New York Road Trip Advice

Don't forget the wings! Though I've never been, I made my buddy go to Anchor Bar in Buffalo on a work trip and said it was the best wings he has ever had.

 

I would add Rochester for the pure number of breweries compared to Syracuse. Stoneyard brewing in Brockport has been getting a lot of respect for IPA s. Also by that time Three Heads brewing in Rochester should have their new place open and hopefully will be doing well. If you make it towards Syracuse Prison City Brewing in Auburn is worth the drive if he has any of his Berliners on. The only thing about that time is that's prime visitor time in Vermont and there's a chance you can miss heady topper if you don't plan accordingly.

 

Spring would definitely be better I think. The real winner is looking up where it's going to be dropped off for retail early/mid week in Vermont to make sure you get it. There are/were places near Burlington that had Monday drops that I had no problems getting a few cases.

 

I think he means you just need to plan ahead, where you are going, when you are getting there etc. Don't expect to just roll up to any beer store and find it even if it was delivered that day.

I went up last year in late June and had no problem getting a case and a half. You may already know some of this since it should be on several other threads, but anyway here it goes. We went up on Wednesday night and stayed in Waterbury and ate at the Prohibition Pig which is great and typically has Heady and Focal banger cans, and ususally at least one Lawson's on tap. We drove down to Montpelier in the morning, getting to Hunger Mtn Coop at 8 am. They get about 100 cases, and give out line numbers starting at 8, we were 20th in line. Cans go on sale at 9, a case per person. Montpelier discount beverage got a delivery thursday as well, so we drove the two blocks there and got the 1 4 pk per there as well. Finally Winooski Beverage also gets heady deliver on thursday but doesnt sell til 10 and its about 30+ minutes away. So we drove up there and got in line. They had dropped the limits from a case per to half case per by the time we got there. So it wasnt terribly hard to do, just took some planning.

Also don't forget to lots of other locals like foley bros and fiddlehead, just to name two. Hill farmstead is not too far either, about an hour north.

 

Go to Bar Bill's for wings. Anchor is cool because they were "invented" there but Bar Bill's are vastly superior.

Definitely go to Prison City and Three Heads. Big Ditch and Resurgence in Buffalo aren't bad either.

Summer is much tougher to get Heady but with their new space opening up in June it may be easier now.

EDIT: and if you need restaurant recommendations in Buffalo or Rochester, let me know.

 

I had never even heard about Bill's, If i ever get to buffalo I'll have to try both

 

I second that - I went to Syracuse and loved stopping by Prison City on the way to campus! Parkers Grille and Taphouse is worth the trip too!

 

Cool to see that Prison City is getting recognized. They had a delicious sour on tap the one time I went. And I hear they now have crowlers, which is of course freaking awesome. Some good guest taps that you can fill them with as well.

 

Finger Lakes Beer Trail map: http://fingerlakesbeertrail.com/content/

I personally would suggest the I-86 route through the Southern Tier, stopping at Southern Tier, Horseheads, Ithaca, The North, Water Street, then hitting Ommegang up I-88 on your way to Albany.

 

I think Horseheads can be skipped for multiple reasons. If you want to know, you can PM me. I think for fun factor Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse is the way to go. I live in Ithaca now, lived in Rochester before. Ithaca beer is much better at the tap room, but it isn't worth changing your itinerary in my opinion. I haven't been to The North yet, but want to check it out since the hype is strong for it. Only one that lived up to the hype so far has been Prison City.

 

Google Fingerlakes Beer Trail. Visit on your return trip from Vt.

 

I live down I-86 in Jamestown just a few miles from Southern Tier Brewing Co and a former employee. Definitely recommend stopping there. Pretty good food and tons of great beer. I also own a bar in Jamestown called Brazil Craft Beer and Wine Lounge. We have 18 drafts and 100+ beers.

Erie. There are a few breweries, but havent been impressed really. If you are looking for a food stop I would check out Lucky Louie's. Its a great little hot dog place with a decent craft beer bottle selection for in-house or to go. They do unique hot dogs like a Breakfast Dog that uses french toast as the bun. It's literally a stone's throw from I-90.

Buffalo. Definitely worth hanging out in. Tons of great beer bars, but I'd try to go right to the source for the best experience. Big Ditch Brewing is a good stop. Hayburner and Excavator are my picks. Community Beer Works is a nanobrewery doing some cool stuff with limited serving hours. I'm a big fan of their brown ale, The Whale. I enjoy and heard nothing but great things from Old First Warding Brewing at Gene McCarthy's.

If you go North of Buffalo and are looking for a change you might want to check out Blackbird Ciderworks.

If you do the I-86 route consider stopping in Olean at a new brewery called 4 Mile Brewing. We have carried a couple of their IPAs and enjoy them. Ithaca is a good stop for its nature and community. I havent been to brewery in years, but had a good time getting a tour through their jam-packed operation.

There are some farm breweries popping up in the middle of New York and Ommegang is a great stop. Had a great time there. Amazing beers and a beautiful setting.

PM me if you end up in the Jamestown area.

 

There is nothing whatsoever worth your time in Syracuse. It is an absolute beer black hole. I've heard good things about Prison City out in Auburn, though. If you wanna venture a bit out of the way -- though through some beautiful scenery -- Good Nature in Hamilton, NY makes some terrific brews.

Buffalo, get wings at Gabriel's Gate in Allentown. They are, without a doubt, the best wings in the United States. Community Beer Works is a great stop there brewery-wise, for bars hit up Blue Monk.

 

Why hasn't anyone suggested Southern tier?

 

I would imagine just because it's so far out of the way of anything. If dude is going from Buffalo to Rochester on 90, ST is a solid four hours round-trip out of the way. Great brewery, but almost everything they make sees distro in Buff/Rochester so it's not like they have brewery exclusives to make that amount of time worth it.

Unrelated: since OP is going to VT from Buffalo and will be on 90, definitely stop at either Rare Form in Troy or Common Roots in South Glens Falls. You've got to go through one of those two cities to get to VT anyhow, so may as well grab some great beer in the process.

 

I did.

He said he was going from Indianapolis to Vermont, which could take him right past Southern Tier if going the I-86 route. I still suggest avoiding the rundown sadness that is Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, and spend the day or two in the Finger Lakes instead.

 

If he's going to Buff, Roch and Cuse he's gonna be on 90, not 86.

And Buffalo is an awesome town that has seen a ton of revitalization in the last 4-5 years. Rochester and Syracuse are absolutely sadness factories though and there's no real reason to go to either.