Heart of New York Craft Beverage Trail
HIGHLIGHTS
Oneida County Brew Scene
Central New York is America's Craft
Brew Destination and Oneida County
is at the heart of it.
That's why the Getaway Region cre-
ated the Heart of New York Craft Bev-
erage Trail, which unites nine
breweries, distilleries and wineries in
the Utica area and throughout the
county. All are part of the larger Brew
Central initiative that includes nearly
100 craft producers and pubs.
The Heart of New York Craft Bever-
age Trail covers everyone from
Utica's legendary F.X. Matt Brewing
Co. to award-winning Adirondack
Distilling Co. and startups like
Prospect Falls Winery.
An obsession with local ingredients
makes this trail worth the trip. Adiron-
dack Distilling goes so far as to use
Herkimer diamonds – a unique
quartz found only in the nearby
foothills of the Adirondack Mountains
– in its spirit filtering process.
“There’s a renaissance of the upstate
culture and the demand for local
products, ” Master Distiller Jordan
Karp says. “That’s a big part of this.
The fact that it’s made with care by
the people that live here says some-
thing.”
Woodland Hop Farm and Fermenta-
tion Co-Founder AJ Spado shares
that philosophy with his Heart of New
York Craft Beverage Trail-mates, in-
cluding Nail Creek Pub & Brewery
and Villa Verona Vineyard as well as
the recent additions of Copper City
Brewing Co., Bagg's Square Brewery
and 16 Stone Brew Pub.
"We wanted to be involved in the
brewing process as much as possi-
ble," Spado explains. "Just like a win-
ery grows its own grapes, we think it's
important to produce our own ingre-
dients."
If Oneida County Brew Central mem-
bers aren't making craft beverages,
they're serving them. A half-dozen craft
pubs make for a crawl that ensures visi-
tors they get a true taste of Central New
York.
Whether pulling up a stool or talking
brew with the people who make it, you
can craft your own beverage adventure
in Oneida County and Central New
York.