Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.

 

 

The pre-Thanksgiving up & outstate runaround is winding down day one. We left from somewhere else there to catch the here before closing, which is at 9PM as does most of Syracuse due to wait, what, why? Seriously! No love for Tuesday and this was pre-Covid before times. Parked along the park, got past the suit of armor greeted, and in…

It’s an open room space with a wide light wood plank topped ‘L’ shaped bar with a slight lip, vertical plank base in brick framing, and a phat foot box up front; seating for a dozen on sturdy wood chairs. 4 stainless panels with 6 logo handles each running the barback. Pint & crowler coozies, growler totes, hats, six packs, pint glasses on a long shelve above, and glassware down below. Crowler crimper countered on the near end of the barback, and a vintage 2 handle cask engine on the far end. Doorway to somewhere there with a mounted dragon’s head above it, and a rack with all your dirty chips desires off to the far left below a logo beer board listing draft selections (beer, style, & ABV) within categories; New England IPAs, Pale Ale & IPAs, Traditional Ales, Light and/or Fruity, Lagers, Sours, Dark & Malty.

White walls with post framing, wood slat floorings, & black painted ceilings. Dangle rope duo single bulb lighting tracing the bar, and strung holidays across the room. A half dozen or so barrel tables just off the bar and along the forward windows, a couple of long picnics in between, and a handful more squares riddled about. Fireplace against the far wall benched and a (hey, go get me some) popcorn machine, too. 3 flats about the room, the NJ Devils are playing (At least somebody doesn’t get smoked at the Meadowlands). Bottle rack in the corner and a co-co-coola with the chilled goods.

2 dozen beers on tap (Syracuse Pale Ale, British Pale Ale, 5%; Middle Ages Pale Ale, Pale Ale, 5.2%; ImPaled Ale, English IPA, 6.5%; Salt City IPA, IPA, 7%; Single Batch #37, NEIPA, 7.5%; Single Batch #38, NEIPA, 6.3%; Single Batch #39, Imperial NEIPA, 8.3%; Indulgence, NEIPA, 7.2%; Dark Hollow IPA, 24th Anniversary NEIPA, collab w/Dark Hollow, 5.8%; Late Knight, Imperial IPA, 8.1%; X-Double IPA, DIPA, 10%; Epiphany, Bohemian Pilsner, 5%; Dinosaur Ape Hanger Ale, Golden Ale w/apricot, 5%; Swallow Wit, Wheat Ale, 4.8%; Jester’s Nectar, Imperial Wheat Ale, 8%; Highlander Scotch Ale, Scottish Ale, 5.4%; Kilt Tilter, Scotch Ale, 9%; The Duke of Winship, Scottish Porter, 6.6%; Black Hearted Stout, Irish Dry Stout, 6.6%; Recess Stout, Nitro Coffee Stout, 6%; Dragonslayer, Russian Imperial Stout, 9.5%; Wizard’s Winter Ale, English Strong Ale, 6.8%; Wailing Wench, American Strong Ale, 8%; Druid Fluid, Barleywine, 9.5%), and 2 cask offerings (Wizard’s Winter Ale, English Strong Ale, 6.8%; The Duke of Winship, Scottish Porter, 6.6%).

(4) 6oz pours is a flight, and it cost me $10, and then I went for shortys (Some were 6oz, others were a half pint; depended on the full pour size). I drank the Single Batch #38, they said it was the best of the 3 Single batch IPA’s, it was excellent; Dark Hollow IPA, good, but didn’t touch the Single Batch #38; Black Hearted Stout, roasty, roasty; Kilt Tilter, malt bomb, dry, rich, very well done; Dragonslayer, solid Impy; (cask) The Duke of Winship, malty English Porter, did not suck. The one clunker was the ImPaled Ale that Witz had, it was buttery diacetyl (suspected it might be hiding here somewhere).

Open acknowledgement by someone staff that they knew they needed to rid themselves of Ringwood. Still holding onto their Scottish & English legacy beers (apparently, the OG regulars demand them), but lots of new (hazys & clean Pale Ales), too. I mean, nearly half the list is hop forward (Pale Ale, IPA, & DIPA). Clearly a marriage of a generational handoff father to son. I have to tell you, this was surprisingly better than we expected. Enough so that I revisited 2 months later when up in ‘cuse for that work stint.

They closed at 8PM this Wednesday night so I had me a few shortys and moved to the on. They’re all out of the Single Batch #38 IPA I liked a lot last time (phooey!), so I started with 2 of the other ones I dug last time out (Black Hearted Stout & Kilt Tilter Scotch Ale), and then moved to the Highlander Scottish Ale (which was a mistake because I could hardly taste it, having had the heavier Scotch Ale just before it, duh). What then? Boxing Day Bitter, ESB, 5.8%, a bit grainy & hoppy, tasty; Epiphany, Bohemian Pilsner, 5%, I didn’t get the fruity esters but it was pleasant enough; The SMASH IPA 2.0, 5.5%, not hazy and was solid.

There is a dog who eats floor popcorn and Miles is his name-o. I like the very malt forward beers and I like the hoppys. I could do some time here.

 

 

A very busy place, easy location and very chill vibe. I've been drinking middle ages brew for a very long time, first time visiting. We have family in Syracuse so this is a favorite location for them. Many styles to choose from, although most of them are not personal favorites.

Quality was good, much better out of the tap and fresh. A simple walk up to the bar style setting with decent service. Check em out.

 

My friends and I went to their new facility. It was basically a big garage that was very cozy and offered lots of places to sit. They offered a nice selection with flights of 6oz pours for $8 which is very generous. Quality of Middle Ages beer is okay but, nothing special but, definitely a cool and chill ambiance.

 

 

this isnt really a place you hang out at so much as it is a place to blast in, have a few tasters and get the growlers filled up. its a neat little spot though, old looking building with the brewery not at all visible from the little taproom. standing room only at the bar, no tables or anything, its a glorified service counter, but it has a mellow blue collar feel, and is a fine place to have a flight of beers and grab some to go. i was impressed with the selection, they had quite a few new flavors working beyond the styles they are more well known for. i loved the 21st anniversary citrus pale, and was stoked on the duke like i always am. they were super generous with the small pours, and i definitely left here with a little buzz on. for growing up in syracuse and appreciating their beers all my life, it was a real treat to finally get to roll in here with my brother and taste through their lineup. for any longtime fans like myself who have not yet made it down here in person, i would highly suggest you do so. these guys are a syracuse staple, and it was a blast to check it out! would love to tour the brewery itself sometime...

edit: they have totally redone their taproom area to accommodate the need for a place to hang out and drink their delicious beers, its in the same building just around the other side, and i reckon a space like this is long overdue! i loved it. its got a sort of medieval vibe to it, dark colors, wood, dim lights, but its all clean and new, and they have a wicked list of beers flowing, pretty much the whole portfolio, with bottles and growler fills to go and everything. a great space to hang out now, and it was popping on a saturday evening when we were in. im glad they have a taproom that fits their vibe and their beer quality now, this is a great spot, way better than it used to be! still some of my favorite beers in the city too!

 

 

On a family vacation, we vistited this brewery while in the area. Not that easy to find, it is a production brewery with a tasting room. The entry to the tasting room is done in old fantasy castle style. The tasting room is a little sparce, and the servers were more interesting in chatting with the regulars than serving brew to the out of towers. The beer, however, was solid. The heavier brews are notable, and a double wheat was fantastic. No food, just a little swag, and good beer. If the service and location were better, this would have been great.

 

Relatively small place tucked into the corner of a somewhat art deco industrial building. Stand-up L-shaped bar with room for about a dozen people with one high table and a wooden railing across the wall opposite the bar. 15 or more beers on tap - a varied selection - with growler and bottle sales. Quick, knowledgeable bar staff, and very convivial environment. Reasonably priced... spent a few hours here and had a great time.

I really enjoy visiting middle ages, always fun. Great place to do flights. Tasty English style beers.