Battle Hill Brewing Company

 

Taproom is on the second floor in mixed use building that appears to be part residential. Small L-shaped bar opposite the entry seat about 10 with a few tables about the room. 8 beers on tap, I had the War Whoop which was ok. Efficient service. I did not try the food.

Running Route 4, just before anything nothing happens hugging the Vermont line Lawson’s bound the looooong way around. Thought to stop for a beers when I spied Battle Hill Brewery roadside, named for the site of the battle of Fort Anne fought; just up the road a smidge. Was hoping there’d be a great story about how we handed England their ass here back in the 70’s during that whole American Revolutionary War thing, but it turns out we were fooled by one guy pretending to be a whole lot of Indians a-coming and fled for Fort Edward. Still, it set us up to smoke ‘em in Saratoga for the bigger win (+ a big morale bump and the persuasion of France, Spain, & the Dutch to join the war against the evil empire) so there’s that…

Enter upstairs and take in the space. It’s a single square room with 2 tone vertical slat walls; light brown over a darker brown, save the blue painted inner wall. Alt length wide plank floors with some tiled floor areas off the bar. White painted ceiling with brown framing and trim. Drop spot lanterns tracing the bar, mounted lanterns on the wall, and some sunken spots otherwise. Large long shaded windows on the far wall and tall narrow vertical ones on the ends. A dozen mix & match low square & hightop tables about the room, and a few tables on the deck outside that door there (me, pointing).

To the rear, a wide ‘L’ shaped bowling lane slat topped bar with a lip and a vertical slat wood base, seating for 8 on squared stools. By that I mean, seating for myself and 7 others. Wood ‘T’ box on the bar holds 8 logo ‘cannon’ taps, and a small soldier and a few cannon pieces atop. Barback is like the bar with glassware & growlers below a large horizontal blackboard listing tap beer & bottled wine & canned cider selections.

8 taps, split between ‘Loyalists’ (Grains of Liberty, multigrain Session Ale, 4.9%; War Whoop IPA, 6.3%; Fort Anne’s Amber, 5.25%; Cocoa Porter, 5.7%), and ‘Turncoats’ (Americana, Lager, 3.5%; Summer Solstice, 4.9%; Strawberry Rhubarb Sour, 3.9%; Molly Rye’n, 6%). I suspect this differentiates between flagship and seasonal. And they pour localish wines from Ledge Rock Hill Winery (Corinth) & Victory View Vineyard (Schaghticoke), and ciders from Nine Pin (Albany).

I took in the sampler of 6 beers because it’s statistically half times better than the sampler of 4 beers (War Whoop IPA, pine & citrus, okay; Fort Anne’s Amber, a nice sweety; Cocoa Porter, a little roast, chocolatey; Americana, an easy drinking Lager; Summer Solstice, pleasantly spritzy & tart; Molly Rye’n, cracker, malt, nice spiciness, solid). Summer Solstice, Molly Ryein, Fort Anne’s Amber, & Cocoa Porter for the wins.

There’s a shelving unit just inside the door with shirts, hats, growls, glassware, etc. and a wood glassware rack for mug club member’s mugs. There’s a pretty cool tomahawk piece mounted above the bar, and a flaggy quilt thing on the far wall. Some framed soldier prints there, there, and there. A framed Declaration of Independence, a survey of Lake Champlain, a framed 13 star flag, and a ‘history of famous American flags’ piece. Somewhere in this collection is the assertion that “The battle of Fort Anne saw the nation’s new ‘stars and stripes’ flown for the first time in battle”. While this claim has been disputed, it’s still what we call ‘kind of badass’.

7 barrel system in the basement below the kitchen, and speaking of the kitchen, I swear to god, if that lady doesn’t come back for her chicken fingers, I’m going to house them. You know, I really should have ordered that grilled chicken Mandarin Orange salad but we’re well past that point now. Sooper nice folks. The Corinnetender was pleasant and attentive, she’s running the room, holding the place down. Was dead when I got here on a Wednesday in the early pm’s, but it’s begun to fill in around me. When running 4 for VT hoppys…

I've picked up my son in Albany, NY many times while meeting my parents there. Many times on my way back to Vermont, I have seen this place, finally pulled the trigger on it.
To me, I liked the vibe - it seemed like a mix of a Mom & Pop restaurant that brought the brewing aspect to it with a patriotic Revolutionary War feel about it. I liked the Betsy Ross flags (super awesome!) Go Battle Hill! The beers were decent, not crappy but not spectacular. Food was good, my Valley Forge sandwich (steak and cheese with a house dressing) was pretty damn good! They also offered some local wines and hard ciders.
I was impressed that the lone waitress was able to keep up with the Saturday night pace! That was impressive! But then again, it is Fort Ann (not exactly a hustling and bustling town). Still, I'd go back. I got a free glass when they found out I'm a military veteran.

 

Adirondack style restaurant and brewery located in small Adirondack town of Fort Ann NY. Good food selection, good seating but mostly tables, and ok beer.

 

 

I randomly saw this place while driving and made a mental note to stop there on the way back from my ultimate destination. This is a really cool spot to enjoy some craft brews and grab a bite to eat. Small, tidy, good bar space, tables, and a small back patio. I sampled a few of the beers (four- and six-pour sampler flights available), and while none really blew me away, there was some solid stuff, and I'd say these guys are on the right track. Options included an APA, IPA, APL, cocoa porter (my favorite), saison, and a few other things. I had a chat with one of the owners who was super friendly, as was the rest of the staff. Seems like they have some good ideas for the future including working with barrel aging. Merch and growlers also available. They just opened their kitchen, and their menu is actually quite impressive, with some house-made items (spent-grain bread, chips, etc.), and even a kids' menu.

I am going to keep an eye on this place, and I'll most likely be back to visit next time I'm in the area.