We are driving upstate to my folk's place in the Adirondacks and want to hit one or a few of the brewpubs between Albany and Lake George. Could anyone local chime in here on who has the best drinking at the moment? I have read all the beerfly stuff already. Can you help me rank the following options: Mendocino/Olde Saratoga Adirondack Pub and Brewery (leaning away from this one because it'll be Lake George on a friday night on Memorial day weekend) Davidson Bros. Cooper's Cave Brown's CH Evans Thanks, I'd love to hear your opinions, and also if I'm missing anyone relatively close to the Northway.
I'm a big fan of Brown's (definitely their Whiskey Porter), not just for their beer though...great food and nice outdoor seating on the Hudson. I was recently at Crossroads and they're making some great beer there. Their kitchen wasn't ready yet as of 2 months ago though, so the food was limited. After that, I'd say: CH Evans Olde Saratoga Davidson Adirondack Never done the Cooper's Cave. Cheers!
Top Three IMO: C H Evans (Albany Pump Station) ADK Browns Coopers Cave has thee worst beers in the entire region, Davidosn Bros blows, and mendocino is medicore on a good day. Depending on which direction you are coming from, Gilded Otter in New Paltz is also an option but their beers are hit or miss.
I actually haven't been to many of them, but I'll add another vote for Brown's. Beer is good, but the venue is great - especially on a nice day. I like the Pump Station as well. Not sure how I would rank the two relative to each other.
+1 on the Browns, Pump Station, ADK Brewpub. In no particular order . The rest are anywhere from "OK" to "not even worth driving past" depending on who you're talking to. Enjoy the weekend!
Thanks for all the tips, I will definitely be referring to them as I pass through this way about once a month. I have hit the Gilded Otter in the past, it's 10 minutes from my folk's place...meh...pretty mediocre overall. Unfortunately the only place I was able to get to this time was Mendocino/Olde Saratoga. Had a ton of free pours, left a decent tip and a bought a mixed four pack (2 IIPA and 2 Imperial Stouts). These were by far the best beers I had. Much of what they poured was middling at best, some were downright bad. The wildest thing about this place was the 100% senior citizen employees. Awesome. About the Eye of the Hawk ("they call this one the panty dropper") and the imperial stout ("this is the guarantee."). Plus they hit on my fiancee while I was in the bathroom. Pure gold.
