Dowd On Drinks: May 2017

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Riesling and beer event morphs into NY State Wine Festival

If you attended the last Finger Lakes Riesling & Craft Beer Festival, yes you did. The "last," that is.

The event, scheduled for the weekend of August 12-13 in Canandaigua, has been rebranded. It now is known as the New York State Wine Festival. Among the changes:

• The emphasis will be on a variety of wines from across the state, not just Rieslings from the region.

• The craft beer element has been dropped.

• The Canandaigua City Pier no longer will be used as part of the festival venue, hosted by the adjacent New York Wine & Culinary Center.

• Wine-centric cooking demonstrations by Wine & Culinary Center chefs have been added to the schedule.

“Wine is so tightly woven into the fabric of the state and the people who live here, so this event will do more to recognize that incredible depth of passion,” said Lauren Dixon, CEO of Dixon Schwabl, which produces the event.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online. While they also will be available at the gate on the days of the festival, they will be on a cash-only basis.

The Wine & Culinary Center is located at 800 South Main Street on the lakeshore.

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Sports bar/restaurant plans to be reviewed by Troy panel

A sports bar in the making (Google photo)

The onetime site of the restaurant Badass Burrito in Troy's Lansingburgh section that closed in 2011 may come back to life in 2017.

Jeff Jackson, a resident of Galway, Saratoga County, has applied to the city Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) for what is known as a "major area variance" for parking as part of a proposal to turn the vacant former restaurant at 443 Fifth Avenue into a sports bar/restaurant.

The request is on the ZBA agenda for its meeting scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 6, in the Planning Department hearing room of City Hall, 433 River Street.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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Monday, May 29, 2017

Nation's largest 2-day foodfest, Taste of Buffalo, staying big

The 34th annual Taste of Buffalo shows no signs of surrendering its status as the nation's largest two-day food festival. Organizers of the July 8-9 weekend event have just announced a lineup of 61 food and wine options, the most ever.

The Taste of Buffalo, presented by Tops markets on downtown's Niagara Square, has a volunteer force of more than 1,000 people prepping and running an event that usually attracts en estimated 450,000 visitors.

“Each restaurant will serve a 'healthy option' with fewer calories, less sodium and fat, as well as a smaller 'Taste' portion of their signature menu items," said event chairman Ralph Basile. "Our hope is that you can try more food at a variety of restaurants without filling up too fast.”

In addition to a lengthy lineup of returning vendors, there are 14 new restaurants and two new wineries on the list. Live music and other entertainment will be part of the festival. Full details on admission, reserved parking, event schedules and other details are available online.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Friday, May 26, 2017

Buffalo brewer creates signature beer for restaurant group

Here's a good example of synergy.

A Buffalo area brewery is partnering with a bi-coastal restaurant group to make a signature beer for sale in its New York State restaurants.

42 North Brewing Company is brewing Cayuga Wheat, using New York State wheat malt and the Cayuga grape, which is native to the state.

The beer was first served at Patina 250, the group's restaurant in the Delaware North building in downtown Buffalo, headquarters of the Delaware North Co. which has a majority interest in the Patina Restaurant Group.

With the expanded distribution, Cayuga Wheat now is available on tap in Patina restaurants in New York City at Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and elsewhere. It also is available at Patina 250 and 42 North's taproom at the brewery in East Aurora.

Overall, Patina has 57 upscale restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, and Japan.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Double Golds scarce in NY International Spirits Competition

Judging was stringent in the 8th annual New York International Spirits Competition. Unlike some adult beverage competitions that bestow a veritable tsunami of medals, despite 600 submissions from 23 countries in more than 50 categories, only six Double Gold medals were awarded in three categories.

They were:

Whiskey -- Basil Hayden Rye Whiskey (Kentucky), Speyburn Bradan Orach (Scotland), Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish (South Africa)
Cognac -- Maxime Trijol XO, Maxime Trijol VSOP (Saint Martial Sur Ne, France)
Rum -- Balcone’s Texas Rum (Waco, TX)

Awards in categories by state for New York entries:

New York Bourbon of the Year -- Hudson Whiskey Baby Bourbon (Tuthilltown Spirits of Ulster County)
New York City Distillery of the Year -- Van Brunt Stillhouse (Brooklyn)
Soju Producer of the Year -- West 32 (New York City)

The full list of award winners in all categories is available online.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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Cortland County distillery unveils a line of whiskey slushies

Dragonfyre slushy machine (Facebook photo)

Some time ago, I attempted to get an update on pending legislation involving the serving size of wine ice cream in New York, apparently a matter of the usual governmental nanny state restrictions. I was unable to get any information from the members of both houses of the New York State Legislature supposedly trying to amend the rules. More on that in a bit.

Apparently there are no rigid restrictions on using whiskey in another type of food, if one considers slushies actual food. The Dragonfyre Distillery in Marathon, Cortland County, today announced it will be making and selling whiskey slushies this summer.

"BREAKING NEWS! The slushy machine is here!!! ," trumpeted Dragonfyre's Facebook message. "We will be serving whiskey slushys from now on! What's your preference?

Strawberry Daiquiri
Arnold Palmers
Pina Cola da
Blueberry pomegranate
Prohibition Moon
Apple Moon

Let us know what you want, this is just the "short" list!"

Now, back to the topic of wine ice cream.

Back on March 22, I reported that "The State Senate today approved S4265, a bill introduced by Sen. Joseph Griffo (R-47), to allow a change in the portion size of wine ice cream. The current minimum container size is one pint. Griffo, the deputy senate majority whip, seeks to meet what he says is consumer demand for smaller containers of wine ice cream for weddings, fundraisers, recreational tours, etc. A companion bill that needs to be passed next is being introduced in the Assembly by William Magee (D-121), chairman of the Agriculture Committee. New York is the only state with minimum size requirements."

Since then, I have tried to find out the status of the proposal. A call to Griffo's office was unproductive because the staffer who answered my call had no idea what I was talking about, even though it is his boss's legislation. Even worse at Magee's office, where a promised return phone call has not materialized and an emailed inquiry has been ignored.

Which leads me to suspect that, even though this is a small matter in the larger universe of governance and therefore beneath the legislators' purportedly pushing it, we will see during the next election cycle some reference to this "consumer friendly" effort that both legislators suddenly will remember they have attached their names to.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Study: Wine consumption may raise breast cancer risk

The only sure thing about a study is that another study will come along to refute it ... until another comes along to refute the refutation.

The latest pronouncement concerns wine and health. For years now, we've been told that some consumption of red wines will impart good health via the chemical resveratrol they contain. Now, a study just released by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund says a daily glass or more of wine, or any other alcoholic beverage increases the chances of contracting breast cancer.

It's a fairly thorough study that reviewed and analyzed 119 studies that used data from 12 million women worldwide. It found that 10 grams of alcohol per day, the equivalent of one small glass of wine, beer or other alcohol, is linked to a heightened breast cancer risk of 5% for pre-menopausal and 9% for post-menopausal women.

Anne McTiernan, a cancer-prevention researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and one of the report’s lead authors, said, "This suggests there is no level of alcohol use that is completely safe in terms of breast cancer. If a woman is drinking, it would be better if she kept it to a lower amount.”

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Monday, May 22, 2017

Hudson Berkshire Wine & Food Festival this weekend

Thirty makers of wine, spirits, ciders, meads and beers from New York and Massachusetts will be featured at the 5th annual Hudson Berkshire Wine & Food Festival this weekend.

The event, sponsored by the Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail, will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. In addition to the beverage samplings, vendors will offer tastings and sale of cheeses, baked goods, jams, jellies and other regionally produced foods. Exhibitors and artisans will have booths, and seminars will be presented by experts from all parts of the craft beverage industry.

A one-day tasting ticket, available at the gate or online for $25, includes admission, souvenir tasting glass and unlimited wines, ciders and spirits. Non-tasting tickets are $10, and children 12 and younger are admitted free.

The fairgrounds are located at 182 Hudson Avenue, Chatham, with the festival entrance on Route 66.

The beverage vendors:

Adirondack Winery
Awestruck-Gravity Ciders
Brookview Station Winery
Cascade Mountain Winery
Furnace Brook Winery
Helderberg Meadworks
Hudson-Chatham Winery
Hummingbird Hills Winery
Idol Ridge Winery
Ledge Rock Hill Winery
Les Trois Emme
Milea Estate Vineyard
Montezuma Winery
Pazdar Winery
Sun Dog Cider
Tousey Winery
Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery
Whitecliff Winery
Yankee Folly Cidery
Warwick Valley - Docs Draft Cider
Berkshire Mt. Distillers
Blackdirt Distilling
Dutch's Spirits
Harvest Spirits
High Rock Distillery
Hillrock Estate Distillery
Hudson Valley Distillers
Lake George Distilling Company
Olde York Farm Distillery
Old Klaverack Brewery

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Beer fermentation tanks moving via the Erie Canal

Fermentation tanks en route to Rochester.

Even the weakest student of geography knows it's a shorter distance from China to Rochester if you don't go by way of Albany (and if you're traveling the traditional easterly route). But, it's a different story if you're delivering beer fermentation tanks.

The first three of a dozen 20-by-60-foot tanks being shipped from the manufacturer in China to the Genesee Brewing Company in downtown Rochester is now on the way. Their first domestic stop was at the Port of Albany, where they were placed on barges because they are too large for conventional movement by rail or truck. Then it was goodbye high tech, and hello Erie Canal.

The barge passed through the Waterford locks at the eastern terminus of the waterway just off the Hudson River opposite Troy on Friday. The westbound trip had temporarily been delayed by a high water level caused by heavy rains.

The tanks are part of Genesee Brewing's $40 million expansion project. If you're interested in tracking -- and maybe observing -- any of the trip as some people have been doing, here's the schedule for the first shipment of tanks:

May 23: Tanks will proceed to Niskayuna to Scotia to Rotterdam Junction/Glenville to Cranesville to Amsterdam to Tribes Hill

May 24: Tribes Hill to Randall to Canajoharie to Fort Plain to Mindenville

May 25: Mindenville to Little Falls to Frankfort to Utica

May 26: Utica to Rome to New London

May 27: New London to Brewerton to Baldwinsville

May 28: Baldwinsville to Mays Point to Clyde to Lyons

May 29/30: Lyons to Newark to Palmyra to Macedon to Pittsford to Henrietta; Tanks arrive at 150 Lee Road in Rochester

By way of comparison with the $40 million project, the idea of the 363-mile-long Erie Canal was authorized in 1817 by the New York State Legislature with a budget of $7 million. It was completed in 1825.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

New alcohol study: Other studies full of flaws

• From the New York Daily News

There’s no shortage of studies claiming that moderate wine drinkers have healthier hearts. Same goes for light consumption of other sorts of alcohol. But a new deep research dive into the topic basically says to put a cork in it. Investigators found little evidence to support the earlier booze-is-good-for-you findings.

That’s the takeaway of a new study in the Journal of Studies of Alcohol and Drugs. Researchers sifted through 45 previous studies and found flaws in the methodology.

Go here for the full story.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Imbibeable Cartoonery

A gallery of artwork honoring those who draw conclusions.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Newburgh Brewing's taproom gets No.1 nod in NY online poll

The Newburgh Brewing Company taproom (photo provided)

Rankings are, as one might put it somewhat less crudely than usual, like rectal orifices. Everyone has one. The latest in New York State's beer world is a list of "best" taprooms by the influential website RateBeer.com.

The Newburgh Brewing Company was voted the "top tap room" in New York State in an online poll. As we all know by now, while online polls are popular, they are fraught with statistical inaccuracies. Nevertheless, they do offer some measure of popularity.

Christopher Basso

The brewery has been around only since 2012. Its top-selling product is a cream ale, one of its four original beers. It is made by brewmaster Christopher Basso, a graduate of both Boston University and the French Culinary Institute who began his brewing career at the Brooklyn Brewery.

The taproom is located in the brewery facility at 85 Colden Street in Newburgh, a block west of the Hudson River. Hours: Wednesday, 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight. Saturday, noon to midnight. Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. (kitchen closes at 4 p.m.)

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Thursday, May 18, 2017

2 brewers tie for win in Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge

UPDATE 3 (5/18/17): There is no winner in the inaugural Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge. There are two. Brewery Ommegang of Cooperstown and Roscoe Beer Co. of Sullivan County tied for top honors among from among five finalists at the tasetoff Wednesday night in Manhattan. The others were the Genesee Brewing Co. of Rochester, Prison City Pub & Brewery of Auburn, and Southern Tier Brewing Company of Chautauqua County.

UPDATE 2 (5/15/17): The office of Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced the top five finalists in the inaugural Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge. The winner will be chosen Wednesday. The finalists, listed alphabetically: Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown; Genesee Brewing Company, Rochester; Prison City Pub & Brewery, Auburn; Roscoe Beer Company, Roscoe; Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood.

UPDATE (5/13/17): Well, now we know who else will be on the judging panel for the Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge recently announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The first person the guv appointed was himself. On Friday, he revealed who will be joining him -- former Buffalo Bills football star Thurman Thomas, who owns a bar at the Batavia Downs horse track; celebrity chef Mario Batali; Noah Kaufman, an editor at Food and Wine magazine, and Anne Becerra, a writer and beer director for the Treadwell Park beer hall in New York City.

(Originally published 5/3/17)

Every one of the state's 321 craft breweries has its fans, so it will be interesting to see how large voter turnout is for the "Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge." That's the latest state government effort under its Taste NY program advocating for the state's food and beverage producers.

Then public will decide which five breweries make it into a taste-off by filling out an online ballot. Then, on a June date to be announced a judging panel led by Governor Andrew Cuomo will conduct a blind taste in Ndew York City and select a winner.

News of the contest comes right on the heels of the 20th annual TAP NY competition at Hunter Mountain, an event that decrees the best brewers and brews in the state. It has nothing to do with the Taste NY program.

If you need a refresher course on the many breweries located in the Greater Capital and environs, here is a list. I keep the geographic definition rather loose, given the propensity of people in this area to travel a bit to attend the many drinks and food shows and festivals with which it abounds. Thus, certain nearby parts of the Adirondacks, Catskills and Cooperstown area are include.

Adirondack Pub & Brewery, 33 Canada Street, Lake George
Argyle Brewing, One Main Street, Greenwich
Artisinal Brew Works, 41 Geyser Road, Saratoga Springs
Battle Hill Brewing Co., 4 Charles Street, Fort Ann
Beer Diviner, 461 Broadway, Troy, and 243 Bly Hollow Road, Petersburg
Big Slide Brewery & Public House, 5686 Cascade Road, Lake Placid
Big Tupper Brewing, 12 Cliff Avenue, Tupper Lake
Brewery LaHoff, 50 Vedder Road, Coxsackie (to open this year)
Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Highway 33, Cooperstown
Brown's Brewing Co., 417 River Street, Troy, and 50 Factory Hill Road, North Hoosick
Cave Mountain Brewing Co., 5359 State Route 23, Windham
Chatham Brewing, 59 Main Street, Chatham
C.H. Evans Brewing/Albany Pump Station, 19 Quackenbush Square, Albany
Common Roots Brewing Co., 58 Saratoga Avenue, South Glens Falls
Cooper's Cave Ale Co., 2 Sagamore Street, Glens Falls
Cooperstown Brewing Co., 110 River Street, Milford
Council Rock Brewery, 4861 State Highway 28, Cooperstown
Crossroads Brewing Co., 21 Second Street, Athens
Davidson Brothers Brewing Co., 184 Glen Street, Glens Falls
Druthers, 381 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, and 1053 Broadway, Albany
Dutch Ale House, 255 Main Street, Saugerties
Great Adirondack Brewing Co., 2442 Main Street, Lake Placid
Great Flats Brewing, 151 Lafayette Street, Schenectady (to open this year)
Green Wolf Brewing, 315 Main Street, Middleburgh
Hank Hudson Brewing, The Fairways of Halfmoon, 17 Johnson Road, Mechanicville
Helderberg Brewery, Carey Institute for Global Good, 100 Pond Hill Road, Rensselaerville
Helderberg Mountain Brewing Co., 141 Warners Lake Road, East Berne
Honey Hollow Brewing Co., 376 East Honey Hollow Road, Earlton
Hudson Brewing Co., 99 South 3rd Street, Hudson
Indian Ladder Farmstead Brewery and Cidery, 342 Altamont-Voorheesville Road, Altamont
Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, 813 Mirror Lake Drive, Lake Placid
Mad Jack Brewing, The Van Dyck Lounge,237 Union Street, Schenectady
Mean Max Brew Works, 193 Glen Street, Glens Falls
Olde Saratoga Brewing Co., 131 Excelsior Avenue, Saratoga Springs
Paradox Brewery, 154 Route 9, Schroon Lake
Racquette River Brewing, 11 Balsam Street, Tupper Lake,
Rare Form Brewing Co., 90 Congress Street, Troy
Real McCoy Beer Co., 20 Hallwood Road, Delmar
Red Shed Brewery, 817 Butterbowl Road, Cherry Valley
Rip Van Winkle Brewing, Angela's Italian Bistro & Brewery, 4545 NY Route 32, Catskill
R.S. Taylor & Sons Brewery, 3602 County Route 30, Salem
Serious Brewing Co., 116 Caverns Road, Howes Cave
Shmaltz Brewing Co., 6 Fairchild Square, Clifton Park
Sloop Brewing, 1065 County Route 19, Elizaville
S&S Farm Brewery, 174 Middle Road, Nassau
Steadfast Beer Co., 90 State Street, Albany
Suarez Family Brewery, 2278 Route 9, Livingston
Wolf Hollow Brewing Co., 6882 Amsterdam Road, Glenville

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

'Bounty of the Hudson' festival coming up in June

Fans of Hudson Valley wines, or anyone looking for a first exposure to them, will find more than 20 wineries represented at the annual "Bounty of the Hudson" next month.

The rain-or-shine, festival style event is set for Saturday and Sunday, June 10-11, at the Ulster County Fairgrounds.

In addition to wine tastings, it offer samplings of fresh local produce, cheeses, honey, baked goods and foods from local restaurants.

Tickets, available online, cover a souvenir Shawangunk Wine Trail glass, sampling at each of the attending wineries' booths, and an afternoon of live music. The event, open only to persons 21 or older, will run from noon to 5 p.m. both days. A one-day tasting ticket, good for either Saturday OR Sunday, is $30 purchased in advance, plus fees. A limited number of tickets will be available at the gate for $40, including tax. A general admission ticket for designated drivers is available in advance for $10, plus fees and at the gate for $15, including fees. Each ticket is valid for one day of the event.

The Ulster County Fairgrounds is located at 249 Libertyville Road in New Paltz.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

30+ makers to offer tastings at Brattleboro Brewers Festival

More than 30 brewers of beers and cider have signed up to participate in the 6th annual Brattleboro (VT) Brewers Festival set for the May 27.

In addition to more than 100 different brews for sampling, live music, various food vendors, and a line of prizes and raffles will be included.

The outdoor event will be held rain or shine at VABEC Field off Old Guilford Road in Brattleboro. Parking will be available at the Brattleboro Union High School on Fairgrounds Road, with shuttles running all day. The only parking at the event is for drivers with a handicap parking permit.

Early bird ticket sales, priced at $25 online only, end this Wednesday. Other ticket information is on the same site.

The participating brewers:

14th Star Brewing
Allagash Brewing Co.
Amherst Brewing
Angry Orchard Cider
Brown's Brewing Co.
Champlain Orchards Cidery
Citizen Cider
Downeast Cider House
Element Brewing Co.
Foolproof Brewing
Goodwater Brewery
Hermit Thrush Brewery
Jack's Abby
Long Trail
Lord Hobo Brewing
Magic Hat
Matt & Harry's Hard Cider
New Belgium Brewery
Northshire Brewery
Queen City Brewery
Samuel Adams
Switchback Brewery
The People's Pint
The Traveler Beer Company
Trout River Brewing Co.
Truly Spiked & Sparkling
Two Roads Brewing Co.
Von Trapp Brewing
Whetstone Station Restaurant & Brewery
Woodchuck Hard Cider
Woodstock Inn Brewery

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Upper HV Wine Trail plans 'Wine & Cheese Weekend'

The Upper Hudson Valley Wine Trail's summer season will get into high gear with a "Wine & Cheese Weekend" on Saturday and Sunday, June 10-11.

The event is an exclusive one for UHVWT Passport holders. Details on how to instantly get a passport are available online.

Each participating winery will offer three wine tastes paired with three cheese samples, the combinations varying from venue to venue. The participants:

Adirondack Winery 285 Canada Street, Lake George
Amorici Vineyard, 637 Colonel Burch Road, Valley Falls
Ledge Rock Hill Winery, 41 Stewart Dam Road, Corinth
Oliva Vineyards, Saratoga Farmers’ Market, 105 High Rock Avenue, Saratoga Springs
Swedish Hill Winery, 441 Broadway, Saratoga Springs
The Saratoga Winery 462 Route 29, Saratoga Springs
Thirsty Owl Outlet & Wine Garden, 184 S. Broadway, Saratoga Springs
Victory View Vineyard, 11975 State Route 40, Schaghticoke

The self-guided tour can begin at any of the venues, and include as many stops as desired.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Update 2: 5 Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge finalists picked

UPDATE 2 (5/15/17): The office of Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced the top five finalists in the inaugural Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge. The winner will be chosen Wednesday. The finalists, listed alphabetically: Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown; Genesee Brewing Company, Rochester; Prison City Pub & Brewery, Auburn; Roscoe Beer Company, Roscoe; Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood.

UPDATE (5/13/17): Well, now we know who else will be on the judging panel for the Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge recently announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The first person the guv appointed was himself. On Friday, he revealed who will be joining him -- former Buffalo Bills football star Thurman Thomas, who owns a bar at the Batavia Downs horse track; celebrity chef Mario Batali; Noah Kaufman, an editor at Food and Wine magazine, and Anne Becerra, a writer and beer director for the Treadwell Park beer hall in New York City.

(Originally published 5/3/17)

Every one of the state's 321 craft breweries has its fans, so it will be interesting to see how large voter turnout is for the "Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge." That's the latest state government effort under its Taste NY program advocating for the state's food and beverage producers.

Then public will decide which five breweries make it into a taste-off by filling out an online ballot. Then, on a June date to be announced a judging panel led by Governor Andrew Cuomo will conduct a blind taste in Ndew York City and select a winner.

News of the contest comes right on the heels of the 20th annual TAP NY competition at Hunter Mountain, an event that decrees the best brewers and brews in the state. It has nothing to do with the Taste NY program.

If you need a refresher course on the many breweries located in the Greater Capital and environs, here is a list. I keep the geographic definition rather loose, given the propensity of people in this area to travel a bit to attend the many drinks and food shows and festivals with which it abounds. Thus, certain nearby parts of the Adirondacks, Catskills and Cooperstown area are include.

Adirondack Pub & Brewery, 33 Canada Street, Lake George
Argyle Brewing, One Main Street, Greenwich
Artisinal Brew Works, 41 Geyser Road, Saratoga Springs
Battle Hill Brewing Co., 4 Charles Street, Fort Ann
Beer Diviner, 461 Broadway, Troy, and 243 Bly Hollow Road, Petersburg
Big Slide Brewery & Public House, 5686 Cascade Road, Lake Placid
Big Tupper Brewing, 12 Cliff Avenue, Tupper Lake
Brewery LaHoff, 50 Vedder Road, Coxsackie (to open this year)
Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Highway 33, Cooperstown
Brown's Brewing Co., 417 River Street, Troy, and 50 Factory Hill Road, North Hoosick
Cave Mountain Brewing Co., 5359 State Route 23, Windham
Chatham Brewing, 59 Main Street, Chatham
C.H. Evans Brewing/Albany Pump Station, 19 Quackenbush Square, Albany
Common Roots Brewing Co., 58 Saratoga Avenue, South Glens Falls
Cooper's Cave Ale Co., 2 Sagamore Street, Glens Falls
Cooperstown Brewing Co., 110 River Street, Milford
Council Rock Brewery, 4861 State Highway 28, Cooperstown
Crossroads Brewing Co., 21 Second Street, Athens
Davidson Brothers Brewing Co., 184 Glen Street, Glens Falls
Druthers, 381 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, and 1053 Broadway, Albany
Dutch Ale House, 255 Main Street, Saugerties
Great Adirondack Brewing Co., 2442 Main Street, Lake Placid
Great Flats Brewing, 151 Lafayette Street, Schenectady (to open this year)
Green Wolf Brewing, 315 Main Street, Middleburgh
Hank Hudson Brewing, The Fairways of Halfmoon, 17 Johnson Road, Mechanicville
Helderberg Brewery, Carey Institute for Global Good, 100 Pond Hill Road, Rensselaerville
Helderberg Mountain Brewing Co., 141 Warners Lake Road, East Berne
Honey Hollow Brewing Co., 376 East Honey Hollow Road, Earlton
Hudson Brewing Co., 99 South 3rd Street, Hudson
Indian Ladder Farmstead Brewery and Cidery, 342 Altamont-Voorheesville Road, Altamont
Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, 813 Mirror Lake Drive, Lake Placid
Mad Jack Brewing, The Van Dyck Lounge,237 Union Street, Schenectady
Mean Max Brew Works, 193 Glen Street, Glens Falls
Olde Saratoga Brewing Co., 131 Excelsior Avenue, Saratoga Springs
Paradox Brewery, 154 Route 9, Schroon Lake
Racquette River Brewing, 11 Balsam Street, Tupper Lake,
Rare Form Brewing Co., 90 Congress Street, Troy
Real McCoy Beer Co., 20 Hallwood Road, Delmar
Red Shed Brewery, 817 Butterbowl Road, Cherry Valley
Rip Van Winkle Brewing, Angela's Italian Bistro & Brewery, 4545 NY Route 32, Catskill
R.S. Taylor & Sons Brewery, 3602 County Route 30, Salem
Serious Brewing Co., 116 Caverns Road, Howes Cave
Shmaltz Brewing Co., 6 Fairchild Square, Clifton Park
Sloop Brewing, 1065 County Route 19, Elizaville
S&S Farm Brewery, 174 Middle Road, Nassau
Steadfast Beer Co., 90 State Street, Albany
Suarez Family Brewery, 2278 Route 9, Livingston
Wolf Hollow Brewing Co., 6882 Amsterdam Road, Glenville

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Update: Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge judges unveiled

Adirondack Pub & Brewery, 33 Canada Street, Lake George
Argyle Brewing, One Main Street, Greenwich
Artisinal Brew Works, 41 Geyser Road, Saratoga Springs
Battle Hill Brewing Co., 4 Charles Street, Fort Ann
Beer Diviner, 461 Broadway, Troy, and 243 Bly Hollow Road, Petersburg
Big Slide Brewery & Public House, 5686 Cascade Road, Lake Placid
Big Tupper Brewing, 12 Cliff Avenue, Tupper Lake
Brewery LaHoff, 50 Vedder Road, Coxsackie (to open this year)
Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Highway 33, Cooperstown
Brown's Brewing Co., 417 River Street, Troy, and 50 Factory Hill Road, North Hoosick
Cave Mountain Brewing Co., 5359 State Route 23, Windham
Chatham Brewing, 59 Main Street, Chatham
C.H. Evans Brewing/Albany Pump Station, 19 Quackenbush Square, Albany
Common Roots Brewing Co., 58 Saratoga Avenue, South Glens Falls
Cooper's Cave Ale Co., 2 Sagamore Street, Glens Falls
Cooperstown Brewing Co., 110 River Street, Milford
Council Rock Brewery, 4861 State Highway 28, Cooperstown
Crossroads Brewing Co., 21 Second Street, Athens
Davidson Brothers Brewing Co., 184 Glen Street, Glens Falls
Druthers, 381 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, and 1053 Broadway, Albany
Dutch Ale House, 255 Main Street, Saugerties
Great Adirondack Brewing Co., 2442 Main Street, Lake Placid
Great Flats Brewing, 151 Lafayette Street, Schenectady (to open this year)
Green Wolf Brewing, 315 Main Street, Middleburgh
Hank Hudson Brewing, The Fairways of Halfmoon, 17 Johnson Road, Mechanicville
Helderberg Brewery, Carey Institute for Global Good, 100 Pond Hill Road, Rensselaerville
Helderberg Mountain Brewing Co., 141 Warners Lake Road, East Berne
Honey Hollow Brewing Co., 376 East Honey Hollow Road, Earlton
Hudson Brewing Co., 99 South 3rd Street, Hudson
Indian Ladder Farmstead Brewery and Cidery, 342 Altamont-Voorheesville Road, Altamont
Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, 813 Mirror Lake Drive, Lake Placid
Mad Jack Brewing, The Van Dyck Lounge,237 Union Street, Schenectady
Mean Max Brew Works, 193 Glen Street, Glens Falls
Olde Saratoga Brewing Co., 131 Excelsior Avenue, Saratoga Springs
Paradox Brewery, 154 Route 9, Schroon Lake
Racquette River Brewing, 11 Balsam Street, Tupper Lake,
Rare Form Brewing Co., 90 Congress Street, Troy
Real McCoy Beer Co., 20 Hallwood Road, Delmar
Red Shed Brewery, 817 Butterbowl Road, Cherry Valley
Rip Van Winkle Brewing, Angela's Italian Bistro & Brewery, 4545 NY Route 32, Catskill
R.S. Taylor & Sons Brewery, 3602 County Route 30, Salem
Serious Brewing Co., 116 Caverns Road, Howes Cave
Shmaltz Brewing Co., 6 Fairchild Square, Clifton Park
Sloop Brewing, 1065 County Route 19, Elizaville
S&S Farm Brewery, 174 Middle Road, Nassau
Steadfast Beer Co., 90 State Street, Albany
Suarez Family Brewery, 2278 Route 9, Livingston
Wolf Hollow Brewing Co., 6882 Amsterdam Road, Glenville

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Former Schenectady tavern-restaurant demolished

The former City Squire. (Daily Gazette photo)

The former City Squire tavern and restaurant in Schenectady is not just merely dead, it's really most sincerely dead, as the coroner of Munchkin Land might put it.

Demolition workers tore down the longtime business this week to make room for the construction of a new two-story building that will house an Irish-style spot called the City Squire Ale House under new ownership.

Go here for the background stories on the transition. And, for an album of excellent close-up photos of the demolition, go here to visit The Daily Gazette website.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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Friday, May 12, 2017

State's drinks producers being spotlighted in NYC bash

Mixologist Melissa Markert will host a VIP cocktail session. (photo provided)

The state's always-expanding push to market its wines, spirits, ciders and brews will ramp up anther notch at a New York City event on Wednesday, May 24.

The multi-level event, with separate programs for the public and the trade, is titled "TasteNewYork - A New York Craft Beverage Experience." The venue is Pier A Harbor House at 22 Battery Place in lower Manhattan. It is part of the state's TasteNY program.

Two ticket options are available for the public event: the VIP Experience beginning at 6 p.m. and general admission tickets for 6:30 p.m. admission. The VIP option will include an exclusive cocktail demonstration and tasting in the
Commissioner's Bar with Melissa Markert of Dead Rabbit, one of New York City's currently trendiest bars. She will use local ingredients and New York craft beverages to build cocktails.

Among the beverage providers will be Saratoga Brewing, Saratoga Spring Water, and Shmaltz Brewing Company from the Capital Region.

Details of the event, the participating vendors, categories for the trade and the public, and ticket purchasing are available on the event website.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Finger Lakes tops list of best U.S. wine regions to visit

Thrillist, the online media brand covering food, drink, travel and entertainment, convened a panel of sommeliers to pick "Best Wine Regions to Visit In the U.S." They came up with 11 of them, and tops on the list is the Finger Lakes.

Here's what Thrillist had to say:

"No. 1. Finger Lakes, NY.

Must-hit wineries: Get a history lesson at Dr. Frank's before hitting Ravines or Hermann J. Wiemer. Perhaps we spoke too soon when we named the Finger Lakes the most underrated place in New York. This southern region of the Empire State is an like an SEC football team to sommeliers (that is, a powerhouse), except it actually deserves to be in everyone's top five.

"There are a lot of up-and-coming wineries there," says [panelist Daniel] Toral, "and better restaurants keep opening, as well." In fact, since the region started blowing up a few years ago, there are now over 100 wineries in the area. And the best part? It hasn't been overtaken by tourists and developers yet so there won't be horrendous crowds to fight when you visit the famous gorges at Watkins Glen State Park in the morning, and then head to the venerable birthplace of East Coast winemaking -- Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars -- later in the day."

You can read the evaluations of the other 10 regions by clicking here.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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Local wine to flow at Finger Lakes art fest and competition

A reception by Hazlitt's Red Cat Cellars will be among the attractions at the 6th annual Finger Lakes Plein Air Competition & Festival.

The art-centric festival will run from Tuesday, June 6, through Sunday, June 11. The wine tasting is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7. Wines will be poured from various Canandaigua Wine Trail wineries.

The festival itself, held under the auspices of the Ontario County Arts Council, will feature as many as 45 artists from across the country who have been invited to the area to paint scenes of Canandaigua and the Finger Lakes. An exhibition and sale will be held on the final day of the event at the historic site Sonnenberg Gardens.

Details of the festival are available on the event website.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Thursday, May 11, 2017

In-development Fort Orange Brewing embraces local history

Building materials arrive at the Albany renovation site. (photo provided)

It seems we're talking about a new craft brewery joining the Greater Capital Region scene on a weekly basis or even more often. (Go here to see the latest list.)

Fort Orange Brewing will open in the fall at 450 North Pearl Street in Albany's Warehouse District with a nod to local brewing history, both in its name -- the same as one from the 1800s -- and its location -- a site near where its antecedent operated during the city's 19th Century brewing heyday.

Even the logo is an acknowledgement to local history, incorporating the shape of the original Dutch settlement called Fort Orange -- which became the English settlement of Albany -- in its logo.

The original Fort Orange Brewing operated from1882 to 1888 on Broadway. The new brewery will rise in a 7,400-square-foot former warehouse not far from the Druthers brewing company's Albany facility. (Druthers' original is in Saratoga Springs.)

The new brewery is from three Castleton residents who have been brewing together and decided to go commercial. They are John Westcott, a technical support manager at KeyBank; Jim Eaton, a recruiter for Siena College, and Craig Johnson, works for the architectural/engineering firm EYP.

They have purchased a 7-barrel system and, Westcott tells me, they "are looking to have four to six of our beers on tap at all times. We will have a taproom in the facility and offer flights, pints and growler fills. We plan to have two IPAs, a sweet/hoppy pale, and pilsner on tap for our opening. We will also be brewing several pilot batches for opening, like a stout, red ale, and blonde."

Marker shows new brewery location. (Google Earth)

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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Adirondack Wine & Food Festival vendors list unveiled

The full list of vendors for this year’s Adirondack Wine & Food Festival has just been released.

The event, to be held on the weekend of June 24-25 at the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George Village, has sold more than 1,000 advance tickets, and a crowd of more than 6,000 is anticipated.

"This festival celebrates the bounty of amazing craft beverages and locally made foods that New York has to offer, and we’re excited to report that we will have more vendors and variety than ever before,” said Sasha Pardy, co-owner and president of the festival’s presenting sponsor, Adirondack Winery.

At this point, the vendor list has more than 80 vendors, including 23 wineries, eight distilleries, four breweries, three cideries, 23 artisan food vendors, six specialty vendors, eight food trucks, a local restaurant and a weekend full of culinary demonstrations provided by the SUNY Adirondack culinary students.

Vendors, ticket information, and other details of the festival are available on the event website.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Troy venture an eclectic tap room and curiosity shop

The doctor will see you now. Well, not right now. And not the actual doctor. But, there will be a number of things to remind you that a new business in the Victorian rowhouse at 45 2nd Street in downtown Troy once functioned as a doctor's office.

The premises are being converted into a venture called Elixir 16, what creator Megan Reavey and boyfriend David Linen of Collar City Renovations describe as a "bottled beer emporium, tap room and curiosity shop." They're hoping to have a soft opening in June, serving drinks and specialty foods as well as home-entertaining items.

“It was the building’s history as a doctor’s office that inspired the name, Elixir 16, as a nod to the elixirs that doctors prescribed around the turn of the last century, the magical potions often promising to induce love, eternal life and to turn metals into gold,” Reavey said in an interview with The Record.

She said the renovation process on the building they bought last year has uncovered a variety of medical paraphernalia accumulated over a century of use, some of which will be incorporated into the business's decor.

You can access the full interview online.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Gloversville nano pads ever-expanding local brewery scene

Stump City partners, from left, Casey Oare, Matt Sherman and Nick Sherman. (photo provided)

And, we have yet another small brewery in the Greater Capital Region.

The newcomer is Stump City Brewing. which just held a grand opening ceremony at its brewing and taproom facility, located at 521 West Fulton Street Extension in Gloversville. That brings to 49 the number of breweries of all sorts in the area.

The nanobrewery was created by Nick Sherman, Matt Sherman, Casey Oare and Jerry Sherman, all of Gloversville, financed in part by $13,000 raised through an IndieGoGo online funding page. It has been in soft opening mode since January, limiting its customers to those who contributed to the fund, but now will be open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. each Saturday.

The quartet explains the one-barrel brewery's name and motto "From the Ground Up" this way: "The name Stump City is a historical name of the area before it was incorporated as Gloversville. The proximity of hemlock forests to supply bark for tanning made the community a center of leather production early in its history. Prior to that Gloversville had been known as 'Stump City' because of the large number of trees that had been cut down. ...

"Our motto has a personal meaning as well as relating to the beers that we make. We put so much work into the [business] and wanted to do as much of the work ourselves. We did a large majority of the work with some help from friends and family and truly built the brewery and taproom from the ground up. The other half of it is our dedication to ingredients that we put in the beer. We source as much as possible from New York Farms allowing us to be call a farm brewery." That designation requires 90% of ingredients be produced in the state. Currently, it sources hops from Goderie’s of Johnstown and malt from Germantown.

Stump City currently sells beer on tap, or in refillable growlers, with no canned or bottled products.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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Surprise! Southern Comfort has no whiskey, but soon will

• From The New York Times

When the Sazerac Company bought Southern Comfort from the liquor conglomerate Brown-Forman last year, the business motivation was clear. “If you and I ended on a desert island and there was a bottle of liquor, there’s an even-money chance it would be Southern Comfort,” Mark Brown, the chief executive of Sazerac, said... .

Southern Comfort has long borne a double-edged reputation as being both famous and infamous. The blend of spirits and fruit and spice flavorings is a storied brand, with roots that are believed to go back to the 19th Century, and it can be found in nearly every bar in America. Yet it is widely regarded as the drink of unwise youths and undiscriminating palates. ...

Kevin Richards, the new senior marketing director for Southern Comfort, admitted as much, saying that when Sazerac bought it, the brand was “in danger of losing a lot of relevance in the mind of consumers.”

Sazerac hopes to reverse that. A new-and-improved Southern Comfort will hit the shelves in July, with a redesigned label and bottle. Flavored versions like Lime Comfort and Caramel Comfort will be phased out. But, most important, Southern Comfort will get back the one ingredient that many people have long assumed it contained: whiskey.

Go here for the full story.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
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Monday, May 8, 2017

When news breaks ...

... it's really broken. The Times Union website today posted this headline as breaking news:

Beer, cider help Taste NY triple revenues

So, what's wrong with that? Only that the story is three months old.

I know that because I wrote about it back in February when the Cuomo administration released the numbers on the program.

• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Dowd On Drinks
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook