Sorry about the hiatus but we are finally back at a brand new brewery right in my back yard! The Heelpath Brewing Co. just recently opened to the public in the Frankfort Marina which is only about a five minute drive from my house. One of the things that is most exciting about the craft brewery revolution thats occurring in this area is the diversity of the communities where all of these breweries are sprouting up. You would never visit Frankfort NY and pin it as a craft beer destination yet here we are! Heelpath Brewing Co was not founded for the artsy hipster generation that is usually associated with the craft beer scene. Instead Heelpath was started by and for the blue collar working class people in this community. I’ve visited the brewery twice and both times it was full of teachers, police officers, board members, etc. from this community. For me its really encouraging to see the variety of breweries expand to reach more people and I think Heelpath Brewing Co is an excellent new addition.
Alright lets talk beer! We’re going to be super comprehensive today too because I was able to try every beer that is currently available at Heelpath Brewing Co so no mysteries here. The first brew I was able to try was their Belgian Ale so lets talk about it!
Heelpath Brewing Co’s Belgian Ale comes in with an ABV of 6% which is the highest of the beers brewed here at Heelpath. Its a little low for a Belgian Ale but I don’t think that hurts it at all, I actually really liked this one. There is a really great fruity, candy flavor to it that makes it really refreshing. This is a bit weird but smell your glass after you’re done too because I swear it smelled exactly like dark chocolate. I’m talking about that rich 99% cocoa dark chocolate too (Which is The Brewery Boy’s favorite believe it or not). The Belgian Ale was probably my second favorite beer at Heelpath Brewing Co. so I would try it for sure when you visit.
Next up is the Chinook IPA which is a something I wasn’t familiar with so I did a little bit of research. Get ready for a beer lesson, we’re learning together here on this brewery journey. Chinook is actually a type of hop that is often used in IPA’s (imagine that) and is responsible for the beer’s bitterness and flower-like aroma. The chinook hop tends to give a beer a pine and grapefruit flavor which you definitely notice in Heelpath’s version. A lot of breweries tend to go a little crazy with their hop varieties when brewing IPA’s so I actually appreciate that they tried to focus on the flavor of a specific variety.
We’re getting darker and we all know how I feel about that. Especially as the weather starts getting darker and colder so does my choice in beers. The third beer on my trip down the Heelpath was their Rye Porter which is a good, smoky, easy to drink porter. Nothing extravagant, just simple and tasty.
The last beer on the flight was the Oatmeal Stout. As we’ve established I am crazy for stouts, the darker the beer is the better. My friend who I took with me to Heelpath Brewing Co is the same way and this one caused a lot of debate for us. Neither of us were personally a big fan, we decided the alcohol content and the flavors were a little weaker that we would expect from a stout. However after talking to a few other people at the bar I came to the conclusion that this just isn’t a stout that was made for dark beer lovers like me. Several people we talked to said “this is the first stout I’ve ever liked” which made me think this is simply a really good gateway stout and if they can get more people into dark beer then thats fine with me. I’ll take that as a win!
Beer number six for me here at Heelpath Brewing Co was their IPA. With a slightly higher ABV and I think a wider variety of hops than the Chinook IPA, Heelpaths IPA is very well done. Its exactly what you would expect, its served up cold and refreshing with the crisp, bitter taste you want in an IPA.
Finally, beer number 7! This wasn’t on purpose but I’m pretty sure I saved the best for last. The brew above is Heelpath’s American Session Ale and If I were to recommend any beer at this brewery it would be this one. Are you guys ready for another beer lesson? Good, because this blog post is brought to you by google. I was curious why they would name it the American Session Ale? Apparently the term “session” when you’re talking about beer is used to describe a beer with a low alcohol content. The idea is you can drink more of these beers in a session and not get drunk, okay we’re done with fun facts today I promise.
“Thanks for listening class!”- Brewery Boy MD (More Drinks?)
Anyway the American Session Ale has the slight aroma and taste of nuts and honey. Its like a pint glass full of liquid honey roasted peanuts and I loved it. Both myself and my brewery partner agreed this was the definite winner at Heelpath Brewing Co so if you stop by I totally recommend the American Session Ale.
If beer isn’t your thing you can also order a few different varieties of cider from 1911 which is always a good choice or one of the many wines from Rustic Ridge that is available at the brewery. Both are companies in the upstate NY area that make incredible wines and ciders that you should try even if you’re there for the beer.
This weeks “View from your Beer” is a great one. The folks over at Heelpath Brewing Co have puts tons of work into their property which includes a nice outdoor space with this view. The location in the Frankfort Marina is perfect, in the picture above you can actually see where the Mohawk River meets the canal. Do you want beer with a side of wildlife? You got it! I guarantee if you spend just five minutes out on the Heelpath patio you’ll see a fish or two jump from the water, hear the birds sing, maybe even see something a little more rare like a blue heron.
Seeing the heart that people put into these breweries is the driving force behind this journey for me and its very clear to me that the people here at Heelpath Brewing Co have put in a lot of work to bring this brewery to their community. I’ve now had every beer they make and its obvious to me that the brewers have put in the work too and really know what they’re doing. I would say though I think they could afford to be a little bolder. Heelpath has an incredible facility and impressive brewing chops but in my opinion they could use a beer with a higher ABV and a little more creativity to separate them from the rest of the pack. I couldn’t form my thoughts at first until I had somebody describe their beers as “safe,” and I think that is spot on. As a whole though Heelpath Brewing Co is a great addition to Frankfort and the New York brewing scene and I have no doubt they will grow and succeed!
If you’re in the area stop by Heelpath Brewing Co at 122 Marina Park Dr in Frankfort NY or on Facebook of course. They are actually have their grand opening this weekend as well on October 5th from noon to 10pm. There will be live music, giveaways, the best grilled cheese ever served up by Southern Girl Food Truck and of course BEER. What more could you want?! Who knows maybe The Brewery Boy will be there!
Well that is brewery number 6 in the books! See you at the next one but until then, Cheers!
The Brewery Boy.