I never count on a brewery to make delicious hard seltzer and then I ended up with a crowler from Bye-i Brewing in Cohoes.
Bye-i Brewing opened in Cohoes in mid-2020 by Robert Newberry and George Powley of Waterford. According to the Times Union, “the name Bye-i Brewing originated from a catchphrase they use when making home improvements; instead of a specific measurement or size, they like to say, “Do it by eye.” Based on their Facebook, they’re “committed to bringing to patrons the beer they deserve, never sacrificing quality for profits. We seek to be the next symbol of Capital District culture, to give back to the community, and those working to provide the public with this vision.”
I ended up ordering two flights to share with my boyfriend, because why not, right? We got to try the whole menu and everything was honestly delicious. You can see the full menu below but there were a few that stuck out. First, the 131 Pale Ale is a great signature, great spring/summer beer, we took home a crowler of it. I enjoyed the “Dam Oh” a lot but I don’t ever tend to hide my love for New England IPAs. The 131 Hab is their 131 Pale Ale with the addition of habanero peppers. It’s got a slight spice but nothing that’s going to have you run for something else to drink. I don’t think I could handle a whole pint but I definitely enjoyed the taste.
What really blew my mind was their Hard Infusions. Bye-i makes the hard seltzer base themselves and then adds the fruit fusion per order. I ordered the mango Hard Infusion and you could see that my drink was separated and needed to be mixed. It was delicious. It was light, flavorful, and didn’t leave you with that leftover seltzer taste (we took home a crowler of this too).
The only downside is that they don’t serve food on site but it was nice to have the option to order from Cafe Monocle. They gave us a menu, we ordered through the waiter/bartender at Bye-i, Cafe Monocle delivered and we paid the delivery person for the food. That’s a great partnership they have there and great beer cheese at Cafe Monocle, if you ask me!
