all.
Day 4 - Heading Home
On the way out of Ithaca we headed to Scalehouse Brewpub. They are paired up with a pizzeria. I read some reviews that panned their setup, but to me the pizzeria was the best part. Their pilsner only had a very slight amount of diacetyl, but it was there. My wife didn't even finish her winter ale. I definitely think they have promise, but they need to either hire a dedicated brewer or the owner/brewer needs to get someone to run the pizzeria. The food was good though, and set us up for the long ride home.
Overall, awesome trip, with some great beer (Empire, Middle Ages, Ithaca), some good beer (Wagner's, Roosterfish), and some bad (Bandwagon, Scalehouse, Suds Factory). The baby was great throughout which I wasn't counting on, and we got to drive around some new areas upstate.
Next time, we're heading further west to Rochester and Buffalo, can't wait!
Day 1
Our first day we stopped in Syracuse. Got there around noon and headed straight to Suds Factory. I know I was warned, but I wanted to stop everywhere so we gave it a shot. HORRIBLE! I had the brown ale and they definitely pushed it out too quick. Diacetyl to the extreme. My wife actually was ok with their pale ale, but I didn't try anything else. The food was only sort-of ok also. The place definitely had a college kid atmosphere. Ten years ago I probably would have loved it.
I shot over the Middle Ages after that, but the baby was acting up so I had to be fast. I was the only person there and they offered a tour, but I didn't have time. As soon as you walk in the door it smells amazing, and the whole place screams middle ages, so the name fits perfectly. I tasted a stout from their taps. Slightly too roasty for me, but I could tell they make good beer right away. Picked up a six pack which we polished off in the hotel that night. I was VERY impressed! The hops in their pale ale and IPA really pop. I enjoyed them, which says a lot because I'm not an IPA or hop person normally.
That night we had Dinosaur BBQ take out because it was snowing. Nothing to say on that other than if you like BBQ, you need to go there one day, period.
On the way out the next day we stopped at Empire. For only being around the corner, it's miles away from Suds Factory. Much better atmosphere, not a typical college town place for sure. Every beer they had was great (I did the sampler this time). They had a beer made with local grapes which I would describe as "interesting", but everything else was impressive. I even grabbed a growler of their IPA, which again, says a lot. Unfortunately the waitress didn't tell me that they had just put some fresh Empire State Pale Ale on tap, so I didn't get to try it. Everything I read says that is their best beer, so I am made that I missed it.
Day 2
Nothing much to describe here. We let Empire and headed to Baldwinsville to pull into the Budweiser parking lot just so I could put it on my list of visits. I actually like regular Bud, so I try to stop at their big plants when I pass them. Headed north to Owesgo, hoping to go to King Arthur's. WARNING.... they are closed! Nothing online indicates that other than the fact that no one picks up the phone, but the answering service is still on so you are left wondering. I wanted to see the lake anyway, so we gave it a shot. Oh well...
Day 3
We left Oswego and headed straight to Wagner's in Lodi. This was added on after the King Arthur's debacle (thank the beer gods for my wife's Blackberry). She did an almost hour long wine tasting, which ended up fine with me because the guide wanted to clear out the bottles from the weekend which meant plenty of free wine for both of us! Right next door is their brewery, so after warming up with the wine we headed over there. Thankfully the baby had to eat, so we had some time to spend here and could drink a little more. Their lagers were nothing to write home about. Both had noticeable diacetyl. Sad because with sometime they both would have been good beers. But they had a seasonal honey wheat with local honey that was really impressive, and their pale ale with local cascades was amazing also. That was when I realized that NY cascades are starting to grow on me. I'm going to have to find someone I get them from...
After grabbing a bunch of beer for home, we headed to Watkins Glen to grab a bite at Roosterfish/Wildflower Cafe/The Crooked Rooster Brewpub. This place deserves to have 3 names, it is that good! The food was all locally sourced, fresh made with intense flavors, perfect for pairing with beer. I had a goat cheese and bacon pizza that was definitely one of the best pizzas I have ever had. My wife had a duck salad. The nut brown I started with was so-so, but their amber is worth seeking out. I love amber ales, and this was a great one. Once again, the pale ale and ipa stood out, but the two girls there at the time didn't know where the hops come from. I would guess they were the same as Wagner's.
Whew... writing this is making me realize just how crazy this trip was...
Next we headed to Ithaca. I dropped my wife and daughter off at the hotel and headed to Ithaca Brewing. Talked baseball and hung out for a few with the guy in the tasting room. He also offered a tour but I didn't have time. I put together a six pack, grabbed one of their specialty 750's and was about to leave when he started pouring samples. WOW... one of my friends loves Cascazilla, but Flower Power was AMAZING! My favorite IPA by far. I quickly re-ordered my six pack to add a few of them. I tried a few of their other beers, but the pale ales and IPA's stand out at Ithaca, it's definitely their strength.
For dinner, we hit Bandwagon Brewpub downtown. The food was awesome, but they are new at brewing and only brew 10 gallon batches in the kitchen. They are definitely pushing out their beer too young. It was nothing special at all.
Day 4 - Heading Home
On the way out of Ithaca we headed to Scalehouse Brewpub. They are paired up with a pizzeria. I read some reviews that panned their setup, but to me the pizzeria was the best part. Their pilsner only had a very slight amount of diacetyl, but it was there. My wife didn't even finish her winter ale. I definitely think they have promise, but they need to either hire a dedicated brewer or the owner/brewer needs to get someone to run the pizzeria. The food was good though, and set us up for the long ride home.
Overall, awesome trip, with some great beer (Empire, Middle Ages, Ithaca), some good beer (Wagner's, Roosterfish), and some bad (Bandwagon, Scalehouse, Suds Factory). The baby was great throughout which I wasn't counting on, and we got to drive around some new areas upstate.
Next time, we're heading further west to Rochester and Buffalo, can't wait!
