I will be traveling into the Syracuse airport then off to Oswego on business for about a week. What breweries, bottle shops, and restaurants are a must go to before heading up to Oswego. Unless anybody has any recommendation for Oswego? Last time I was there I don't recall anything great. Thanks
Syracuse isn't good for beer. As far as bars, The Blue Tusk always has a killer selection and is an awesome spot in general. Empire Brewing has solid-but-not-great beer and good food. If you've got a bit of time, Good Nature in Hamilton (about an hour round trip out of Cuse) is doing awesome things. Party Source on Erie Blvd is a decent shop. And I was going to tell you to avoid Middle Ages Brewing, but looking at some reviews, it looks like they've got a bunch of new beers and are doing some nice things now so maybe give that a shot.
Check out j Ryan's and the evergreen, both very close to tusk and Clark's above. Now and later is also supposed to be good. For bottle shops head to now and later or galeville bryne dairy on old Liverpool rd. for newer breweries check out willow rock and Eastwood. In Oswego the only ok beer spots I remember are greens ale house and red sun. C's farm market for bottles
J Ryan's in Syracuse has a very good selection of taps. World of Beer in Destiny USA in Syracuse could be a cool place to go if you want to check out the mall. C's farm market and beverage center in Oswego always had a good selection of beers when I went to college up there. That was back in 2009 though.
Bars have been covered (my personal fav is J Ryan's...they will also fill growlers of any of their beers if you would like) As far as bottle shops the closest to the airport with a decent selection is the gayleville byrne dairy but party source on erie blvd usually has better options and there is a small selection of high end beer at the syracuse real food co-op near the university. There is also a very good bottle shop (better then any in 'cuse) in watertown (maybe an hour from oswego) called bottle caps beverage center.
I know it's a stretch, but hit Prison City up in Auburn for a bunch of crowlers. You can get their beer and also a good selection of craft.
One I forgot for a nice small craft taplist and very good food in cuse is alto cinco (they also have a spot near j Ryan's called otro cinco)
I guess we are avoiding recommending Dinosaur BBQ to someone from the south? Probably a good choice. Dino BBQ is a Syracuse staple and pretty damn good (decent beer list as well), but probably nowhere near as good as the OP can get at home.
I have been to dinosaur bbq before. It is good but you are true I can get better BBQ down here. Also the last couple times I was there I didn't want to wait 2 hours.
The Dinosaur BBQ in Rochester is good but a bit inconsistent at times. I've had fairly differing levels of food there over a few visits. When it's on, it's really good food, though, for sure.
How does the fare at Dinasaur BBQ compare with Famous Dave's BBQ in Greece or Sticky Lips BBQ on Culver Rd??
Red Hawk, Willow Rock and Stout Beard are three new breweries in the Syracuse area. I haven't visited any of them (yet), but I've heard the first two show promise. Just another option if you've got time and are feeling adventurous.
Now & Later has probably the most rarities around and the bottle shop is ok but expensive. Wegmans in Dewitt has the widest selection, but usually nothing too rare. If you go to Auburn and Prison City, check out The Thirsty Pug. Really good bottle shop and a few taps with good stuff. I also like j Ryan's, and Clarks is a must-go. They also opened a biergarten place with some decent German stuff if you're into that. There's probably between 10-12 breweries within a half hour of Syracuse, some better than others. While it isn't San Diego, it's come a real long way in the last couple years.
From Syracuse if you drive east and south, away from Oswego, you could go to Ommegang and Saranac. Also you could visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. Not sure what to do from Cuse to Oswego though.
I was just up there a couple of weeks ago and hit Willow Rock. Decent spot not far from the dome. Didn't go to Red Hawk but heard good things. Stout Beard doesn't have a tasting room open yet. I also hit WT Brews, which had some good options, including a nut brown that was really tasty (a style you don't see too often anymore). I'd avoid 315. They had too many different beers and none of them drinkable. They need to focus and get a solid core.
Just landed in syracuse first stop was Empire brewing not impressed. Only beer I had that was any good was the Local Grind which was a nice scotch ale. Anybody going to be in the Oswego area this weekend? I brought a couple cans of southern beer.
