Looking Back - Mid October, 2008

Sometime in Mid-October, 2008, Devon and I decided to check out some of the breweries/brewpubs in the mid-Hudson Valley region. Of course, things don't always go as planned. What was meant to be one or two turned into the entire valley in a single day. Only us. This detail of our trip was something I wrote shortly after the trip was taken. Amusingly, later I found out that my brother was at Hyde Park on opening day. Small world. Anyway:

Hyde Park Brewing Company
My first time in the town of Hyde Park. I had no idea the area was so devoted to F.D.R., down to the logo of the brewpub. It wasn't that hard to find the place, fortunately, since I only had a vague idea where we were going. After all - this wasn't on the itinerary.

We walk in and are greeted by a glassed-off room with a brew kettle and mash tun on the right, a long double-sided wooden bar on the left, and tables straight ahead. The hostess ushers us in a mere hour and a half before closing. Yes, while Skytop was hosting a private lunch function, Hyde Park was hosting a private dinner function. The lesson here - always call ahead. Regardless, our table was a simple wooden one with a glass pane displaying placemats that announce the beer selections.

The brewer seems a bit enthusiastic about lagers. Much to Devon's chagrin, the dark-beer-of-the-day is tapped out, and much to my chagrin, Barrel 9(the seasonal) is a hefe. I order the S.O.B. - the bitter, and Devon orders a Red Lager. The lager has a very interesting roasted malt kick to it, which would be characteristic of the color. The bitter was a bitter. Or, an ESB to be precise. I wasn't blown away by it, but then bitters aren't big blow-away beers. A decent choice in the end.

Devon ordered the barbeque burger while I had the fish n' chips. Devon was very pleased with her choice, but she is a bigger fan of barbeque sauce than I am. The beer-batter wasn't very well done, I thought. A bit doughy, and the fish wasn't of superb quality.

Another waitress who seems very confused when I ask her for a "logo pint glass", but one who gets one nonetheless. Sadly, even though there are many on display featuring F.D.R.'s quote, "I think this would be a good time for a beer," I did not receive one of these wonderful glasses. What can I say? I have a thing for quotes. We took the pint glass, and headed off to the next destination.

...which is a story for another day. In short, she turned to me and said "We try to go for a hike, and end up at a museum?" Only us. But, eventually we make it back to Kingston.

Keegan Ales
Can I call this a commercial brewery? Does this count as a brewpub? Interestingly, I was asking these questions when we visited Olde Saratoga. This is a bit more blurred though. Picnic tables, darts, and a wooden bar with a beautiful barley mosaic greet us upon entering. A cooler holds some bottles and pre-filled growlers. And a menu greets us at the bar. Other patrons are ordering sandwiches and wraps. But there's no waitstaff, aside from the bartender. We don't get a selection of samples, but full pints at $4 a pop. Sounds like a brewpub - but wait, I can buy 6 packs - all over the place. So? I could buy 6 packs of Browns and Ellicottville's beers, and they're certainly brewpubs. In all honesty, I'm not sure where to draw the line. But the main room(and there is only one room), is the tap room. It's not food that makes a brewpub - but the way it's presented. This is not a restaurant. Thus, this is a brewery. After dealing with this mental quandary, I finally listen to the bartender discussing the beers.

The tap choices are the Keegan trio, as well as a seasonal hefe(ugh, again?), and a lighter version of the Old Capital. I'm sure a few months ago I would have scoffed at a brewery only brewing 3 main beers. "Be adventurous!" I would shout, from the safe confines of my blog. But every time these thoughts creep in, I'm reminded of Steam Whistle brewing in Toronto. "Do one thing really, really well," their motto shouted. And it was to this day, the best pilsner I've ever had.

And Hurricaine Kitty, is one of the better IPAs I've had. I was happy to order a pint of it, while Devon ordered the Mother's Milk. A pint glass(for $5 it comes filled - if only I knew before I ordered!), and glass of water later, we were on our way - back to Skytop.

Skytop Steakhouse and Brewery
What a beautiful view. The restaurant is lovely, with a triangular bar on the left, and tables straight ahead, overlooking a beautiful view North(I think?) of the edge of the Catskills. Devon and I are very impressed, and feel a little underdressed.

John Eccles brews around. I knew there was some connection between Hyde Park and this place. Both very lager-centric, both with the "mysterious barrel", both serving the Winkle lager. But I didn't know until I got home that they have the same brewer. Unlike Hyde Park, the dark-beer-of-the-day was on tap, the Black Lager. Another interesting brew. It maintains that harsh kick of a good stout, without actually being a stout, but instead by being a lager. An interesting way to create a familiar taste. Barrel 28 had an IPA - hooray! I wasn't overly impressed, but then I did just have the hop-bomb that is the Kitty.

The food was fantastic. Very well portioned, for that level of menu. And very delicious. Devon had the stuffed half chicken, while I had the penne chicken alla vodka.

A logo pint glass? "We serve our beer to-go in uhh... growlers!" "What about a pint glass with the logo on it?" "We used to, let me check." I don't count what I received as a true logo pint glass from Skytop, and intend to go back to get a real one some day. However, in the meantime, I am very happy with my glass mug with the Winkle Lager mug. Why? Because I desperately need a good beer drinking mug, and I'm going to let this one do the job.

Even if I never ordered a Winkle Lager, even though I had two opportunities.

These were Brewpubs 21, 22, and Brewery 16, for those keeping track.