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Guide to Albany's Capital Craft Beverage Trail

Albany County's craft beverage scene is booming.

From the Warehouse District to the Helderberg Hilltowns, there has been a county-wide (and even region-wide) craft beverage movement. The Capital Craft Beverage Trail unites almost 50 local producers from across the entire Capital Region with special events such as Drink Albany and the CCBT Passport. Scroll on to learn about Albany's breweries, cideries, distilleries, meaderies, and wineries.

Breweries

Fort Orange Brewing

Housed in a former warehouse complete with twinkle lights, Fort Orange Brewing is full of industrial charm. The microbrewery is often buzzing with fun activities from cornhole leagues, to trivia nights, to arts & crafts workshops. With a rotating tap list, there are always a variety of beers available. Often the brewery's owners (a true home brewers to brewery-owners success story!) are behind the bar serving and chatting with patrons. 

Druthers Brewing 

Druthers Brewing is a Capital Region favorite. Sip on signature beers such as the All-In IPA and Gold Rule Pilsner, or depending on the season savor the Winter Warmer or Oktoberfest. Dine on house-made mac n cheese, the infamous beer cheese dip or an unforgettable burger. Between the craft brews and comfort food, this popular brewpub is a must-visit destination.

Bye-I Brewing

Bye-I Brewing boasts a welcoming atmosphere with twinkling lights, plenty of fun events, and a distinctive variety of locally made beers. Sip on unique brews like the Taylor Tot Chocolate Coffee or the blueberry flavored BoozeBerry Blonde. The brewery also pays homage to its Cohoes location with city-themed beers such as the Spindle City Pils and Cohoes Cerveza. Pair your drink with one of the delicious selections from the brewery's food menu. Snack on some chips and salsa, enjoy one of their signature burgers, or grab an order of their jumbo wings paired with one of their house made sauces. 

Rail to River Brewing

This micro-brewery may be small, but it has created a huge presence in the community of Ravena since its opening in 2021. Visit the brewery and enjoy classic brews such as a New England IPA or an English Pale Ale. Or try beer blends such as the Snakebite made with half Oatmeal Stout and half Nine Pin hard cider or the sweet Raspberry Blonde which combines American Blonde Ale with raspberry puree. Visitors can enjoy seasonal blends such as the Pina Colada Blend pictured above during warmer months or the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Blonde Ale during cooler months. The brewery also offers events year-round such as live music and paint n' sips.

The Real McCoy Beer Co.

Established in 2015, The Real McCoy Beer Co. is Delmar's first nano craft brewery. As a small batch New York State Farm Brewery, 20% of the brewery's ingredients are grown in New York State including hops sourced from local growers in Albany County and beyond! 

Helderberg Mountain Brewing Company

Since 2015, this East Berne establishment has been brewing up evenings of delicious beer tastings, fun games, and food truck favorites. Visit the tap room for a rotating selection of brews all handcrafted in the heart of the Helderberg Mountains. Soak in the sun or bask in the cool night air out on the brewery's pavilion featuring plenty of picnic tables and warm lighting. 

Allied Brewing Company

This farm brewery found within the beautiful Altamont Orchards has an indoor tasting room and a large beer garden which overlooks the Helderberg Mountain Escarpment. The name pays homage to WWII veterans and the business gives special mention to the owner's grandfather who served in the 2nd Armored Division. Sip on craft beers, local hard ciders, and locally made wines and spirits.

The Warbler Brewery

This Delaware Ave brewery has a tap list as varied and vibrant as the bird that it's named for. Find everything from their flagship Warbler Pale Ale to a Strawberry Lemonade Sour Ale to a Mocha Moon & Back Imperial Stout conditioned with coffee beans. The Warbler Brewery hosts a lively atmosphere with events scheduled each week. Stop by on Thursday nights for trivia or jam out to some live music on various Fridays and Saturdays. The Warbler Brewery often hosts food trucks but patrons are permitted to bring in their own food as well.

Cideries

Nine Pin Cider

New York's first farm cidery, Nine Pin Cider, is located in the heart of the Warehouse District. Discover a rotating, seasonal list of flavors on tap. Each variety of cider is handcrafted in small batches using locally sourced New York apples. The tasting room serves up gourmet sourdough pizzas and other house-made small plates, but the cidery often brings in local food trucks and restaurant pop-ups. 

Indian Ladder Farms Cidery and Brewery

Indian Ladder Farms is an Albany County favorite! Since 2016, the farm's new cidery and brewery has expanded from a tiny tasting area off the porch of the Indian Ladder Farm Store to an expansive tasting room on the bottom floor of the Indian Ladder Farm Market. The tasting room leads out to a lovely rustic Biergarten patio complete with a soundstage, plenty of seating, and a fire pit.

Distilleries

Albany Distilling

Albany Distilling is the city's first licensed distillery since Prohibition. Get an insider's look at how the distillery produces small batch craft spirits on a Saturday tour (reservations required!) of the facilities. The names of the spirits are often a nod to Albany, such as Quackenbush Rum or Ironweed Whiskey. After a tour, head to the nearby ADCo Bar & Bottle Shop to enjoy a hand-crafted cocktail. The bar is in a revamped 19th Century Nabisco factory with a massive outdoor patio. 

New Scotland Spirits

The beverages crafted by this Albany County distillery all toast to the spirit of New Scotland, a town nestled in the helderbergs. All grains used for the spirits are sourced from the base of the breathtaking Helderberg Mountains. Be on the lookout for the business's new tasting room, set to open on Albany's Lark Street in June 2024.

Meaderies

Bull and Bee is buzzing with hand-crafted beverages including cocktail specials, locally-produced beers on tap, and of course a variety of honey fermented mead. The Meadery and tasting room is located in the heart of downtown Albany and boasts a welcoming atmosphere that is sweet as honey. Try Bull and Bee's own honey-fermented "Genesis Mead" which can be enjoyed on its own or in a cocktail. Outside of Bull and Bee's downtown location, find their mead at local farmers markets and various Albany restaurants. 

Wineries

Altamont Vineyard & Winery

This hidden gem nestled at the base of the Helderberg Escarpment opened in 2008, but the earliest vines were planted in the 1980s. The grapes are harvested, fermented onsite and transformed into 100% New York grown wines. Grab a seat beneath the pergola underneath the twinkle lights and sip on a variety of white wine, red wine and rose.

Meadowdale Farm Winery

This award-winning winery is opening a brand new tasting room in Voorheesville. Sip on fall flavors with their gold medalist Ice Cider Apple Wine. Or travel back in time with their unique Birch Wine that pays homage to Albany's Dutch roots. With a 1736 recipe, this traditionally European wine provides an authentic taste of the past. The drink is made by hand only on Meadowdale's 1730s farmstead, and the winery is the sole producer of this distinct beverage in the United States.

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