I spent time at AUSABLE BREWING CO. – Home and I loved it! Bianca on the bar was super knowledgeable about the brews on tap and a pleasure to chat with the afternoon I was there. Ausable is owned and operated by brothers Dan and Dylan Badger. Ausable Brewing Company is located in the Champlain Valley a little off the beaten path in Keeseville nestled in the scenic Adirondack Mountains.

The tap list was one of the most inventive I’ve seen in quite some time; they covered all the beer bases. I went with a flight because honestly, I just couldn’t make up my mind.

First up was Sugar Bob’s Rauchbier at 5.8% ABV. I’m a big fan of Rauchbier but I don’t get to try them as often as I like, as they’re not usually a staple on most tap lists. This particular one was delicious with the perfect amount of smoke and sweetness from a dash of maple syrup used in the conditioning process.

It was brewed with Beechwood smoked barley malt and is medium-bodied and smooth with a gorgeous caramel color. Next up was the North Country Common, an all-day Amber Ale with an ABV of 5.2%. The North Country Common had a nice amber color, mild sweetness, and lightly malty with a smooth finish. This wasn’t the most flavorful beer from the selection, but a solid beer for the non-beer or new-to-beer drinkers in your group.

The third in my flight was the Six-Grain Stout at a 6.0% ABV. A little too chilled on the pour so I let it rest a few minutes and warm up a bit to let the flavor speak to me properly. It’s brewed with black roasted barley, oats, and a touch of cold brewed coffee. A very drinkable beer, roasty and solid while not being overly complex. The next beer on the roster was a Black Currant Brett coming in at 7.2% ABV.

My friends, this was the star of the show!! Crisp, tart, and juicy, this one hit the spot. They age the Brett on the farm’s black currants. And here’s the good news: This beer is part of a series that includes the following varieties, Sour Cherry, Elderberry, Cranberry, and Strawberry Rhubarb. I enjoyed the Black Currant so much that I grabbed some of the Cranberry Brett from the cooler to bring home.

I know that’s four, but I had to get a short pour of the newly tapped Sour Soul built off of their traditional Berliner-Weisse. Sour Soul is the first ginger sour I’ve ever tried or frankly ever seen, which is par for the course at Ausable where they like to think out of the box.

It was exceptional, and I’m not someone who would classify myself even remotely as a ginger fan. But this was the perfect amount of ginger and tartness. This one reminded me a little of a winter warmer. If you’re looking for a smack-in-the-face sour this isn’t it, but it sure is delicious. One of their flagship beers is the Wayne Legitzky, named, as you may have guessed after the Great One. A little too hoppy for me as a pale ale but my companion loved it, it sits at 6.0% ABV.

Ausable Brewing Company has a very small taproom, about a dozen seats with some available standing room.

They do, however, have a new garage door pavilion with plenty of seating that’s heated by a wood stove for cooler days. They also boast a vast outdoor seating area with tables and lawn space for blankets in the warmer weather.

And most weekends you’ll also find live entertainment with a variety of singers and bands on the schedule. And don’t forget about your beer to go!!

Ausable Brewing Company closed for the season on December 23rd and will reopen weather-dependent at some point in early May. Follow them on Instagram for updates on the reopening for the season date. When you do get a chance to stop by this spring make sure you say “Hi” to Sophia the farm cat!

A Little Bit Extra

Fun Fact about Rauchbier, for years the primary method of drying malt was over a fire. This ensured the malt dried, but a consequence of this process was smoke having its presence known in every sip of beer until the hot air-dried kiln method was introduced.

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