America’s Forgotten Beer City.
When you think about great American brewing cities, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Denver, and Portland, Ore., might jump to mind, but Albany, N.Y.? In fact, American beer might not be what it is today had it not been for Albany.
As the state capital, Albany is usually associated with politics, but the Upper Hudson River Valley was once one of North America’s most productive brewing centers. During the 19th century, “Albany Ale” was brewed and exported all along the Hudson between Poughkeepsie and Troy, with Albany as the epicenter.
The earliest Dutch fur traders brought their love of beer to North America in the 1600s, and it was the most popular beverage of the New Netherland colony. Brewing started in New York City, or New Amsterdam as it was known, but by the mid-17th century, the village of Beverwijck (which became Albany under British rule), and the surrounding patroonship of Rennselearswijck, had between eight and 20 breweries at any given time. One prominent early Dutch family, the Gansevoorts, operated their Albany brewery for nearly 150 years, before closing in 1805.
As New York City grew in the late 1700s, so too did the microbial dangers lurking within its waters. With the city’s water fouled, Hudson Valley brewers filled the void and began supplying beer downriver.
This story is from the #130 (November 2017) edition of BeerAdvocate magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the #130 (November 2017) edition of BeerAdvocate magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Trainers Incorporate Beer-Making Equipment Into Brewery-Hosted Workouts
On a typical Saturday morning, Johnathan Wakefield can be found hoisting kegs out front of his brewery, J. Wakefield Brewing Co., in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood.
Mug Club 2.0
Craft Brewers Modify Loyalty Programs to Sow Deeper Relationships
Fruit Of The Vine
Now that fall’s here, it’s harvest time for a great many things. To zymurgical enthusiasts, that means grape season.
The Shaved Duck
Tucked away in an attractive brick neighborhood, just east of the second largest urban park in St. Louis, sits The Shaved Duck, one of the finest beer and barbecue joints west of the Mississippi.
John Segal Jr. The Hops Farmer
Although John Segal Jr. spent many childhood summers in Washington’s Yakima Valley and once brought a block of hops to show-and-tell, the third generation hops farmer never envisioned taking over the family business.
the eagle flies again
like many innovations in this column, this month’s feature started with an email. but unlike any other, what followed was a yearlong correspondence providing insight into the exciting yet frustrating process of bringing a product from concept to reality.
ginned up flavor
old tom inspires a new generation of brewers.
a hazy shade of winter
it’s true—love is in the air, spring is springing, and flowers are (almost) ready to bloom.
nowhere to go but up
the dreaded craft beer bubble. there is perhaps no greater bogeyman in the world of craft brewing, and no greater straw man in debates over its future. derided early on as a fluke, a blip, a passing trend, craft brewers slowly, purposefully propelled themselves forward, even if they didn’t always know where they were going.
9 steps to beerdom
when david morgan first got into the craft business, it was as a retailer, and beer evangelism was a heavy lift. now, more than 15 years later, morgan is at the production end of the business, and the wind is at his back. singlespeed brewing, the cedar falls, iowa, nanobrewery morgan founded in 2012, is on the brink of a major expansion, as singlespeed exits its nano-sized beta version for a state of-the-art brewhouse opening late this year.
