Bullfinch Brewpub, Syracuse NY

2 November 2022

I’m on my way to Ohio for a long weekend of R&R and decided once again to do a half-day’s drive to Syracuse before continuing to my destination. I’ve even been to the Destiny USA Mall here, visiting the World of Beer a couple of years ago. But now there’s a new brewpub in town and it’s also in this large mall.

Bullfinch is a family-owned craft brewery with a farm as well, so all the food is farm-to-table. The attention to detail definitely shows! As to the space they’re in, I almost wonder whether they took over a different establishment’s spot as it reminds me an awful lot of a chain of brewpubs I’ve been to in other places …

I started off with a flight of four which I’ll describe from left-to-right:

Find Familiar FEST – this is an Amber Lager at 5.8% that is their nod to Oktoberfest. It was interesting – not outstanding in any way, but by its subtlety, perhaps the best of the lot. It was definitely one I could have repeated.

Modify Memory – a NEIPA at 8%, they bill this as “pushing the bounds of hoppy bitterness,” but I didn’t find that to be the case at all. Instead, the higher alcohol content provided a sweetness that, combined with the NEIPA flavors, made this a very well-balanced brew. Even though I’m not always a fan of the higher ABV beers, this was easily my favorite of the four.

Fog Cloud – another NEIPA, but only 6.5% this time, this was very good, but honestly, it was so much like every other very good NEIPA out there. In spite of how much I liked it, I wouldn’t have done a second simply because I could get this taste at many brewpubs throughout the Northeast.

Insight Czech – this Czech Pilsner at 6% started out as my favorite of the flight but ended up my least favorite. Why? I’m still not sure, but something about it didn’t wear well with me – it seemed too edgy in the end almost as if it were being served before its time.

Their food menu is not huge but everything sounded so good. I fell for the Reuben which they make with brisket (and yes, that sealed the deal!). Rather than the standard chips, I decided it wouldn’t hurt me to have a side salad, which I ordered with Bleu Cheese dressing as usual … and the salad then came with a liberal sprinkling of crumbled Bleu Cheese in addition to what was in the dressing! The brisket was so tender and tasty; my only complaint would be that I had to use my knife and fork for the sandwich, but that’s a real nit-picky complaint. The taste was just marvelous and the last bite was every bit as good as the first (and that can’t be said about a lot of restaurant food).

At this point, I really debated what to do for a follow-on pint. I was so tempted to repeat one of the selections from the flight but I was also glad I didn’t because otherwise I would have missed out on this beauty:

That’s their Hex Hefe, a traditional German-style Hefeweizen at 5.2%. I don’t always like this style, but this one was so flavorful and true to the German traditions that I was really glad to close out this visit with it.

I’m not a fan of Syracuse in general, but if I find myself back in this area again – and I most likely will – I’ll definitely plan a return to Bullfinch.