Something's Brewing in Schenectady

There are a few rare moments in life where one’s Venn diagram of intentional and instinctive desires— hedonism, altruism, locavorism, epicureanism— overlap. Readers, one of those fleeting moments has arrived in the form of the Schenectady Ale Trail.

Breweries have been popping up like dandelions all over the state, ever since Governor Andrew Cuomo hosted New York’s first Wine, Beer and Spirits Summit in 2012, with the stated intention of augmenting and supporting New York’s nascent craft beverage industry. Since then, New York has gone from having 95 breweries scattered hither and thither to the relatively dense crop of 415 and counting.

And while New York’s craft beer is indubitably fueled on fun, it’s also a serious business with an annual impact of $3.4 billion, according to the Stonebridge Research Group. For counties like Schenectady, with all of its draws—the deep historical roots, amazing Victorian architecture and blossoming night life—and its share of economic woes—such as the higher than average unemployment rate and lower than average household income—the craft beer business is a real opportunity to draw much-needed foot traffic and dollars from thirsty visitors and residents alike.

“We have six of the best breweries here, and while more and more visitors are streaming into Schenectady the city, we want to share more of that love with the rest of the county,” explains Schenectady native, craft enthusiast and executive director of Discover Schenectady County Becky Daniels. Discover Schenectady is a nonprofit organization that promotes travel, tourism and the businesses within the county’s bounds.

“We came up with the idea of the Schenectady Ale Trail as a way to honor the collaborative spirit of brewers here, drum up interest, and encourage beer drinkers to explore areas of the county they may not venture to otherwise,” she explains. 

Daniels, as a social, active, curious 33-year-old Schenectadite, is essentially her own best guinea pig. She reached out to the brewers about the notion of creating an Ale Trail that would formally link them, and they were all in. “In other industries, they might see each other as competitors, but the brewers here really are friends,” Daniels says. “Many of them already hang out and work together, so formalizing it via a Trail just made sense.”

It’s true. Collaborations are to craft beer what mixtapes are to Hip Hop; it’s not a good look if you’re not cranking one out with the other kid down the block. Just recently, Schenectady’s Back Barn Brewing Company and Wolf Hollow Brewing Company created a turn-of-the-century style Burton ale. Great Flats Brewing and Mad Jack Brewing turned out a Vacation Day IPA, that sounds exactly like what it is: a whimsical ode to sunny days made with Mosaic hops, pineapple and passion fruit puree.

The Ale Trail, which officially debuted in November of 2018, offers a $40 passport, which more than pays for itself—as long as you visit all six breweries. (It’s available online at schenectadyaletrail.com; for details on each participating brewery, check out our sidebar, below.)

“We wanted to make it a good deal, while still turning it into a game,” Daniels explains. “So each passport essentially buys them a flight of beer at each brewery. And when the entire passport is complete, they get an Ale Trail T-shirt while supplies last.”

It’s early days in terms of measuring the impact of the passport, but Discover Schenectady’s thirst for craft beer promotion is unquenchable and indubitably effective. Take Schenectady Beer Week, another one of Daniels’s collaborations. “2018 was the first year, and it was more about testing the waters,” she says. But 2019? The social engagement increased by more than 1,611% in terms of the highly untechnical but highly indicative rate of “interest” measured in the form of “likes” on Facebook. In 2018, only 187 showed any interest in attending a Schenectady Beer Week event, while more than 3,200 did this year.