| Beer My Way |
The New House
I’ve previously written about “Beer Paradise”, or the Finger Lakes Region
of Central New York, and, thanks to my wife’s urging ,have spent a few
vacations there, renting cottages on Seneca Lake.
They were memorable times, with kids and grandchildren all enjoying a
week or two, bobbing around in the lake and me enjoying the scores of
breweries in the area. A week is plenty for me, but my wife desired
something more, and soon she was spending a few hours on the
computer each day, looking for lakeside homes with the intent of
possible purchase.
Sometimes, when one looked good, a trip would be made to inspect it in
person, and those trips would unveil pluses and minuses of a particular
property. Pluses such as only a mile or two from the nearest brewery
and minuses such as 187 steps down rickety stairs to the water’s edge.
(Not so bad, but what goes down eventually must come back up, and
187 steps down means 187 to climb on your way back. Other pluses
were reasonably priced properties located at lake level (no steps) with
the corresponding minus of requiring flood insurance , which seemed to
cost as much as the house. All the inspection trips meant eating lunch
in the area in which we were looking, and a brewpub was always
available to satisfy hunger and quench thirst.
Finally, my bride found a property on Oneida Lake, the “thumb” of the
Finger Lakes. (Finger Lakes run north and south, Oneida runs east and
west). The location was perfect, the price right, the house was in good
shape, with city water, sewers and natural gas. All those pluses were
enhanced by what I discovered after we closed: a seemingly unending
list of brewpubs, breweries and beer bars in the immediate area.
On the day we took ownership we had a light lunch at the Hot House
Brewery in Cicero, NY, which actually is a brewery situated in a
greenhouse. This arrangement allows one to purchase all kinds of ferns,
potted plants and flowers, along with brews having such eclectic names
as Daylight in the Swamp Amber Ale, Grandma’s Sweater Pale Ale and
Rattlesnake Gulch IPA. The brewery is only about a fifteen minute ride
from our front door, so I envision another trip or two while at the lake.
Scouting the area on the weekend we moved in and driving through
Canastota, NY, home of ex middleweight champ, Carmen Basilio, and a
boxing Hall of Fame, I slammed on the brakes when a sign above one of
the storefronts identified it as the Erie Canal Brewing Company. Several
visits have already been made to fill growlers and sample their excellent
brews (the Irish Red is outstanding) and those offered under the
Seneca Street label, their sister brewpub.
The Oneida Lake Brew Haus is another stop only fifteen minutes from
home. Although they don’t make their own beer, this tavern always has
thirty two rotating taps to choose from in the beautifully decorated pub.
Our server explained that the taps frequently change, with some old
standbys such as Utica Club always available, as are flights of anything
you want to try. According to her, Tap #32 is always a stout and
ordering is done by number, so dark beer lovers should keep the
number 32 in mind, and for those who like their beer very cold, the
Brew Haus sign sports a message claiming that “Our beer is colder than
your ex’s heart”. They have a beautiful outdoor deck with a wonderful
lake view, so a few summertime stops are eagerly anticipated.
Just a little past the Hot House Brewery is the Freight Yard Brewing
Company which has decent beer in a very nice steampunk atmosphere,
but which, in my opinion, gets a little too enthusiastic in their Covid
precautions. “Because of Covid”, it was explained to me why flights were
not available at the time we visited and their beer is served in crummy
solo cups. Apparently, according to Freight Yard, Covid is able to
distinguish between both the size and composition of the drinking
vessel.
The best venue for enjoying a brew while at my new vacation home may
well be the Lucky Dog Pizzeria and Taproom, a stark but spacious
tavern less than half a mile walk from my front door. The fish and chips
and burger we had were inexpensive and very good and the chalkboard
listed more than a dozen craft brews on tap, including such beers as Bell’
s Christmas Ale and Kentucky Breakfast Stout.
A place I haven’t tried as yet is the White Water Tavern, about eight
minutes away and which looks promising because of the Brooklyn Lager
neon sign in the window. And, of course, Syracuse, home of the AAA
Mets, and only a twenty minute drive away, is home to more than
twenty breweries and brewpubs just waiting to get checked out by
yours truly.
Some folks say a definite plus when buying a home is a plumber next
door. I say substitute brewery for plumber.
Cheers!
Dan
March. 2021
| By Dan Hodge |
| Award Winning Beer Raconteur, Writer and Historian |
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