Woodland Farm Brewery, Utica NY

Summer 2022 Trip, Day 1

Woodland Farm is one of those places that I don’t regret going to, but that appears rather better on their website than in real life. The beers were not bad, but far from the best I’ve enjoyed at other breweries.

That said, I was very happy to walk in the door after a dozen or so miles driving on the NY Thruway in very heavy rain!

I started off with a flight as usual:

I didn’t realize when taking the photo that I was chopping off some of the text! From left to right, these are:

Karl the Great – Kölsch – 5.2% – it was decent but surprisingly fruity, and not what I was expecting from a Kölsch. It just didn’t taste … German …

Nutser – Schwarzbier – 5.1% – one of the best of the four, the most true to its style in my opinion.

Son of a Birch – Farmhouse Ale – 6.2% – the description mentions a “rich and dry earthiness” and I suppose that says it all – I’d hoped for more of a Farmhouse Saison style but this wasn’t it.

Up All Night – Country Pale Ale – 5.8% – I didn’t really know what to expect, but Paste Magazine (one I’m not familiar with) rated this as “#11 of the top 151 pale ales.” Eh, not impressed.

These were accompanied by a burger special that included spinach, pickled onions, and a garlic aioli – tasty, but VERY messy!

The flight was followed by a pint of their Principia IPA, 6.2%, which blends west coast, east coast, and New England styles together into one. I enjoyed it, but felt that by trying to be everything it lost all sense of identity.

Finally, I did a 10 oz. pour of their Anatomy of the State Baltic Porter at 7.5%. I loved both the beer and its motto: “Drink Beer and Be Ungovernable.” Even though I don’t so much care for dark beers in warm months, I felt this was the best of the lot because it really hit the style.

Tomorrow, I’ll be at an old favorite haunt, Schmidt’s in Columbus OH, for German food and beer. G’suffa!

And to close, here are two more shots from inside Woodland Farm: