Druthers brewing company: This is a very new brewery that just opened in Albany in May of 2015. They have another location in Saratoga which is also relatively new. It is one of the new generation of breweries known as a microbrewery that are becoming ever so popular, especially in Denver Colorado. They usually have food and don’t mass distribute their beer due to their small size and brewing capacity.
Albany pump station (C.H. Evans Brewing company): C.H. Evans Brewing Company is another local brewing company that has recently popped up in the Albany downtown area. It offers a nice variety of in-house brews along with a great selection of food to fit a variety of tastes. It is a fairly large building which gives it the ability to host larger events such as banquets while still delivering a brewery feel.
Dobler Brewing Company: Dobler Brewing Co is one of the few breweries that survived through prohibition. After opening in 1865 it became one of Albany’s top breweries. It was located Myrtle around the corner from the Park Ave/South Swan St intersection. It was knocked down in 1860 but a building where they use to stable the horses still stands.
Beverwyck Brewery: Beverwyck never closed down much like Dobler Brewing. This was another brewery of Albany that brewed lager before the implementation of prohibition, and much like Yuengling survived using this resource in order to survive.
Hedrick Brewing company: Hedrick is another one of the very few breweries that made it through the American prohibition, although it did shutdown completely for a few years, unlike other breweries who came up with creative ways to stay alive with and open during these times. The original brewery has been torn down and replaced by the Central Towers.
Tour Length: The length of this tour is estimated at 1 hour and 28 minutes walking.
I live in PA a few minutes’ drive from Yuengling Brewery, the oldest brewery in America. They survived prohibition by being creative and adapting to the situation. During prohibition they used their refrigeration, previously used to make their Lager, to make ice cream. They were also allowed to continue the production of their Porter due to its high alcohol content. This was because they were able to sell it to pharmacies and people could receive a prescription for the porter. How awesome would it be to go to the doctor and be prescribed a six pack? This got me thinking about how if any breweries survived prohibition in this area. Turns out that Albany was one of the biggest names in Brewing back in the day. Three of these breweries were able to do the unthinkable and survive the prohibition much like Yuengling. Some used creative means, others shut down entirely and started back up after the end of prohibition. It’s amazing to me that these companies were able to be so creative in figuring out a way to adapt and survive. Any brewery that didn’t produce lager beer before prohibition was without even a chance of staying afloat. I’m sure many avid beer drinkers, not to be confused with those who just drink your everyday beer like Bud or Coors, thy can only imagine what Albany’s beer scene used to be.
How did each of the 3 older breweries survive prohibition?
Why are those breweries that survived no longer around?
What are the differences between the old breweries and the newer ones of Albany?
