Stop #1: Cooperstown Brewing Co.
About 10 miles out of town in the village of Milford lies Cooperstown Brewing Co. Opened in 1994 with baseball themed brews: Old Slugger Pale Ale, Nine Man Golden Ale, Benchwarmer Porter, Strike Out Stout, etc. That buttery nastiness from Ringwood yeast is actually held in check with these guys. The butterscotch and slick oily mouthfeel is calmed down. Such an aggressive yeast it takes over a brewhouse and these guys have no hope of using a different yeast (that's even if they wanted to). A tiny operation with a tiny crew. Distribution puts up a fight in that they don't want to push more than 4 labels....even though the brewery puts out 7 beers. 7 beers that we all got to sample at 10:30 in the morning before the 11:00 tour! A tight space with a leaky roof. A mixed case came home with me. And with Cleveland Indian Napoleon Lajoie on the t-shirt for Old Slugger?....SOLD!
Stop #2: Brewery Ommegang
"Belgian Brewing in America". Opened in 1997 as a family-owned business, now under the Moortgat umbrella of Belgian brewers (Duvel, Maredsous, LaChouffe). Funky Belgian-style beers in upstate New York. Started out with tiny sample tastings of Witte, Rare Vos, Hennepin, Ommegang, Three Philosophers, and Biere de Mars. A quick tour, fast-paced. Almost a "let's just get this done". The sampling before the tour was more informative and cordial. Some glassware souvenirs, and a "Make Beer Not War" shirt. All their brands are available in NC, so no samples came home.
Stop #3: F.X. Matt Brewing Co., the Saranac line of beers
Oldest brewery in the state, starting up in 1888. Four generations of the Matt family running the show. A smidge over 45 minutes away from "home base" out to Utica. Most organized and "corporate" of the three tours today. Immense gift shop to browse before touring. Sadly, a devastating fire from last year has abruptly shortened the tour. We couldn't go past the fermentation tanks (large enough to take 88 years for one person to drink dry if they drank 10 beers a day. Think about it.) Construction was still going on even though they are functioning, so the general public can't go further in for a few more weeks. But of course, they still charge full price ($5) for the tour. After this tour though, two full-sized pints are offered. Both other tours were just samples, with Cooperstown beating out Ommegang's thimbles for quantity quaffed. A lot of frou-frou "brewery tour headquarters" touring, as opposed to proper brewhouse viewing. A lot of dark wood, manly dens, and rich mahogany tones. Nice to see, but I want to smell some grain! I might still return one day to see the whole tour however.
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