UTICA, NY– After celebrating 3 years of operation in January, Woodland Farm Brewery continues to make waves! Woodland opened its doors with the intention of advancing craft beer in Utica and Central NY through its adherence to using NYS grain and hops, brewing classic styles, lagers, farmhouse ales, a barrel aging program, and the only dedicated cask ale program from Albany to Syracuse!
Kicking up their offerings a notch, Woodland converted their office into a kitchen space and hit the ground running with a menu featuring weekly specials, wraps, paninis, salads, ridiculously good tater tot waffles, and other tasty treats all using local sourced Heidelberg Bread, Grassy Cow cheeses, Pylman’s Apiaries honey, and more! This menu recently received national attention by lifestyle website BroBible for its menu items themed around the classic sitcomThe Office! “The Woodland Farm Brewery offers a full menu of The Office inspired cuisine. The Woodland Farm Brewery … is in Utica, New York, which has a branch of Dunder Mifflin and was involved in the epic Branch Wars.” The menu includes items named after your favorite Dunder Mifflin employees like The Jim, The Michael, The Angela, and The Dwight which, of course, features beets! Some other favorites are The Kevin, a tater tot waffles with cheddar jack & melted cheese curds topped with scallions and a horsey sauce and The Robert California which is grilled ciabatta topped with basil pesto, tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula, Parmesan, and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette! Die hard critics have critiqued the lack of a “Big Tuna” or a chili for Kevin but never fear because during Lent they will be offering The Big Tuna melt on Fridays and talks of chili are in the works!
In December, Woodland rolled out a Sunday brunch menu and began opening at 10am to cure any leftover ailments from staying out to late on Saturday! French toast dipped in Black Button Distilling Bourbon Cream and stuffed with sausage, eggs, & cheese! Maple Glazed BLTs! Bourbon Cream French toast Paninis! If the food isn’t enticing, they have a special brunch cocktail menu complete with Bloody Mary’s and a concoction featuring Saranac Black Cherry Cream soda with bourbon cream and topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, & a cherry garnish! Brunch is available all day on Sunday with live music at 2!
Woodland is also set to release a multitude of new barrel aged beers this year, many of which have spent upwards of 2 years in oak barrels! On March 9, they are excited to release their next barrel aged creation which is the first of several variations of a golden barleywine known as The Bergian, in honor of our cellar-man who is proud of his roots in Taberg, NY! The Bergian was brewed in August of 2017 with the intentions of long-term aging to build upon the rich caramel, toffee, and sherry-like flavors. This release, Kentucky Bergian, was aged for 16 months in Four Roses Bourbon barrels which adds its own layers of vanilla, oak, and bourbon to an already stellar barleywine! This beer will be available on draft and in bottles to go when we open at 11! Other versions of this barleywine will be bottled over the next several months and include NYS Rye Whiskey, NYS Bourbon, and Oak barrels from Adirondack Barrel Cooperage!
Fans and regulars of this farm brewery who have been asking for years to brew sour beer will have their day soon! While many breweries opt for a quick-souring process known as kettle souring which creates a one-dimensional sour beer in a very short period of time, Woodland has focused on producing sour beers in traditional methods that require various yeasts and bacteria which can take upwards of two years to complete the fermentation, souring, and conditioning process. The first of Woodland’s sours will be released within the next month and were fermented in used hard cider barrels from Nine Pin Cider in Albany! The date for this release is TBD, however, it is only the first of a handful of sour beer releases in store for this year!
For more information on beer, food, and upcoming events, you can follow on all social media platforms through @woodlandbeer or woodlandbeer.com
