The City of Albany is quiet on the weekends, very quiet. We weren’t expecting that for the Capital City of NY, but then again the downtown is mostly government buildings and hotels. Considering it’s a weekend and we’re still in Covid, I guess that was to be expected. There are some exceptions to the quiet city; CH Evans Brewing Co, Nine Pin Cider Works and Fort Orange Brewing.
C.H. Evans Brewing Co.
C.H. Evans Brewing Co. at the Albany Pump Station is a brewpub of historic proportions and grandeur. After three generations, the Evans family has more than honed in the finer points of their craft at the pump station turned brewery. The pump station itself was built in 1874 and moved over 7 billions gallons of water from the river to a reservoir before becoming a brewery.
The beer at C.H. Evans is a wide variety of traditional styles with nothing too crazy coming out of the taps; just well made beers. Our favorites of the flight were the Quackenbush Kolsch, Kick-ass Brown and the State O’You stout. We always appreciate the finer traditional styles in our flights, especially a Kolsch that hits all the right notes. Be sure to grab some food while you’re here! The soft pretzels and beer cheese were delicious.
USS Slater
We always try to break up the booze monotony with some education; we prefer animals and history. If you ever make it to Albany you should check out the USS Slater, a WWII era destroyer escort. The ship, now conveniently located on the Hudson River, once patrolled for Nazi U-boats and defended fleets from Japanese kamikaze attacks. The tour is extremely insightful and we were horrified to learn that these ships were commanded and crewed by 18 to 20-something year old’s.
Nine Pin Cider Works
Everyone in our part of the country has had or at least seen a Nine Pin Cider at some point in their lives. If you’re a cider fan be sure to stop at this awesome cidery in Albany and grab an impressive flight (of 9) with a wide variety guaranteed to hit your sweet spot. I feel like a broken record with this, but of course Andrew’s best of flight was their Earl Grey cider; it was literally cider steeped with Earl Grey. While I did really enjoy the Earl Grey, my best of flight was a toss up between the Cidre Rose and the Raspberry.
Fort Orange Brewing (Brewery 700!)
A short walk down the road from Nine Pin Cider is Fort Orange Brewing, also known as our 700th Brewery! The brewery was hopping. Not one table was empty so we got two seats at the bar and were shocked to learn that their massive 10 pour flight is free for people celebrating their birthday! The appropriately named flight, THE GAUNTLET, was a delicious celebration for my 31st birthday.
It’s a good thing that the Gauntlet exists, because their tap list was delicious. Best on flight were the Peanut Butter Stout and the Key Lime Sour. Both of these beers ended up in four packs to go; which have already been consumed at the time of writing this piece.
Take a Long Weekend
If you’re planning a trip to Albany and/or Saratoga Springs, besure 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!
Troy, NY – Just across from Albany
Delmar, Catskill & Hudson, NY – South of Albany
On the way to Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs – Yes, there are real Springs
Arrowood Farms – A detour worth taking
