5 craft beverages in Schenectady County, New York.
Established in 2018, Frog Alley Brewing Co. is the first brewery of its scale in the Schenectady area — a full-scale brewing, bottling, and canning operation in the redeveloped Mill Artisan District on lower State Street. Founded by JT Pollard, who also developed the surrounding mixed-use district. The taproom features Frog Alley's own beers (the Wit Your Mom Belgian-style wit is a fan favorite) plus contract beers from Rare Form Brewing (Troy) and Crossroads Brewing (Catskill) served from converted shipping containers. The name pays homage to the historic lower State Street neighborhood that took its nickname from a baseball team — the Frog Alleys — arrested for playing ball on Sundays in 1903.
A farm craft brewery in downtown Schenectady, open since 2017 and brewing each of its beers with New York State-grown ingredients. The flagship Lafayette IPA was awarded Best IPA in the Hudson Valley at the 2019 TAP NY festival — a full-bodied copper-colored IPA double dry-hopped with NYS Cascade, NYS Centennial, NYS Columbus, and Mosaic hops. The taproom offers 14 beers on tap, and patrons are welcome to bring their own food or have delivery brought in.
A meadery in the rolling hills of Route 30 with a breathtaking view of three counties — featuring an award-winning array of meads and ciders alongside Nordic-themed merchandise in the on-site Meadhall. Helderberg's meads break the mold of typical sweet meads, featuring a wide range of complex flavors from zero-sugar dry to dessert-sweet. A stop on the Capital Craft Beverage Trail.
A brewing company tied to the historic Van Dyck Restaurant and Lounge in Schenectady's Stockade District — Mad Jack brews a range of small-batch ales served at the Van Dyck alongside live music in one of the Capital Region's longest-running music venues. Lineup includes the Mad Frog IPA and rotating seasonal releases.
A NY State Farm-licensed brewery in Glenville (Schenectady County), often called "pound-for-pound one of the best breweries in the state" by Capital Region beer writers. Brews a wide-ranging lineup of IPAs, lagers, stouts, and farm-fermentation styles using New York-grown ingredients. Relaxed taproom on Amsterdam Road.