Is Malta a beer destination? You betcha!
The Saratoga County town is home to two great breweries and will soon add a third.
One of the coolest parts about being married to my best friend (besides being married to my best friend and the sudden appearance of two kids) is gaining a bunch of new family members.
Cass has a bunch of family in and around Albany, so we’ve spent quite a bit of time around the Capital District in the last decade. And during that time, I’ve visited pretty much every brewery in that area. Before I was able to do this, I thought the Albany beer scene was exceedingly lame.
Because Albany is at the crossroads of Vermont and New York, the Capital District receives insanely good beer distribution. (Or at least that’s what I attribute it to. If I’m wrong, please correct me.) It’s not out of the ordinary to walk into a corner bar and find a Hill Farmstead beer on draft. And Albany has three of the best beer bars in the state — Mohawk Place in Scotia, The Ruck in Troy, and Delaware Supply in Albany. If any of those spots were in Rochester, they would easily become my home bar. (RIP Tap and Mallet.)
Because we previously spent a bunch of time in the Scotia/Glenville area, I became particularly fond of Wolf Hollow Brewing in West Glenville. (I even tried like hell to get them to come to the Expo.) It’s a really unassuming, woodsy place with a killer selection of beers and a rotating food menu (often provided by different food trucks). When describing Wolf Hollow, I’ve compared the brewery to Rohrbach Brewing in Rochester. That is to say, the brewery really excels in classic styles and is a great place to hang out. I’m a huge Wolf Hollow fan.
After some of my wife’s family moved to the Clifton Park area in southern Saratoga County, I had a new area to explore beer and breweries. That led me to Malta, where we often stay with the kids when visiting family. Unexpectedly, I found a vibrant little scene. And it’s one that promises to be even better in the near future.
Active Ingredient Brewing
Active Ingredient Brewing (located in Sitwell Plaza, 2443 US-9 Suite 301, Malta, NY 12020) bills itself as a “brew-lab” due to the pharmaceutical background of its two founders, Brian Fox and Nathan Rogers. Both worked as pharmacists in a previous life. And it’s that nerdy, inquisitive approach that shines in both the beers and beer names. It opened in May 2021.
AIBC first jumped onto my radar after it earned two medals at the 2023 New York State Craft Beer Competition. One of those medals was a gold for Delta pH, an absolutely incredibly Bartlett pear sour. After trying that beer at the competition, I knew I had to visit when presented with the chance. And with Cassie’s family living less than 10 minutes away, I was able to sneak away with my father-in-law Dave. (Needing a break from family, we often sneak away together. It’s a beautiful thing.)
Upon entering Active Ingredient, I was struck by how bright and light the space was. Sitting in a shopping plaza, I admittedly had low expectations of the interior. But it was definitely I place I’d wanna spend a few hours and enjoy a few pints. (And that’s what I’ve done on a few occasions while enjoying English Premier League soccer.)
There’s also a kitchen on-site with a menu full of pub favorites like wings, burgers, and salads.
When we visited, I was most impressed with the variety and craftsmanship of the beers. I loved the aforementioned medal-winning sour and was equally amped about the dry ciders produced there. I giggled at a New England-style DIPA named Mom Genes and savored every sip of a really beautiful Munich-style dunkel lager called Depth Beyond.
Unified Beerworks
Unified Beerworks (7 Old Stonebreak Rd #4, Malta, NY 12020) is around the corner from AIBC. (Google Maps says the drive is 0.7 miles, but the walk, which is less circuitous, makes it undoubtedly closer and more direct.) Unified first popped up on my radar after my good beer buddy, Mike Martini, who owns the previously mentioned Mohawk Taproom in Scotia, raved about it. He said Unified was quietly one of the best breweries in the Capitol District. And when it comes to hot beer takes, you should really listen to Mike, because he knows his shit.
The husband-and-wife team of Jeff Mannion and Erika Anderson opened Unified in October 2018. In all of my interactions with Jeff and Erika, I’ve been wildly impressed and heartened with how they share responsibilities at the brewery. It’s a true partnership. They both brew, and they’ve made sure the brewery is a welcoming and caring place. Unified, as the name demonstrates, is a place where all are welcome. And they’ve shown that through their embrace of the Pink Boots Society and different Pride initiatives.
The brewery is in more of an industrial-like complex with the brewery itself standing as the centerpiece of the space. Tables are all situated to take advantage of that brewery view, allowing people to experience the system and see where the beers are produced. I really love that unassuming atmosphere.
Unified really excels with hazy IPAs. But don’t let the hop-forward ethos fool you, because you’re just as likely to get a killer lager there. There are multiple side-pour taps, which make it ideal to enjoy a mug of fresh, local lager.
It’s just a relaxing spot where folks (and families) are welcome. And it’s the kind of place I’d visit frequently if we lived closer.
Having two excellent breweries as neighbors, the people of Malta and southern Saratoga County are definitely spoiled. Located right in front of Unified is a really solid bottle shop called BEVS. I found a lot of excellent stuff there on my visits, including some beers from Tilted Barn and Eredita in Connecticut, Montucky Cold Snacks, and a few beers from Trillium.
The Malta beer scene is about to get even busier and more hyped. According to local reports in Albany, Fidens Brewing is looking to open a huge taproom/production brewery in Malta. Fidens, which for my money makes the best hazy beers in NYS, already has a production space in neighboring Colonie and a restaurant/taproom in Albany’s Warehouse District. It’s unclear if all production will be moved to Malta. (I haven’t done any digging there, but will report back if I find anything out.) Regardless, this will just be another reason to spend some time in Malta.
If you haven’t checked it out, I wrote a super in-depth feature about Fidens last year for Good Beer Hunting. It’s probably one of the best pieces of writing I’ve ever done. And I would love for you to check it out. You can read it here.
And that’s before we even consider the soon-to-open Tree House Brewing spot in Saratoga. (That spot is currently open for to-go orders. We took advantage of it while visiting family back around Christmas. So I’m guessing that means the brewery itself is pretty close to fully opening.)
An embarrassment of riches really.
A final note: It’s pretty wild to think I’ve been working on this independent publication for over two years now. In that time, I’ve published nearly 250 newsletters, highlighted some of my favorite people in the industry, curated two beers festivals (that featured 150 participants and 4,600 attendees), and continued to break all the biggest news in the region (closures, consolidations, openings, etc.).
The Cleveland Prost remains the preeminent source for regional beer news. If you own a brewery, bar, or beer-adjacent business, this is the best place to reach the nerds you wanna be in front of. So I remain open to sponsorships, advertisements, and sponsored content. Feel free to reach out to me at clevelandprost@gmail.com for more. And more than anything, thanks for all the support. None of this would be possible without the devoted (and thirsty) audience.
Well, guess I have to add this to my agenda on my next trip to the Capital District!