Unified Beerworks
After our stop at Arrowood Farms, we made our way up towards Saratoga Springs Our next stop was Unified Beerworks in Malta, NY. As with many breweries we’ve visited, especially those outside of cities, Unified is located in the heart of an industrial park; just follow the signs that say Beer! Unified can be described as a well oiled machine in terms of covid safety. Check in first, and then find a clearly marked “clean table” using the Green (and conversely Red) table markers. We found ourselves at two stools at the bar which is our preferred seating at most breweries; exceptions being breweries with great views or lively beer gardens. After ordering our mandatory Cuomo snacks, we our traditional flight of four. The Way of the Sword DIPA, Brass Knucked Ballerina NEIPA, Mostly Elemental Boysenberry gose, and Played Under Protest- Tropical Sour IPA. Surprising no one, my (Melissa) favorite beer was the boysenberry sour. But the Brass Knuckled Ballerina was high on both Andrew’s and my untapped scores – it was a super well executed NEIPA. The brewery itself is lively with a fun outdoor space and a food truck parked out front. Note– it appears a new brewery is coming soon right across from Unified’s location. We love a “two breweries for one parking spot” deal!
Common Roots Brewing Company
Next up is the highly recommended Common Roots Brewing Company of Glens Falls, NY (this stop is past Saratoga Springs if you were wondering). Unfortunately this was a last minute addition to my itinerary and we did not do much research as to their status – when we showed up they were takeout only. Not to make a wasted trip, we picked up a few four packs to go. Unlike several of their counterparts, Common Roots Brewing has a great line of mix and match 4-packs; which thank you! Sometimes I want to try everything but don’t have enough fridge space to dedicate to four 4-packs. More breweries really should do this! Also as of May 3rd, Common Roots looks to be open for on site consumption so go enjoy all the beer for us!
Slickfin Brewing
While traveling back down to Saratoga Springs we decided to add on another stop; Slickfin Brewing in Edward, NY. This was a fun local stop with an interesting menu. We couldn’t make up our minds on what to order so ended up with two flights; happy accidents? The Danger Close peanut butter and fluff stout was our unanimous favorite. Not to mention this beer was super dangerous coming in at 8.5% – zero booze notes. For IPAs, we both liked the Into the Trenches NEIPA. Slickfin has a small, but family friendly taproom and outside seating. It’s a very locals oriented brewery, a small system but big flavors and lots of character.
Artisanal Brew Works
Finally back on track and ending the night was a stop at the famous Artisanal Brew Works. You might recognize the name from the Extreme Sour Warhead beers that I’m sure you’ve seen scrolling the gram. Yes, that Artisanal. They have lots more beer than just crazy warhead flavors, but obviously we had to start with a warhead flight. And yes, they do taste like the originals. The Daily Double and Daily Triple IPAs proved that this brewery is more than just crazy hype sours. However if you’re like me and sours and fruited beers are more your style, the She’s the Bomb and She’s Tert with Prickly in Pink fruited sours were both delicious. For a well known brewery, we were surprised at the small tap room, but we were assured this is a temporary space and that they are working on their new location just next door. The biggest take away from Artisanal is – go for the Warheads and fruited beers, but stay for the delicious IPAs and awesome bartender.
Take a Long Weekend
If you’re planning a trip to Albany and/or Saratoga Springs, be sure to check out our other posts to help with planning. We believe you can hit the finer points of Albany and Saratoga Springs in the course of a long weekend. As usual, these posts are not a Top-anything list as we do continue to skip other delicious breweries that we’ve already visited. We’re always free to answer questions!
Albany, NY
Troy, NY – Across the river from Albany
Delmar, Catskill & Hudson, NY
Saratoga Springs – Yes there are real Springs
Arrowood Farms – A detour worth taking
