A Hudson Valley Almanac day-trip guide
Sixteen producers ring the Queen of American Lakes and the Washington County countryside behind it — a small, tight cluster built for a lakeside crawl rather than a sprawling tour. This is the gateway into the southern Adirondacks, and it pours accordingly: Adirondack-influenced whiskey, lake-view brewpubs, and one of the oldest cideries in the state at New York's oldest U-pick orchard.
Adirondack Pub & Brewery has anchored the village since 1999, brewing 25-plus Adirondack-themed beers on-site including the flagship Bear Naked Ale. Adirondack Winery is a family-owned fixture with multiple tasting rooms and an in-house cidery line, and High Peaks Distilling runs replica copper pot stills on Canada Street, producing Scottish-influenced whiskey named for Mount Marcy. Lake George Distilling Company keeps a village tasting room a short walk from the water.
American Oak Distillery matures whiskey in charred American oak, then passes the used barrels to local maple producers for bourbon-barrel-aged syrup. Bolton Landing Brewing Company keeps a small 7-barrel brewhouse with a lake-view patio just down the shore.
Cooper's Cave Ale Company in Glens Falls doubles as an old-fashioned ice cream parlor alongside its English-style ales. In Queensbury, Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery distills on 200 acres with French Mountain views, and Northway Brewing Co. sits on the corridor connecting Saratoga to the southern Adirondacks. Bandstand Brew Works in Warrensburg is a natural stop heading toward Schroon Lake.
Argyle Brewing Company was Washington County's first farm brewery, and Scotlander Brewing Company, on a hilltop farm in the same previously-dry town, made history as the town's first-ever brewery. In Fort Ann, Battle Hill Brewing Company brews from an 1840 building overlooking a Revolutionary War battle site, and Lake George Distilling Company's production farm sits five minutes from the lake. Up in Granville, Slyboro Ciderhouse presses cider at Hicks Orchard — New York's oldest U-pick — and Slate Town Brewing Company pours on Main Street in the former "Colored Slate Capital of the World." Slickfin Brewing Company rounds out the county on the Champlain Canal corridor in Fort Edward.
This is the most compact piece in the series — most of Warren County's stops are within a 20-minute drive of Lake George Village. Washington County spreads out a bit more toward Granville and the Vermont line. Bring a designated driver, especially around the village in summer.
Browse by county on the Almanac: Warren and Washington. For the region-wide picture, see The Hudson Valley Craft-Beverage Trail, and for a curated day loop, A Saturday in Lake George.
The smallest piece in the series, and the easiest to actually finish in one day.