Great Flats Brewing, Schenectady

You’ve seen them at the Schenectady Greenmarket and have seen their beer around the Capital Region but if you haven’t stopped by to try Great Flats Brewing right from the source, you’re missing out!

Note: This is part of my personal 2021 Capital Craft Beverage Trail journey to fill the passport.

Being that I’m from Schenectady and live in Schenectady, it only seems right that our Capital Craft Beverage Trail starts in Schenectady with Great Flats Brewing. Great Flats Brewing opened in 2017 in what was an old tire warehouse turned Crossfit gym. Luckily, it’s now something I can actually visit! They describe themselves as a “family-owned, quality focused, farm craft brewery.” Their name comes from the fresh water aquifer underneath Schenectady (An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock- don’t worry, I had to look it up too). Great Flats Brewing isn’t just known for utilizing the Schenectady water for its beer but by also collaborating with many local businesses to really keep it a New York beer.

While they don’t have a kitchen of their own, they don’t mind if you bring your own food to enjoy (Firestone 151 is right next door) or utilize the many food trucks that they have parked outside on occasion.

Since it was the first beer of what we assumed to be a few in the day, my boyfriend and I shared a flight.

• Farmer’s Bounty (5% ABV): 100% NYS Hops and Grain, Farmer’s Bounty is hazy and hoppy with notes of fruit punch. This one was pretty good, not too fruity, not bad.
• Bass Fishin’ (6% ABV): An all American hobby like Bass Fishing calls for an official beer, 100% NYS hops and barley give this hoppy IPA a beautiful citrusy bouquet and piney finish. There’s something in this flavor that I recognize but I can’t put my “taste buds” on it. Pretty good all around, though.
• Spike Imperial IPA (8.5% ABV): This strong and slightly bitter Imperial IPA is a tribute to Spike. Sip, enjoy and let the good times roll. This one was pretty good but had an aftertaste I wasn’t too fond of.
• It’s Just Juice (5.7% ABV): It’s a sour IPA that tastes not quite like orange juice or pineapple juice but somewhere in the middle. This kettle sour IPA was fermented on a blend of orange and pineapple purees to create the ultimate juice inspired beer. I was nervous that this was gonna be too sour for my liking but I really enjoyed it. Still wouldn’t be able to have more than a taster but it was a good change in flavor from the others.