ABANDON BREWING CO.

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PENN YAN, NEW YORK

Inside a restored barn overlooking Keuka Lake, ABANDON BREWING CO. began operations in Penn Yan during November ’13. Through major expansion, greater fermentation and the use of a geothermal system, Abandon’s become a true staple of the Finger Lakes region, concocting dozens of one-offs and recurring brews over its first decade.

On a 25-acre lot with vineyards and a hop farm, Abandon’s enclosed cement-floored porch and smokehouse pavilion surround the old creaky floored, archaic-wooded pub. Wood crossbars and columns fill out the farmhouse interior and the U-shaped wood-paneled bar (with six metal chairs) offers twelve-plus draughts and local wine. There are small wood benched seats plus a raised level with four-seat tables and ancient metal fireplace. TV’s are on opposing sides.

Wood-fire pizza, meatballs and mac ‘n cheese went well alongside the dozen stylishly diverse beers I enjoyed this Friday afternoon, early December ’23.

Fluffy soft-toned Pilsner submitted lightly creamed oated pilsner malting to lemon-daubed herbage and musty maize musk.

Amber-grained Vienna Lager let mossy fungi envelop its wattleseeded chestnut and caramelized rye toastiness.

Summery light-bodied Blonde Ale let mild yellow-fruited zesting, tart currant whims and probable sage/rosemary snips reach the white bready bottom.

A lighter English Brown Ale, Mild, let tobacco-roasted chestnut and pecan illusions plus dewy mossing reach its laidback rye chocolate finish.

Sweet orange-peeled coriander spicing and cologne-perfumed lemon zesting propped up moderate-bodied Belgian Wit Bier, drowning out its pale wheat malt base.

Spicy yellow fruited Belgian Golden Ale let beet sugared lemon meringue tartness, banana puree sweetness and champagne grape tannins pick up sweet vanilla creaming.

Beet sugar-syruped dried fruiting led Abbey Ale, gaining light rum spicing, mild chestnut sweetness and chocolate truffle earthiness.  

Easygoing Session IPA gathered perfumed citrus sweetness and wispy redcurrant tanginess for its resinous pine dryness.

“Smooth” Citra-Chinook-Cashmere-hopped New England IPA maintained lemony orange-peeled pineapple and guava fruiting for pine lacquered herbal salting contrasting mild spiciness over light oated wheat creaming.

Coffee-stained dark chocolate outdid gingered pumpkin spicing for Pumpkin Brown Ale, leaving earthen dryness at its gourd-licked mocha-latte finish.

Robust dark ale, Porter, stayed muskily dry as raw molasses bittering and dewy peat soiling saturated murky black cherry, raisin and date illusions.

Milk-sugared coffee sweetness contrasted the dark chocolate bittering of decadent Coffee Stout, sporting chocolate mintiness over Graham Cracker honeyed base.

LYONSMITH BREWING COMPANY

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Upstate Beer Tourist

KEUKA PARK, NEW YORK

Concentrating on crafting Brit-styled brews and a few American ales since opening during 2020 (after five-plus years at a smaller locale), Keuka Park’s LYONSMITH BREWING COMPANY occupies a former ice cream shop. A pristine family-styled cafe for English beer lovers, Lyonsmith competes favorably with Seneca Lake’s Beerocracy.

A pale green walled pub with loungey right side gaming, several four-chaired wood tables and an eight-seat wood top bar with tulip-cupped lighting, Lyonsmith’s eight silver-backed tap handles retrieve head brewer Dave Smith’s backroom brew-tanked liquid suds.

My wife and I visited the first day of December ’23.

Dewy peat sweetened Reid’s Mild Ale, leaving earthen truffle, wattleseed, rye and chestnut illusions on spritzy dried fruiting.

Sessionable, yet assertive, Rylie English Pale Ale let dry leafy-hopped fungi penetrate toasted amber grains as well as acorn, macadamia and hickory nuttiness, finishing with a slight rye tease.

Floral-spiced red and orange fruiting dabbed Irish-styled Rhiannon Red Ale, a crisp barley roasted moderation with slight cocoa powder influence.

Peat-smoked English-styled porter, 1814 Flood, let its Band-aid-like beechwood curing caress dark chocolate malting and nutty earthiness.

GRIST IRON BREWING COMPANY

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BURDETT, NEW YORK

Founded in 2015 and a half-mile South of Two Goats Brewing, Burdette’s GRIST IRON BREWING COMPANY is perched above Seneca Lake on a 150-acre farm. A wide range of beer styles boasting a rich American heritage favors lagers, IPA’s and sours.

Occupying a spacious ruddy browned, vaulted-ceilinged barnhouse, the cement-floored, rustic wood-topped pub features a rounded service station with twelve taps plus aluminum-seated wood lacquer-topped four and six seat tables and silver-kettled brew tanks (behind the bar). A separate overhead-doored dining space and outdoor porch provide further seating and an on-site beer-themed lodge promotes overnight stays.

Sandwiches, pizza and barbecue crowd the food menu as I down a few brews on a brisk Friday afternoon, late November ’23.

Easygoing Campfire Lite Lager stayed brisk as Seltzer-fizzed lemon peel bittering, salty lime dryness and Saaz-hopped herbage upstaged mineral grained pilsner malting.

Part of Grist Iron’s Sour Series, tart raspberry seeding seeped into sour lemon acidity and herbal woodruff syruping for Sour Raspberry Wheat.

Upfront Meyer lemon sweetness picked up salty lime-peeled yellow grapefruit bittering and slight mandarin orange tang for Life’s Lemons, an eccentric citric-splashed NEIPA.

Dark-roast coffee bittering, coarsened nut char, dark chocolate creaming and crisp tobacco roast anchored Banshee Breakfast Oatmeal Stout, an oats-flaked full body with a dry espresso finish.

TWO GOATS BREWING

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Two Goats Brewing

HECTOR, NEW YORK

Inside a renovated 19th Century barn with “sweeping views of Lake Seneca, TWO GOATS BREWING came to fruition in 2010. A solar powered facility, co-owning entrepreneurs Jon and Jess Rodgers craft traditional beer styles that are right on the mark stylistically.

A nifty shanty-like interior includes five rounded three-seat tables in a roomy V-ceilinged right side space across from the left side eight-seat oak top bar (with low kiosk balcony). But it’s the oak wooded side deck, covered picnic pavilion, huge back deck and parkway benches that offer the beautiful outdoor lake views.

Brewtanks are located near the lower level fermentation room. Tow Goat’s signature beef sandwich plus local wine and hard seltzers are available as well. Interestingly, the hilltop pub makes beer mixers such as a kolsch/IPA, stout/cream ale and red ale/IPA blend.

I spent a noontime hour at Two Goats enjoying the lakeview and trying some homebrewed beer, last day of November ’23.

Alongside its Goatmeal Stout and Imperial IPA, the generic-named Cream Ale is one of Two Goats staples. Its crisply clean. mildly creamed kolsch-like malting and grassy hop astringency welcomed zesty yellow fruiting.

Spiced apple, pear and tangerine engaged the sharp citrus hop bite contrasting the amber grained caramel malting grounding Redbeard Red Ale.

Juicy orange-peeled pineapple and mango tanginess plus spritzy lemon zesting picked up bitter juniper-licked pining to contrast mildly spiced pale malt sugaring for X-IPA, an experimental hopped Imperial IPA with Azacca, El Dorado and Mosaic influence.

Peaty soy dabbed the dark chocolate malting of Dirt Shepherd Brown Ale, leaving mild nuttiness at the soily mocha finish.

 

 

HARDYWOOD KENTUCKY CHRISTMAS MORNING GINGERBREAD STOUT

Beers A-Z,

Aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels with roasted coffee bean serenade parlays nutty espresso dryness into dry burgundy-Muscat wining and oaken cherry-vanilla tannins above dark chocolate mustiness of 11.6% ABV stout. But its advertised cinnamon-spiced gingerbread influence gets compromised by heady bourbon vanilla and chalky mocha persuasion as well as minty ginger herbage.

Kentucky Christmas Morning (2017) - Hardywood Park Craft Brewery - Untappd

THE BRUERY BLACK TUESDAY IMPERIAL STOUT AGED IN BOURBON

Beers A-Z,

On tap at Kitchen & Beer Bar, decadent bourbon-aged stout (with hefty 19.5% ABV) layers dry burgundy-bourbon-port tenacity with leathery oaken cherry tannins, lightly vinous Muscat grape must and wood-seared molasses bittering as well as cinnamon-toasted anise syruping above dark chocolate spicing, picking up tertiary dark cherry, purple grape and stewed fig nips.

Black Tuesday - The Bruery - Untappd