Meier’s Creek Brewing Company Inner Harbor, Syracuse NY

4 October 2024

If you’ve been following along on this trip and have wondered why there’s no entry from yesterday, that’s because of the cosmos not wanting me to find a brewpub. First, one that was just a tasting room with nobody there; strike one. Second, tried to locate one I’d been at a couple of years ago (good beer, so-so food) but couldn’t find info on it; strike two. Third, a place that billed itself as a brewpub but wasn’t (and had a large “No Trump, No America” sign in the window); strike three. Fourth, a place that at least had a handful of decent beers and some food. Nothing to write home about — the service at least was great while I was the only one there … but deteriorated markedly as soon as other people showed up.

So, today I was really looking forward to trying a new spot in Syracuse that I’ve driven past but never visited. It’s now my new favorite spot here!

Meier’s Creek Inner Harbor is located at the corner of a high-end apartment complex called Iron Pier, named after an amusement park that used to sit near here on the shore of Onondaga Lake. The brewpub is light and cheery with outdoor seating as well, and it’s all “order at the bar” so I just grabbed an empty seat right at the bar to save time. For beer, I had two flights, each described left-to-right:

Floatin’ on By – Pilsner, 4.5% – They had two Pilsners on draft but I only tried one. I’d find it very hard to believe that the other one could be any better than this one! It was interesting but not overpowering, a very enjoyable brew and definitely in the running for some beer to go.

Oktoberfest – Märzen, 5.5% – Once again, “tis the season! I liked their version, but not quite enough to want to take any with me. If I’d decided to stay for a full pint, though, this might have been it.

Elephantastic – Hazy IPA w/mango & pineapple, 6.5% – Of all the beers I tried, this was my least favorite and that surprised me. But for my taste on this particular day, it had too much bitterness at the end that threw off the pleasure of the tropical fruit flavors.

All About the Beans – Coffee Stout, Nitro, 5.25% – Wow. This is one very good coffee stout with a perfect balance between the coffee flavor and heaviness/bitterness of the stout. That’s a tough balance to achieve, based on most brewers’ offerings, but Meier’s Creek really nailed it.

Hefeweizen – Hefeweizen, 5.6% – I debated on whether to try this as I have trouble getting in the mood for this style, but once again, they’ve nailed it as they did the Pilsner. It’s just interesting enough to leave you wanting more without being overpowering. This was another serious contender for beer to go, and even as I thought that, I was surprised at the thought. That’s how much this one impressed me.

Tangible Objects – Hazy IPA, 6.25% – As with the other Hazy IPA, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I’d hoped although I liked it better than the first. Still, the back end was too bitter for my taste on this beautiful but not hot day.

Mooncube – Sour Beer w/Prickly Pear, Mango, & Strawberry, 5% – In case you’re not aware, Prickly Pear is actually a variety of cactus, one that is very sweet and can be eaten raw, so it pairs well (pun intended) with the fruits. This was a solid sour and I enjoyed it.

Berry Manilow – Mixed Berry Fruited Sour, 5.5% – I didn’t actually order this, but the bartender who took the order for this flight misheard the number of the fourth beer and gave me this. You know what? I didn’t mind one bit because — in spite of the name and the color — I loved it! I was afraid it would be too sweet, but it wasn’t — it was just a very tasty, fruity sour that wasn’t quite as sour as the Mooncube. I would definitely do a pint of this, and that’s not something I can say about many sours.

The food menu isn’t large — some appetizers, a half dozen sandwiches/burgers, and a few pizzas — but the Classic Pizza sounded good. It was a super thin and crispy crust, my favorite style, and the flavors were great. It tasted far better than it looked given that there were not many toppings on it. What there was, was just right, however.

And now it was time to decide on some beer to go. I decided to ask the bartender for a taste of their Velvet Fog — Hazy IPA w/orange peel, 6.5% – and I loved it; it was by far the best of the three Hazy IPAs I had here. I asked the bartender for a crowler of it and she suggested a 4-pack instead, which they had available, because it was much more cost-effective. And that’s what I did.

Tomorrow is the last day of this trip and my last brewpub of the trip — another new-to-me spot — so I’m just hoping I can arrive right as they open at Noon and beat the crowds that Google promises me will show up. It may be Sunday before I post about that, so check back then!

Cheers!