Taste The 518: Drink Albany & the Capital Craft Beverage Trail

Happy Tuesday, Capital District! Today, we’re getting you hyped for Drink Albany at the NYS Museum. Plus, check out our Home of the Week and music listings for the entire week.

Raise your glasses 🍻 ladies & gents!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

In partnership with

Taste your way through the Capital Craft Beverage Trail at Drink Albany 🥃 🍸️🍏 

The Capital Craft Beverage Trail was created about a decade ago to promote—you guessed it—craft beverage producers in and around the Capital Region.

Every April, the CCBT puts out a passport. The idea is that you’ll hit the trail, visiting some of New York State’s finest farms and distilleries specializing in small-batch, locally produced wine, beer, hard cider and other spirits. The producers include Brown’s Brewing Co. in Troy, Active Ingredient Brewing Co. in Malta, and Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, just to name a few.

With each visit you collect a sticker. Once you fill up your passport, the CCBT will send you a prize and invite you to special events.

One of those special events is Drink Albany 2024, taking place on Oct. 18 at the New York State Museum. The evening pop-up tasting event will feature more than two dozen local producers from the trail. Didn’t get your passport? You can buy tickets instead. (Hurry, the last Drink Albany event sold out.)

This year, the craft beverage makers have something to celebrate—a new law signed by the governor in August now gives hard cider and spirit producers the ability to ship direct-to-consumer across New York and to other states that have reciprocal laws. This is a huge win that will allow small producers to bypass distributors and retail stores, making it easier for them to get their goods directly to customers.

“A lot of distilleries are really struggling right now, and many of them are located in rural areas outside of population centers, so they can’t easily get their products in front of customers. We’re one of them,” says Derek Grout, owner of Harvest Spirits Distillery in Valatie, a stop along the trail. “We would happily ship to customers anywhere in New York.”

Harvest Spirits distills its old-style applejack, single malt whiskey and other spirits right where the apples are grown, picked and turned into cider, at Golden Harvest Farms on Route 9 in Columbia County. The tasting room, located next to the popular bakery and roadside stand, is open daily.

Can’t get to Valatie for a tasting? You can sample Harvest Spirits’ award-winning, small-batch beverages at Drink Albany. And starting Nov. 16, you can purchase product directly and get it sent to your home.

“The big distributors are not motivated to sell product from niche craft distilleries,” Derek says. “This law will create an additional channel of sales and income for us, especially during the holidays. It’s exciting.”

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🫙 🦫 THE 518 TIP JAR IS OPEN!

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🌮 Troy is reeling from a slew of business closures, including Tatu Tacos & Tequila, the Whiskey Pickle and the Twisted Fiddler. Meanwhile, as Henry the Tourism Gnome told us last week, the Flour Bender Bakeshop opened in Troy to great fanfare.

🛑 A ginormous ‘Vote for Trump’ sign in Amsterdam is riling up city officials. The CEO of Sticker Mule spent $125,000 on the massive sign, but the city says it violates code. [Times Union]

🚔️ The grace period for speeding near Albany schools has ended. Cameras installed at these schools will be capturing cars that go over 20 mph. Slow your roll, folks, the fine per violation is $50 😬 

🍨 Stewart’s Shops scored big wins at the 2024 World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin. The local chain won first place awards for Best Strawberry Milk, Best Mint Chip Ice Cream and Best Sherbet. See our tasting of all the seasonal flavors at Stewart’s.

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🎟️ WHAT’S HAPPENING

Note: Our full weekend roundup publishes on Thursdays. Check your inboxes!

🧑‍🎨 Tonight, Mojo’s Cafe and Gallery hosts a “Drink & Draw” event with a live model. If you can’t draw, well, you definitely know how to drink!

🔥 On Friday, “Hadestown” opens at Proctors. The Tony Award-winning musical intertwines two mythic tales—young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and Persephone—on a hell-raising journey to the underworld.

🎵 Also Friday, folk rockers The Mountain Goats bring their narrative songwriting and catchy melodies to The Egg. And Lil Wayne performs at the MVP Arena.

💀 The Albany Twilight Market returns on Saturday, this time at the Washington Park Lakehouse.

🖼️ Troy Open Studios on Saturday is your chance to meet talented artists up-close.

🥣 This weekend brings two big food festivals: Chowderfest in Troy and International Flavorfeast in Saratoga. Btw, tix are on sale now for the Mac-n-Cheese Bowl in Cohoes on Oct. 19.

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