Grist Iron Brewing Company
4880 NY-414
Burdett, NY 14818
(607) 882-2739

Grist Iron is a brewpub on the east side of Senaca Lake. It is part of a larger hospitality complex with a hotel and guest cabins, so the sign down at the road has all this information.
A street sign in the complex points to the brewery.
There are no signs on the premises.
Turns out this is a pretty cool place.
The entry way from the front goes around to the side of the bar area.
We find several tables there and several more in a large alcove.
Outside is an even larger patio, and a large lawn for picnics.
The brewing operation is in the front of the building, behind the bar.
Grist Iron has about 8 of their own beers on tap.
Brews can be had in pints, flights, or can be taken home in crowlers.
Food was pricey but arrived in large portions.

Brewery Ommegang
656 County Highway 33  Cooperstown, NY 13326
(607) 544-1800

Brewery Ommegang is a stellar fixture among American regional breweries.
Nestled in the beautiful Susquehanna Valley, just south of Cooperstown, NY, the brewery was sold in 2003 to Brouwerij Duvel Mortgat, makers of the popular Duvel Golden Ale.
Brewery Ommegang is a pioneer in the brewing of Belgian-style beer in the U.S.
The brewery's setting is picturesque, and is built along the style of a Belgian farmhouse. Tours are given, and there is a tasting room in which to consume samples.
Ommegang now has a cafe in which to enjoy lunch.
A Questor will find Ommegang beers well-represented while crawling through the pubs of baseball-centric Cooperstown.

Buster's Brew Pub
Bldg P-4350, Commons, 2nd Street
Fort Drum, New York, 13602
(315) 772-1900

This little brew pub is located at Ft. Drum, just outside of Watertown in New York's north country.
You need to have someone escort you on base, or call the brew pub ahead of time to request access, otherwise you'll be shot and killed at the gate. Well they may not shoot you, but they certainly won't let you in.
The small selection at Buster's Brew Pub includes 6 taps, 5 of which are fairly standard while the 6th is a rotating seasonal.
The beer and food were very low priced, but that was reflected in the quality of the beer.
No matter, in the Questor's world, new beers = data, so find a way to get on base and visit this pleasant brew pub.

Lake Placid Pub and Brewery
813 Mirror Lake Dr
Lake Placid, NY  12946
1-866-4UBUALE

Known for their Ubu Ale, the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery is located on Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, Maryland.  With 5 or 6 different beers on tap, there aren't a ton of options, but what they do have is well worth the visit.  The award-winning Ubu Ale, an English Strong Ale, alone makes the trip worthwhile.

Great Adirondack Brewing Company
2442 Main St
Lake Placid, NY 12946
518-523-1629

The Great Adirondack Brewing Company
is located in downtown Lake Placid at the Great Adirondack Steak and Seafood Restaurant. The 7-barrel brewing system is located in a separate building behind the restaurant. The bar is small but boasts 7 taps with several different seasonal brews available throughout the year.  A great little place to visit when up in the area.

Bullfinch Brewpub
306 Hiawatha Blvd.
Syracuse, NY 13204
(315) 217-5535

Bullfinch is brewpub just inside the main entrance of a major shopping  mall in Syracuse.
The restaurant side has about 35 booths. The large polygonal bar has seating all around, even extending like a patio into the mall.  
The brewing operation is tucked into a corner.  
Bullfinch has about 10 beers on tap and a small pub grub menu.  The previous tenant was Gordon Birsch, and Bull Finch is not embarrassed to use their logo glasses! 
At 7:00 pm on a Friday many seats at the bar were taken, although this Questor was the only diner. 

Syracuse Suds Factory
320 S. Clinton St.
Syracuse, NY 13202
ph (315) 471-AALE [2253]

Just around the corner from Clark's, you'll find the Syracuse Suds Factory. They offer 7 taps of their home beer, and 6 macros, along with an extensive bottle list. A long, L-shaped bar seats about 20, and the large room proffers numerous booths and tables. The setting could be described as Industrial/Urban-Casual, with lots of brick, glass, and metal. A jazz band was playing during our visit, which augmented our experience. Our barmaid, Heather, was helpful and informative. The Suds Factory definitely merits a stop on a Questor's Syracuse beer tour.

Scale House Brewery
23 Cinema Dr
Ithaca , NY 14850-1682
(607) 257-0107

In the Lansing section of Ithaca, in a strip mall behind another mall, wedged between an Asian tofu parlor and a laundromat, you will find a hidden gem...the Scale House Brewery.
The Pub joins Northeast Pizza, so the Questor can satisfy his hunger and thirst simultaneously.
Scale House cooks, ferments, and dispenses their beers from shiny 5-barrel tanks behind the bar, and there are three of them...pils, bock, and a red ale.
Owner Steve Fazzary was glad to explain his system of fresh beer and tasty pizza.
Scale House seemed like a fun place with something always going on; live music ranges from bluegrass to blues to jazz, and there's a karaoke night too.
If you are visiting the vibrant beer community of Ithaca, Scale House is worth searching out.

Pearl Street Grill and Brewery
Pearl Street
Buffalo , New York 14202
716-856-2337

My expectations were low. Buffalo is a nice little big city. They have an NFL team best known for reasons best forgotten. So we sojourned into what natives once proudly proclaimed as the country's most dangerous square mile. The menu says up to 70% of the crime in the nation was believed to be committed in the vicinity of this brewery's location. If that won't pack ‘em in, what will?
Relax that was 1841 it is only half that bad now.

Pearl Street is in a big old brick building. It fronts on a corner but the upstairs seems to run the entire block. It is a pleasing-looking place, lots of wooden furniture, turns and twists, raised levels, a couple bars and the brew works behind glass right on site and plenty of bricks throughout.

There is some old time rock and roll playing when we walk in.
The first thing you notice is the serving options...10 oz., 16 oz,. 22 oz., 32 oz., 100 oz. and 180 oz. None of them are pitchers by the way, they are glasses, yards plus. My choices are the regular rotation of Lake Effect Pale Ale, Lighthouse Premium Blond, Saber's Edge Double IPA, Street Brawler Stout, Trainwreck German amber, Wild Ox Wheat with today's seasonals Rye Wist of Fete, Lune d'Bleu, and Spirit of Buffalo Summer Lager.

My first choice is an APA, Lake Effect, in the home wrecker size. You'll have to visit to find how many ounces that is, I will never tell. I sit facing a window and off in the distance is a jumbotron like screen showing the minor league baseball game of the Buffalo Bisons—I'll bet you did not see that one coming! An outrageous blonde walks by and she has the ability to cast a shadow as large as a beach umbrella, an amazing sight to behold and even more enjoyable because the APA is a truly good beer. Good body (the beer this time), consistent quality and taste with just enough chew to please you even if you weren't wondering how they can construct a bra to function so well under such a dynamic load. I am thinking Pearl Street is a nice surprise.

The Wild Ox Wheat is billed as a German Hefe is as good an American German as you're likely to find in a local brewpub.

After several more, I am calling Pearl Street a damn nice brewpub. We all eat and I go with a mussel and seafood creole that has more mussels and shell fish than any meal I have ever had. On a lark I finish the evening with a chocolate and raspberry stout. It has such a delicious chocolate and raspberry smell that I do not want to drink it. I drink. Bingo, dessert beer. Delicious, but my previous beer and beer size choices have done me in and it is difficult to finish as the sweetness and exploding favor needs to be in a smaller glass than I got. After you've had the wings, go to Pearl Street and enjoy some really fine beers in a pleasing variety of styles.

Sackets Harbor Brewing Company
212 West Main Street
Sackets Harbor, New York 13685
Phone (315)646-BREW

Sackets Harbor Brewing Company is located on the water in the tourist district. The restaurant has waterside seating. The bar is fairly small, high ceilinged and darkly paneled; a very comfortable place to drink. They have a 10-barrel system with four fermenters adjacent to the bar. The bar food was a little pricy, but good and plenty. Eight beers were on tap. All were tasty if not true to style. Their Scotch Octoberfest is a Scotch-stlye beer made with German ingredients.