 "Photo: Ashli Truchon")
From Nov. 7 to Nov. 13, every major bar and restaurant in and around Syracuse will be overrun with everyone's favorite beverage — beer! Dozens of brewers from around the world will be hosting tastings, dinners and lectures about beer from about 11 a.m. until the wee hours of the night all week. Presented by GreatBrewers.com, "the primary goal of Syracuse Beer Week is to enhance beer knowledge and appreciation through a series of events in the great city of Syracuse, New York." Some specific highlights include Uber Beer Fest at the New York State Fairgrounds, featuring 12 brewers from Ireland, Belgium, Germany and the United States. Aside from outside brewers, SBW will also highlight our local Syracuse and Central New York offerings. Empire Brewing Company in Armory Square will be having a Farmstead Beer Dinner Monday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m. Other highlights include a homebrewing contest and extreme beer sampling. Check out www.SyracuseBeerWeek.com for a full schedule of thirst-quenching events.
Empire Brewing Company
Why it matters:
Located in the Armory Square area of downtown Syracuse, Empire Brewing Company has a vast menu of food and beer selections designed to complement one another. Every staff member knows the proper food and beer pairings and can describe any of their award-winning beers in fine detail. They also have a great selection of seasonal beers that rotates throughout the year.
Best brew:
This really depends on what you are eating. Pick your meal and ask what the best beer pairing is. Chances are Empire will not steer you wrong.
Where to find it:
Nov. 8: 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.: Empire Brewing Company, 120 Walton St., Syracuse
Nov. 11: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Empire Brewing Company, 120 Walton St., Syracuse
Nov. 13: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Empire Brewing Company, 120 Walton St., Syracuse
Aftertaste:
The entrees offered at this brewpub are not your typical bar food. It offers fusions of various cultural influences. Empire also prides itself on using locally sourced ingredients, including vegetables from its garden in Cazenovia, N.Y., hops grown by the brewer and locally raised meat.
Middle Ages Brewing Company
Why it matters:
Founded 15 years ago in Syracuse, Middle Ages offers more than 20 kinds of British-style ales from low-alcohol pale ales to robust barley wines. The company has also started creating several Anglo-Belgian hybrid beers. The Wailing Wench, an American strong ale, is one of Middle Ages' best-selling beers. Due to the British influence with an American touch, many of Middle Ages' beers tend to have higher alcohol content. Essentially, Middle Ages follows the extreme brewing movement becoming very popular in the United States. Extreme brewing takes the concept of higher alcohol beers and increased flavor profiles and accentuates them. Each style of popular beer becomes a super-version with more spices, extra hops or malt creating higher alcohol, increased bitterness or more malty characteristics, such as beers produced by Dogfish Head Craft Brewing in Delaware.
Best brew:
Syracuse Pale Ale: On tap at various convenience and grocery stores in the area, this pale ale is inexpensive, highly drinkable and has just the right amount of orange flavor.
Where to find it:
Nov. 8 to Nov. 12: 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Middle Ages, 120 Wilkinson St., Syracuse
Nov. 10: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Riley's Bar, 312 Park St., Syracuse
Brewery Ommegang
Why it matters:
Brewery Ommegang is located in Cooperstown, N.Y., next to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is owned by Duvel, a world-famous Belgian beer company, and produces award-winning Belgian-style ales. Aside from traditional Dubbels and Amber Ales, it also makes beers like Three Philosophers, a Belgian Quadrupel brewed with a mix of Cherry-Lambic. By combining tradition with innovation, Brewery Ommegang created some outstanding beers.
Best brew:
Hennepin, a Farmhouse Ale, is very funky and tart. Farmhouse Ales earn their name for their barnyard-like flavor, which any beer enthusiast would go for. The flavor comes from fermenting containers that used to have open tops in Belgium, where wild yeast would alter the flavors of the beer.
Where to find it:
Nov. 8: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Kitty Hoynes, 310 W. Fayette St., Syracuse
Nov. 10: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Party Source, 2646 Erie Blvd., East Syracuse
Nov. 11: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Wegmans at Dewitt
Nov. 12: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Blue Tusk, 165 Walton St., Syracuse
Aftertaste:
Ommegang hosts several large events on its Cooperstown grounds each year, including a weekend-long festival and several concerts to celebrate its beer and the local music scene.
Syracuse Suds Factory
Why it matters:
Opened in 1991, Syracuse Suds Factory brought brewing back to Syracuse when there were really no other breweries or brewpubs in the area. Located downtown within walking distance of most of the major bars in the area, Suds Factory offers inexpensive but filling foods, paired with in-house brews. The wings are a standout dish, and it is a great place to watch your favorite sports team play.
Best brew:
Brickhouse Brews, the brewery at Suds Factory, makes several fine examples of various styles of beer. The fun part is seeing the brewing equipment from the street and in the restaurant itself. They currently have a Cherry Lambic, Pale Ale, Honey Light Ale and Sweet Stout.
Where to find it:
Nov. 8: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Syracuse Suds Factory, 320 S. Clinton St., Syracuse
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