Great Lakes Brewing News Archive

New York Beer News

Originally Published: 10/97

By Steve Hodos

Highlander Brewing, an offshoot of the closed Highlander Pub in NYC shut down, but their 80 Schilling Scotch Ale is offered by its former contract brewer, Middle Ages Brewing Co of Syracuse. Look for it upstate and in NYC pubs.

Rochester

Empire Brewing Company is the place to go after baseball and soccer games at Frontier Field. Empire is also reaching out to new markets with live music. There is a full bar with wine and liquor in addition to a good selection of house beers. At both the Rochester and Syracuse locations, the brew house is visible behind glass walls. Of particular note is the one different fermentor which is dedicated to hefeweizen beers.

Custom Brewcrafters is now in operation. A sampling room is open and growlers to go are offered. Since this is a new operation it would be wise to call before heading down to Honeoye Falls. They will soon have at least three pub dedicated beers. Jeremiah's (1104 Monroe Avenue, near Culver Road) will lead off with Frog Grog - an American brown ale. Soon after the Blacksmith Shop (Victor) will have Red Stallion red ale and Hogan's Hideaway will have Park Ave Ale - a cross between an American pale ale and a brown ale. Custom's two standard brews are also on draft around Rochester.

At the Shannon Pub (Henrietta), all the house beers are now full mash. The Devil's Elbow amber ale (a/k/a Big Boom) was well received but gone. Black Rock Stout is still on tap. It's a 5.5% abv full-bodied brew that was both carbonated and nitrogenated in the keg. Several dispense techniques have been tried. All produced good drafts, but some had extended serving times. Trying the same beer served by different dispensing techniques has been interesting. The brewer, Gary Kunes, is taking a path the reverse on many - he is learning his way around the pub's kitchen as a cook. The house beers here are only a small part of the twenty taps offered. There is Irish music Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, an open mike on Thursdays and Dixieland on the last Monday of each month. The Upstate New York Homebrewers returned in September and will meet there at 7:30 PM and the second Wednesday of every month.

The Rose and Crown will soon be offering Red Hook Ballard Bitter on cask and will be the first bar in the state to do so. They will also be offering pilot brews from the same brewery, a status that in the past has been reserved for a half dozen beers near the New Hampshire brewery. A cask and coffeeless version of Double Black Stout should also appear. Middle Ages cask products will continue being served. Late in October another Rose and Crown will be opening in London, Ontario, Canada. It will offer cask ales and a range of Ontario micro products along with food and live entertainment.

Rohrbach Brewing continues to offer a mix of ales and lagers at both locations. They also sell Red Wing Ale at Frontier Field. They will be hosting their 6th Annual Oktoberfest upstairs at the Gregory Street location in the historic German House. (Friday and Saturday, October 16 &17 - 5 pm to 11 pm - $3 admission at the door) In addition to their Oktoberfest beer there will be a Kölsch or a Pilsner offered along with German food, live music and dancing. Friday will feature the Willy Adam band and on Saturday the Crazy Fireman will play.

Syracuse

Clark's Ale House celebrated its 5th Anniversary on September 4th with the introduction of a new turkey sandwich. They also have an exclusive brew, Old Bloke Stout, made by Cooperstown Brewing Company exclusively for the ale house. Clark's, one of my favorite no-TV pubs, offers over twenty draft beers at reasonable prices. Draft beer is clearly the Ale House's raison d'etre, with special attention to glass cleaning, careful pouring and two beer cellars, each at a different temperature.

Middle Ages Brewing Company announced that Wizard Winter Ale will be out on draft and in bottles in October, answering the public demand for a longer season for this strong brew. Bottle beer fans can enjoy also enjoy Grail Ale, White Knight Ale, and Beast Bitter. Growlers to go are big sellers at the brewers. Among the draft only products offered in this format are the Syracuse Pale Ale, Black Heart Stout and Apricot Ale. Middle Ages will be an east cost drop off location for breweries entering the 1997 Real Ale Festival being held in Chicago in November. The brewery will also be judging Niagara Traditions Quest for the Grail homebrewing contest. The entry dead line for the homebrewing contest will be in late October.

The Blue Tusk is still Syracuse's tap leader with 65 taps. A new feature is Firkin Friday. Starting at 5 pm and lasting until the beer is gone, a cask of real ale from Middle Ages is set up on the bar and drawn by gravity. These Friday events are in addition to the fresh cask that is tapped on Wednesdays and dispensed by hand pump. Mondays are short beer nights with larger beers offered at standard prices. Mike Yorton is back from Europe and his clone‹a wooden cut out with rope hair and a brown robe‹has been retired. Mike is offering an amazing array of Belgian beers, including the Rodenbach products.

Empire Brewing Company is the beer stop on Sundays, when Syracuse's other fine beer shops are shut. Empire has an active bar and dining room service that features an interesting mix of large and small plates. There is a large variety of foods with a strong southwestern influence.

Farther Afield

Sackets Harbor Brewing Company will be hosting an Oktoberfest on Saturday October 11 at the Sackets Harbor Visitor Center. The event will run from noon till whenever. Look for a beer festival, wine sampling, day long live entertainment, a visit from Miss NYS, fireworks and a chili cook off. There will also be discount accommodation for travelers. Tickets in advance or at the gate. Call the brewery (315-646-2739) for more details.

Wagner Valley Brewing Company, at the Wagner Winery in Lodi is open and brewing. The brewery offers 6 beers, including Dockside Lager - a Vienna style lager that was not offered at the opening. Both a tasting room and a sales room are open seven days a week. You can buy six packs and cases and are allowed to mix your six packs. The first draft accounts are just appearing in Geneva, with Ithaca and Watkins Glen to follow. Syracuse and perhaps Rochester should see Wagner beers soon. Sales of the stout were so great that the brewery ran out, but it's available again. One beer, Captain Curry's ESB, has been reformulated after first batch - the roasted character has been reduced.