Featuring: Empire Farm Brewing Switchback Brewing Co
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november-december FREE The Craft Beer Road Trip Featuring: Empire Farm Brewing Switchback Brewing Co. Holiday Beer Dinner Dirty Little Secret Road Trip Mix Tape ® Table of Contents: Empire Farm Brewing —Crafting an Empire 4 Beer of The Month 10 Create Your Own Holiday Beer Dinner 13 Draft Beer’s Dirty Little Secret 14 Published by National Craft Beer News & Notes 18 Collar City Craft Media LLC. Calendar of Events 20 P.O. Box 432, Troy, NY 12182 Craft Beer Road Trip NORTH Switchback Brewing Co. 22 Jennifer Peyser, designer, social media Local/Regional Craft Beer News & Notes 24 Erik Budrakey, content manager Karen Ublacker, sales History of Porters and Stouts 28 Dustin Peyser-social media Brewmasters Cellar, The Path to Bottles 30 Printed locally and sustainably by Show Us Your Cans 33 Times Union Press, Albany NY Word Search and Crossword 34-35 truebrewmagazine.com facebook.com/truebrewmagazine twitter.com/truebrewmag instagram.com/truebrewmagazine Cicerone Services Invite a Certified Cicerone to your home or event HOSTED BEER DINNERS BEER TASTING EVENTS STAFF TRAINING CORPORATE PARTIES EVENTS PLANNING Call Erik Budrakey 518-378-6368 HELDERBERG MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY Taproom Grand Opening Saturday November8 1 th hours: Thursday and Friday 4-8 PM Saturday 12 - 6 83 Main Street East Berne, NY 12059 518-872-7133 2 Advertise with Us! [email protected] Proper Glassware Dimpled pint mug - Stout - Tall thick glass Pilsner - Cylinder Snifter - Globe Traditional thick English with wide mouth for a shaped tapered shaped compact mug with a handle, large nice head foam, clear glass with wide glass used for mouth to enjoy the aroma glass to show rich, mouth and narrow well carbonated of strong malts dark colors bottom, clear to beers, holding the show color of beer aroma at the rim 3 empire farm brewing --crafting an empire By Erik Budrakey Sometimes I forget just how beautiful Upstate, NY is. I mean, with absolutely gorgeous. Driving down unsuspecting Rippletown Road, the rolling hills, lakes upon lakes, and open farm county, the region the brewery sort of sneaks up on you as it is set a couple hundred is truly one of the most stunning areas of our country. I guess living yards back from the road. But the moment you steer onto their prop- up here maybe we just take it for granted. But I was served up a erty, you know that you are at a brewery. Front and center, right in friendly reminder of just how scenic it is up here when I took the the “front yard”, are the trellis and strings of a 2 acre hop farm, from short ride out to Cazenovia, NY to visit my friends at Empire Farm which Cascade hops were recently harvested. It’s cool when the hops Brewing. It was a perfect, peak foliage, mid-October drive. And are the first thing that you see when you pull into a brewery. What’s knowing that I was heading to a new brewery just added to the joy of cooler is the striking, picturesque, fresh new brewery that sits just the drive. beyond the hop farm. The 40,000-sq. ft. brewery/warehouse/taproom To be fair, I’ve know the team from Empire Brewing for many years is grand indeed. Hemlock plank side walls line the exterior of the now. We’ve shared many a beer at various trade events and cross giant farmhouse/barn-like structure along with towering windows paths on the regular just being in the beer industry. I consider many that reflect the landscape. Heading towards the taproom entrance, of them friends. But I had not yet met with them formally (whatever I can see the shiny tanks of their 60-barrel brewhouse through the that means) to have a chat about their business and to show me windows. It’s immediately apparent that Empire thought it through around the joint. So, I ventured out to do just that. when it came down to attention to detail and were aiming high when 4 Empire’s new brewery, only about 20-25 mins off I90, exit 34, is it came down to providing a solid craft beer experience. A hop trellis at Empire Farm Brewing We operate as locally as possible, meaning we source neighbor and NYS farms and business whenever possible. It seems as though David Katleski has always thought it through Local Flair and aimed high at whatever he pours himself into. David is the As I stroll into the taproom, I instantly sense that wonderful owner of Empire Brewing Co. and ever since he opened his brewpub smell that only a craft brewery can exude. The rich, sweet scent in downtown Syracuse, in 1994, he has been an important figure of boiled malt fills the air combined with the earthy, freshness of on the NYS craft beer scene. He’s not just the owner of a brewery, hops. As I go deeper into the tasting room, the smell of food joins he’s also the president of the New York State Brewers Association. the party. And it’s a party indeed. A long bar stretches 45 feet He’s worked tirelessly to help promote the entire craft beer scene down the nearside of the room. It’s graced with a giant, back-bar throughout New York. He lends his support to all NY craft breweries, window that looks out into the production floor and across the of all sizes, and helps them understand the industry and the govern- bottling line. 32 total draft lines, featuring 16 craft brews, line the ment regulations that surround it. In 2013 he was awarded the F.X. bar on one side while a throng of thirsty patrons line the other. Matt “Defender of the Industry” award at The rest of the room opens up in typical beer garden fashion, the annual Craft Brewers Conference in lined with tables and chairs. Along the back wall is a room-wide Washington, D.C. The award is given by counter in front of an open kitchen. the national Brewers Association, based Monica Palmer, Design Director for Empire, greets me and in Boulder, Colo., and is named after immediately offers me a beer. I go with a Slo-Mo IPA. The 6.5% another Upstate beer champion -- the ABV brew is a true American IPA. It sports the bright tropical/ late F.X. Matt of the F.X. Matt Brewing citrus notes of Falconer’s Flight and Mosaic Hops and has a crisp, Co,. in Utica (brewers of Saranac). dry finish. Perfect for just coming off the road! We slink down at a According to the BA, the award is given table in the corner and immediately start talking shop. each year to someone who has “given “This place is jumpin!” I exclaim, guessing there is easily more aid and support to the causes of small, than 75 people there and it’s not even noon on a Saturday. “Is it independent brewers, and by doing so always this busy?” have supported the BA’s goal of vigor- “Pretty much,” she tells me, “Things have been going very well ously defending the craft beer industry.” for us here at the Farm. Any day of the week you’ll find people of Point is, the guy is awesome. Oh yeah, all ages and professions. It’s a sweet spot where anyone can feel 5 David Katleski enjoying a fresh pint at and he pays attention to detail. the farmhouse brewery comfortable, which I think is pretty special. We see a lot of fami- 5 A packed taproom. Head Brewer Tim Butler lies at the picnic tables outside, parents get The farm brewery is on 22 acres of land, capacity on our 7 BBL system at the pub,” to sample a few brews with lunch while kids which has been cultivated to support our he explains, “we started contract brewing have no problem entertaining themselves. needs in both the Syracuse and Cazenovia with Greenpoint Beer Works. We had to do On a beautiful day like today, you can’t beat breweries and kitchens. Meadows Farm, that to meet the volume demands needed to the autumn views from our backyard. We located directly across the street from the break into the NYC market. After continued only feature NYS wine, spirits and ciders Farm Brewery here in Cazenovia, uses our success, the decision was made to build a at the bar, alongside our super fresh craft spent grain from the brewing process for larger brewery which has allowed us to keg, beer, and our menu is hearty and local. their pig and cattle feed. It’s fun to know bottle and can for regional, national and You’d almost think there was some secret that we are providing their livestock with a international distribution. It’s going well.” formula behind the whole operation, but hot meal! In return, over 90% of their Kobe We sip a few beers from the sampler and the Farm really is just a reflection of an beef goes directly to Empire, as well as go through their flavor profiles. Empire’s authentic craft lifestyle that we live and much of their Berkshire pork.” Talk about beers range from trusty and safe, to true- sincere love for all things local. It’s solid.” keeping it local! The burger was fresh from to-style, from innovative, to down-right I scan the menu and I’m happy to see top to bottom and downright tasty. unique. Their Skinny Atlas Light has won that it’s pretty much a full brewpub menu.