Everyone has a weakness. A certain place that, no matter what, they
can't think a bad thing about. I'm afraid the Council Rock Brewery in
Cooperstown is falling fast into that status to me. No matter how long
it's been, no matter what mood I'm in or even my opinions about how the
food and beer could be improved, I have never left there unhappy. I
think it says something that we have made the 1.5 hour trip multiple times
primarily to stop there.
There's a refreshing
honesty to the food and beer there. In an age where the push is to
culinary innovation and gastrology, it seems like simple done well
doesn't get the attention it deserves. Though the menu is pretty simple
it is also executed very well with large portion sizes and surprisingly
flavorful sides. You'll find standards like BBQ Pulled Pork simmered in their Brown Ale and Pastrami on marbled rye. But you'll also find some unique twists like Grilled Spicy Andouille Sausage with Gorgonzola Ranch Coleslaw.
Our favorite are the garlic pesto
fries. Small shoestring fries cooked crispy but not overdone, tossed in
an amazing pesto and sprinkled liberally with slices of garlic and served with chipotle aioli. As
much as we enjoy the rest, these fries are the reason we can't take a
daytrip to Cooperstown without stopping at Council Rock.
So
much for the food, but the reason you go to a brewery is for the beer,
right? Once more Council Rock's product stands proudly alongside any in
the area. I've found that a lot of larger microbreweries seem to stick
to an identity to the exclusion of producing a great drink: Shipyard uses a lot of English hops, Ommegang aggressively spices their drinks,
etc. Council Rock's identity, if it has one, tastes like balance. The
malt and hops are strong enough to be distinctive without drowning each
other out, resulting in a surprising complexity for such relatively
simple, honest brews. The Friends and Neighbors Pale Ale is my favorite of the
bunch, but even the ones I don't like are all an interesting take on
their style.
In spite of its small size and unassuming look, Council Rock is one of my favorite upstate spots for food and beer.
With old-timers' day and the induction ceremony coming up, if you're on
your way down to Cooperstown I would absolutely recommend a stop.
After all, baseball is much better with good food and beer.
I've been meaning to get around to this for a while, and hopefully once I get out of my current job and into something with somewhat human hours I can start writing relatively regularly again (just 2 more weeks).
Now, to be fair, before I met R my idea of a great dinner was putting frozen shrimp in a pot of ramen. I was really proud of myself for that one, so inventive. She's the one who taught me how to taste, who showed me what real cooking can be, and how much fun it can be. I never grilled before I met her, now it's my favorite thing to listen to John Sterling call a Yankees game in the back, grill flaming away, beer in hand. I use the beer to time my grilling, if you were wondering.
All that said, I really feel like R captured our culinary experiences in Maine beautifully, and I'm hoping she's planning another post to describe the lobster pound we basically maxed our credit cards at 3 days in a row (hint). I don't feel there's a ton I can add about the food, so I'm going to talk about the beer instead.
Being a fan of craft brewing, I love living in the northeast. R kind of humors me when we go on vacation, we always look up and visit at least one brewery near wherever we're staying even though she doesn't really drink. Win-win for me, since at tastings I get to drink hers too if I like it. Here, in order of visit, are the breweries in Maine we've visited and my thoughts on their brews:
