A visit to Wayward Lane Brewing in Schoharie
A visit to Wayward Lane Brewing in Schoharie
Plus, a flight for good causes at Heroes Brewing and other news and notes.
Note: This newsletter is supported by Donnelly’s Public House, a wonderful canal-side establishment in the village of Fairport.
When I asked a knowledgeable beer buddy about spots I should visit on our next trip to Schenectady to visit my wife’s family, he put it succinctly, “You’d be an idiot to miss Wayward Lane Brewing.”
So with that demonstrative sentiment in mind, I knew we had to visit this young brewery in Schoharie, Schoharie County. On a recent serene Saturday morning, we made the scenic 30-minute drive to Schoharie and were greeted with a parking lot full of chickens.
Wayward Lane, which will celebrate its first anniversary later this month, sits on 65 acres of a rolling farmland. The brewery and taproom is housed in a restored 1800s-era hop house.
Above, pictured: Dave Izzo, my incredible father-in-law, enjoyed our recent visit to Schoharie’s Wayward Lane Brewing.
I visited with my father-in-law Dave Izzo, a retired master electrician, who was blown away by all of the expert electrical work in the refurbished space. The barn preservation is really something to behold. (You really do get a great appreciation of seemingly mundane stuff like this when you hang out with Dave. I’d heartily recommend it.)
The vision
My beer buddy put me in contact with head brewer/co-owner Adam Rosenthal. I texted Adam the night before and expected he would just say a hearty hello to us when we arrived. Instead, he was insanely generous with his time, spending two hours with us and answering all of our questions.
Rosenthal, who discovered a love for homebrewing while attending the University of Colorado at Boulder, met two of his future brewery co-founders, Kyle Bergen (business operations) and Andrew Rowles (farm manager), while attending college. Another friend Abbie Hansen runs the taproom and coordinates events. Hansen and Rosenthal are engaged.
The friends explored opening a brewery in Colorado before determining they could make something uniquely upstate on Rowles’ family farm.
Hops were grown on the property from 1880s through the 1930s. But Rosenthal noted the Wayward team wanted to restore the property to its agrarian roots after it had mainly been a family estate for decades. The brewery is in the original hop-drying barn, while a neighboring orchard will bear fruits to use in the beer. With the hope that the honey can be used in the beer, there is also an apiary.
Along with the chickens, there are barn cats and friendly farm dogs.
Planning started in mid-2018. Construction began a year later. (The entire building was lifted to create room for proper drainage and plumbing.) The brewery opened in May 2021.
The beer
Where else are you gonna find a brewery with two seemingly esoteric flagships? (Hint: Nowhere.) The brewery features an incredibly nuanced and malt forward 3.8 percent alcohol English dark mild called Habitude and a refreshingly bitter 5.7 percent alcohol West Coast pale ale called Inhale.
Both are exquisite and perfectly encapsulate the Wayward ethos: Supremely drinkable and balanced beers.
Pictured: Wayward Lane head brewer Adam Rosenthal shows the brewery’s coolship, which is utilized to capture wild yeast for spontaneous beer that is then transferred to oak barrels for extended aging.
We were equally blown away by a Truth Be Told, a delightfully nutty Sticke Alt Bier made in collaboration with the soon-to-open Brewery Novalis. (Devoted readers in this space will recall I introduced you to this upcoming Syracuse lager brewery a few weeks back). And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Rosenthal’s Shadow Tricks, a smoked Helles lager that recently earned a gold medal at the New York Craft Beer Competition.
In the future, you can expect more wood-aged and spontaneous beers from Wayward Lane, something that shows true patience. It’s just really cool to see a former working farm now buzzing with life because of this shared vision from four friends. It’s a really wonderful place to enjoy a quiet afternoon. I can’t wait to visit again.
My advice: Don’t be an idiot. Visit Wayward Lane if you find yourself in the area.
Beer of the Week
A flight at Heroes Brewing Co. on Atlantic Avenue in the city of Rochester supports a slew of great causes and sparks a number of important conversations. Since opening in late 2020, Heroes has partnered with many local groups and nonprofits to both raise money and awareness for worthy causes.
The Heroes tap list always features variety and balance. During my recent visit, I enjoyed a beautifully malty and rich doppelbock, a refreshing gose, and a really nice Mexican hot chocolate stout (with a pleasant peppery kick on the finish). And each beer was brewed in collaboration with groups working to make the area better. Here’s a complete list of spots Heroes has partnered with.
News and notes
After a two-year hiatus, East Aurora’s 42 North Brewing is bringing back its Full Circle Fest from 2 to 6 p.m., Saturday, May 21. It’ll be held at Knox Farms State Park and feature more than a dozen regional craft beverage producers, live music, a pig roast, and more.
Williamson’s Rootstock Cider and Spirits is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a huge get-together on Thursday, May 26. The Wayne County spot will be pouring a sampling of beers aged in some of its spirits barrels, including beers from Mortalis, K2 Brothers, Knucklehead, and Swiftwater. More info is available here.
FIFCO USA, parent company of the Genesee Brewery, named a new leader this month. Current chief marketing officer Piotr Jurjewicz will succeed Rich Andrews as CEO. Jurjewicz joined FIFCO USA three years ago after spending more than twenty years in various roles with SABMiller. FIFCO also owns Labatt USA, Seagram’s Escapes. Magic Hat, Pyramid, and Imperial.
Title sponsor: Donnelly’s Public House
This work is made possible through support from Donnelly’s Public House, 1 Water St. in Fairport. So make sure to get out to Fairport and support one of the best establishments in our area.
I remain open to sponsorships, sponsored content, and advertisements, especially if it’ll keep the newsletter free for readers. And if you have information about upcoming releases, events, or happenings, don’t hesitate to reach out. For more information, feel free to drop me a line at clevelandprost@gmail.com.
And if you enjoyed this mid-week edition of the Cleveland Prost, please subscribe and share! See you again soon.