Bluestone Brewing, Sayre PA
8 May 2024
Until a few years ago when they stopped brewing their own beer, Market Street Brewing in Corning NY was always my go-to stop along the Southern Tier route in NY State. They only had five taps, always four regulars and one seasonal, but the beer, food, and service were all great and downtown Corning was a pleasant place to stop and walk for a bit. That all ended a few years ago when they decided to close the brewing side of things.
I usually end up stopping somewhere in the Binghamton area instead, but was looking to see if there was a new option anywhere for this trip and I stumbled on Bluestone Brewing. They are just barely into Pennsylvania at the spot where I-86 dips just south of the border, and while their neighborhood is not as pleasant as downtown Corning, they’ve certainly created a great little place with a lot of beers.
Even better, they built this building themselves! They’d bought the property to develop and flip but realized it would be a perfect spot for them to bring their home brewing skills to the people in this area at larger scale. There’s also an outdoor seating area but I didn’t get a good photo of that so you’ll just have to imagine it; the access to it is through the double glass doors in the third photo and it wraps around to the back of the building (those doors are on the side).
Here’s my flight of five, and I’ll start by providing the brewery’s descriptions of each from left-to-right, back row to front row:
Lost in the Sauce – Cranberry Ginger Sour, 6.7% – This offering was conceived, written and brewed by our intern, Maria “Mia” Demos. In our humble, unbiased opinion, it’s amazing. She made a beer that’s tart, fruity, complex and refreshing. Great brew, Mia! The aroma has a touch of fresh ginger, backed by guava-like fruitiness. The fruity tartness plays well with fresh cranberry. It’s perfectly light and crisp. Big excite! (That’s for you, Mia)
Ursa – White Wheat Lager, 4.9% – This lager begins with hand-peeled lemon zest and cracked coriander, giving it a distinctively Belgian twist. It’s brewed with plenty of white wheat and a classic German lager yeast with subdued banana and spice notes. Ursa is delicate and crisp with a soft, light body. The lemon peel and coriander are subtle, adding a touch of sweet fruitiness to the clean finish.
Penna – American Pale Ale, 5.5% – A classic pale ale is timeless. Hoppy beers run the gamut from soft and juicy to aggressively bitter. This beer falls comfortably in the middle, with hop character and fruity notes working together to make a very refreshing beer. Penna is a well-balanced pale ale. It is bursting with notes of tropical fruit and sweet citrus. The bitterness is clean and approachable.
For the Record – New England IPA, 6.8% — Why do people like music on vinyl? It’s raw, nuanced and has great depth and fullness. We wanted a beer to match. This NEIPA is a tribute to Bluestone’s Vinyl Thursday. It’s generously double dry hopped to really crank up the bold juiciness. For the Record features Citra and Rakau hops. It’s packed with citrus and tropical fruit notes, backed by a silky body. It’s big on hops, not bitterness.
Mythical Beasts – Oatmeal Stout, 5.5% – Peering into the darkness, we can’t help but wonder what’s hiding in there. This stout is full of both traditional and modern characters, appealing to both beer purists and those simply here to enjoy the flavor journey. The aroma is rich with caramel and dark fruit. Dark chocolate, espresso and toffee flavors are prominent. It is full-bodied, toasty and pleasantly dry.
My favorites? The last three, definitely, all of which I absolutely loved. The first was too heavy on the fresh ginger for my taste and the second was just odd — perhaps I’m too sensitive to coriander flavor to really appreciate that one.
The head brewer stopped by my table to chat and he also brought me a sample of their annual brew to support Brain Cancer Research. This year’s is called #BrewStacheStrong and it’s a 4.9% Blood Orange Pils that is very, very good. If I hadn’t had more driving to do, that would have been an excellent beer to have in a pint.
Bluestone doesn’t have a large food menu but it does have a lot of variety. This is their MacDaddy Tacos and they’re essentially a fabulous cheeseburger, complete with onions and tomatoes and special sauce, in a tortilla. Not only were they very tasty, but they were VERY filling. Even better, they made me want to check out more of the food options — not to mention the other beers — on my next visit, whenever that may be.