Starkey's Lookout

Massive winery/ brewery on the hill over looking Senaca Lake. Tasting room is in the front left corner of the building... huge ... along side gift shop with an obtuse L-shaped service bar, a few tables inside and a large outdoor patio in front. Only 7 beers on tap, the 2 I tried were ok. Friendly, knowledgeable bartender. I did not check out the rest of the building nor the food. Interesting joint.

 

A beautiful, grand place. A view that's hard to match anywhere. The beers were "alright". The service was "alright". We tasted a flight of beers, while ours mates tasted a wine flight. They seem to specialize in flavored wheat beers. When we were there, they had no Pale Ale - IPA or otherwise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starkey's is very new, it opened in the late Spring of 2012. The building looks like a ski lodge plucked from any trendy Colorado ski town. Basically, it is very classy, while still maintaining an element of "rustic" charm. Inside there is both wine and beer options, this being on the Seneca Lake wine trail, across the street (State Route 14) from the massive Glenora winery.

Atmosphere: Very pleasant and reminiscent of a high-end ski lodge. Ceilings are vaulted and the wall colorings are modern. However they do love the heat, I felt like an alligator sunning on the banks of the Everglades. It may have been 50 degrees outside, but you could have sworn it was 10 by the temperature of the inside. A massive stone fireplace in the center of the building was the culprit, although it was pleasant to look at, from a distance.

Quality/Selection: The beer was decent, nothing to ride home about. Again, this is new operation and I'm sure given time they will nail down their styles. Currently they have nearly 10 styles ranging from sheepish "pilsner" types to heavily hop'd IPA's. They oddly offered no porters or stouts, two styles that I look forward to trying. They also didn't have a seasonal selection. This may be due to the fact that they have been in business little more than half a year. I enjoyed their Belgian Amber, however, there are better one's to be found at nearby Rooster Fish Brewery. None of the beer tasted flat, nor did the glasses have soapy residue in the them. For that alone, the quality of the product maintains a slightly better than average feel.

Service: It was very busy and the staff seemed flustered while I was there. Chatting about the brews and the building were out of the question. I like to ask about a place, why they chose to brew what they were offering and the like. However, due to the congestion on the wine trail (and limo groups coming into the brewery), it was impossible to make any conversation with the staff. A real bummer.

Food: They have Wegman's food which they pass off as "artisan" delights. Avoid, it is pricey and there is a Wegman's up the road in Geneva.

Value: The tasting was expensive, at least for what I'm used to. It set me back $8 and didn't come with complimentary glassware. However, a "pint" of one of their beers is more reasonable. The glassware and t-shirts are expensive for a NYS brewery.