Hello all- Going to be spending 4 days at the northern tip of Cayuga Lake and would appreciate any and all recommendations. We already have plans to check out Aurora in Kings Ferry and Prison City in Auburn. We've done the noteworthy Rochester area breweries and we don't plan on traveling to the southern end of the Finger Lakes (ie Ithaca). Thanks!
Obligatory tag for @IGaveYouPower. For anything NY state, he is your man. Link to his post from the last time Finger Lakes thread
There is War Horse in Geneva, which is the closest of the breweries that I am familiar with. Lucky Hare has a spot in Hector, about 2/3 down Seneca Lake . . . I like their 'I Am The Liquor' BA stout. I have had another stout of theirs which I do not recall having a strong opinion on. Mortalis seems to be mentioned a lot and is between where you will be in Rochester.
Mortalis and Other Half. Skip the rest on this list. Add in anything Igaveyoupower says though he will punch me for mentioning him. Maybe also Prison City and Aurora and Steuben and that small place in Rochester. Oh and Brewery Ardennes looks cute.
OP, you're spot on with Prison City. Their original location on State Street has a wonderful restaurant. My wife and I travelled the hour from Ithaca for our anniversary dinner a few weeks back and it was well worth the trip. I would second Mortalis and OH, unless those are two you meant when you said "Rochester area." Mortalis-Other Half-Prison City is my favorite Finger Lakes trifecta. If I had a vote here, I would not cast one for War Horse. The beer is just okay and not worth the scene. If you go during peak hours, you're going to be tip-toeing around really drunk people who are there for the sweet wine and wine slushes offered at the wineries that are also on site. I thought Big Alice in Geneva was pretty good. A little pricey, but the beer was interesting. I'll also put a word in for Two Goats in Hector if only for the amazing roast beef sandwiches, perfect view and really great staff.
I appreciate everyone’s suggestions. Yes, I’ve done the Mortalis/OH loop and would gladly go back- the hour or so hike would be a no brainer if we hadn’t been before. On a side note, it’s quite something how far OH has stretched, and continues to stretch, its reach. Scoring a couple cans was such a huge deal 3-4 years ago. Now, they’re starting to become shelfies (minus the shelfy price). Crazy.
My 2 cents...In Geneva, downtown area, you have a little hole in the wall that I enjoyed last time up there called Lake Drum. Some well made beers with a cool, dive bar vibe. A couple miles west, just off 5/20 is Webe...decent beers....ok vibe. I would second Big Alice...very good beers in a cool place, a couple miles south of downtown Geneva...places to avoid...War Horse for the reasons stated above...Bottomless...nice place, but I find the beers lacking...and Climbing Bines...great view, but imo, so-so beers. If you're feeling adventurous, go te Penn Yan and check out Laurentide. Another small place making quality beers. Enjoy!
The above are all generally in line with my opinion. Beef and Brew, in Geneva, has a wide selection and fantastic food in an Old World atmosphere. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/41385/?view=ratings&ba=SLeffler27#review My top three are interchangeable based on combination of beer, location and atmosphere. Ardennes / Big aLICe / Fleur De Lis. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60294/ https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/61016/ https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/49536/ Oh, and there is a little place in Seneca Falls worthy of a visit. Fall Street Brewing. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/59379/ About 2/3rds down Seneca Lake is Pantomime Mixtures. Not worth visiting, HOWEVER, DEFINITELY worth looking for their beer in shops, restaurants, pubs. If you do visit the brewery: they have strange hours, so either call ahead or knock/patiently wait. They are unique and very worthy. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/55732/
@Rocktire and I seem to agree about not just beer, but also movies. Fast Times maybe couldn't be made today, but it's one of the best. Gotta love a Phish-themed sour-only brewery. I've enjoyed whatever I've tried from there, and I'm itching to visit as soon as they re-open for tastings. Plus, the bottles are pretty danged cool.
If I recall, we met long ago at the Ithaca Luminous release! Coincidentally, that beer is surprisingly drinking very well.
Not me, maybe @ColdOne. Though we probably crossed paths somewhere. Just going by reviews, we clearly hit the same places. BTW, back in the day, when Phish was new, they were all the rage as a cult band. And it was only until I made the connection from @ColdOne that I decided to find out what I had missed. Yikes! These guys are good. I’m going to finish out the afternoon with Strangebird’s Russian Bear Fight and YouTube of Phish. This is shaping up to be a great afternoon out back.
It might just be that I'm just waking from a long ass nap, but I'm a little confused. Do we all know each other? Are y'all fellow Ithacans? I confused names on here all the time, sadly. Still got Luminous in the cellar? That's some serious willpower right there.
Yep, I was referring to @ColdOne. To answer this thread specifically, I’ll throw in a few more ideas: Steuben Brewing in Pulteney/Hammondsport is very much worth the stop. Very nice IPAs and maybe the best lagers in WNY/Finger Lakes. Noble Shepherd is ten minutes from OH FLX and making just as good IPAs as their bigger neighbors. If you go on Saturday night they’ll have Thai food and it’s delicious. FLX Wienery on the west side of Seneca has excellent hot dogs, burgers and milkshakes, (the Kimchi fries are A+) and a very respectable beer selection. The same guy owns the super fancy FLX Table in Geneva (and FLX Fry Bird in Geneva, also very much worth a stop). The Wienery and Fry Bird are his foray into junk food rather than fine dining. Frequentem in Canandaigua is making great beer right off the bat, and very much worth a stop. Naked Dove is an area classic, 45 Fathoms still hits for me even with the current pastry craze. Green Front is also a great stop for wings, order them extra crispy! I haven’t been, but I’ve heard good things about Birdhouse in Honeoye. They’re about 5 minutes from Noble Shepherd.
I semi-recall meeting you at the Luminous release, but I very well could be mistaken. I’m in Rochester. I don’t have any more Luminous personally, but bottles I’ve had at shares over the last few years have been surprising in their level of enjoyment.
Best of my knowledge, no. I’m frequently traveling Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca, Corning, so realistically we may have crossed paths along the way.
Birdhouse is worth watching and visiting, for sure. A great beer garden next to the creek. Frequentem was a pleasant surprise. Another, Abandon near Penn Yann. None of these are near the OP’s location.
Feel like a proud dad in here right now. Honestly every place I could think to mention has been covered. To just echo some of the lesser-known places, though, I want to heartily co-sign Fleur De Lis (amazing atmosphere, good beer), Noble Shephard (cool and unique taproom with great beer and variety) and Frequentum, who is already making some of the Finger Lakes' best beer and in one of its coolest taprooms.
Oh and they just got a fleeting mention here but if you dig on Belgian beers Ardennes is 10000000% a must-stop. If you dig on traditional German styles, Lukenheimer a bit north of Auburn does them as well as anyone. They medal in the NYS awards like every single year.
