This is the time of year to start heading north to cottage country. The 1000 Islands Region is perfect in just about every way except for one: access to craft beer is limited. If you want to drink really good beer that far north, you will need to plan ahead. As always, we’re here to help.
If you’re already headed north and didn’t pack the brew, you are in luck, because you will almost certainly be passing through or at least near Watertown, New York. Whether you want to stop for a meal or just grab and go, there are some good options in the area.
If you have ever been to Watertown, you may very well be skeptical at this point. I grew up there and was skeptical myself. In the late 90s, on a visit home, I went to a bar in Watertown and asked for a Sam Adams, and the bartender said, “You’re not from around here are you?” Hence the local joke about Watertown bars: they have six kinds of beer—Bud, Bud Light, Genny (cans and bottles).
Those days are over.
Skewed Brewing
http://skewedbrew.com
The newest and most recent addition also happens to be the closest to Rte 81, which is very likely the route you will be taking to get to the 1000 Islands. Skewed Brewing is located in the Salmon Run Mall, which is right next to 81.
When I heard about a new brewpub in the mall, I pictured the standard AB InBev/SABMiller fare that you might find at a typical chain restaurant—not bad, but not necessarily what we’re looking for. I was mistaken, and happily so.
Skewed had 25 craft beers (and Miller Lite) on tap. If that’s not enough of a selection, they also have an impressive bottle menu. Impressive not so much for the number of bottles but the quality. To wit: the guy sitting two seats over from me ordered a 750 ml bottle of 2007 Abbay de Sainte Bon-Chien for $55, and was kind enough to share. (If you’re unfamiliar, here is the New York Times’s take on it: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/dining/07wine.html?_r=0.) I picked the right seat that day. They also have a great selection of wine and liquor, merchandise (shirts and the like) and home brewing kits.
If you don’t have time for a sit-down meal, Skewed has growlers, so you can grab and go.
Maggie’s on the River
http://www.makeitmaggies.com
On the other side of Rte 81, about a mile east of Exit 46, is Maggie’s on the River, located at 500 Newell Street (red dot on map below). They had 35 drafts, a handful of which were the standard fare, but most were craft beers. They also had wine slushies, which I did not know was a thing. I went with a Left Hand Nitro Stout. Great selection, good food.
MAGGIE’s MAP
Caption: Maggie’s is easy to find from Rte 81—turn right off Exit 46 and in a mile or so, turn left onto Newell Street.
Bear World
http://bearworldnny.com
Yes, that’s the name. The structure—along with the big WORMS sign on the front door—makes it look like a small grocer that you might see in a vacation area. It does not look at all like a beverage store with a great selection, but it is. The selection is larger than you will need: they have kegs, growlers, and a draft beer bar with twelve rotating beers.
It’s a bit further from the main roads than Skewed Brewing, but it’s doable. Heading north on 81, get off exit 47, turn right on Bradley St (12 South), turn left on Burdick, left onto LeRay St (11 North), and you’ll see it on the left after about a half mile. (Bear World is the red dot on the map below.)
BEAR WORLD MAP
Caption: Bear World is about a five minute drive from Exit 47 on Rte 81.
Sackets Harbor Options
If you happen to be coming up Rte 3, or if you don’t mind taking a 15-mile round-trip detour off Rte 81, Sackets Harbor also has a couple of good options.
Sackets Harbor Brewing Company (www.sacketsharborbrewpub.com) brews on site, and usually has a selection of ten of their beers or so to choose from on draft. Good food and the deck overlooking the harbor on Lake Ontario make it well worth the trip. Tucked into the corner of the harbor, it is far from best view on the lake, but it’s good enough to make your beer taste better on a nice day.
Right next to the Sackets Harbor Brewing Company is the Hops Spot (www.thehopsspot.com), also owned by the people who own Skewed Brewing. They do not brew their own beer on site, but the selection is great, the food is good, and they also have a deck overlooking the harbor.
On the River
Once you get north of Watertown, the selection dwindles considerably, but it is still much better than it was. O’Brien’s in Clayton (no website, but they are on facebook) has a selection that is respectable, but not huge. This is usually along the lines of Sackets Harbor Brewing Co.’s 1812 Amber (which you’ll find in a lot of places in the area, even if the selection isn’t otherwise that extensive), as well as offerings by Adirondack Brewing, Magic Hat, Sierra Nevada, and the like.
And apparently, Wood Boat Brewery is due to open this Summer 625 Mary Street, so keep an eye out for that. They will have “brick oven pizzas, outside patio, craft beers made on site, local wines, import and domestic beer.” That is unfortunately all the information that is available right now, so if you know something that we don’t, please let us know. They do not have a website yet, but they are on facebook.
Lest you think excluding Alexandria Bay, was the result of an oversight, it was not. At this time, there is no place that we could find in the Bay with a noteworthy selection of craft beers. In fact, the Craft Beer and Wine Festival scheduled for May 17th was canceled, so you’ll have to wait another year for that. If you don’t want to drive too far, go to Clayton. But if you have the time, and you really want a great craft beer selection with your dinner, the trip to Watertown might be worth it. If you want the best of both worlds, then you will just have to stock up on the good stuff on the way through.
Almost There
Although the region is much improved in terms of finding great beer, it still has a little ways to go. I spoke with a distributor while I was at Maggie’s on the River, and he said that some places that would not otherwise do so have been slowly adding a few taps and trying out craft beers because people are asking for it.
Your mission is clear.
