Equilibrium Brewery

Made a trip to Equilibrium Brewery | Beer Balanced By Science on a Friday afternoon. I arrived about 1 pm and found a quiet taproom which was perfect for me as I got to pick Rosie and Matt’s bartender brains about what I should try.

24 TAPS!!

Currently, there are 24 taps at Equilibrium Brewery, which allows for a nice selection of all the styles produced. They don’t do flights, but they do offer a short 4 oz pour. I ordered 3 4oz pours to start, Middletown Mud Pie, Space Twilight, and Cotton Candy Skies.

Cotton Candy Skies is a Sour IPA coming in at 7.0% ABV. A fruity, sweet nose of berry and golden pink in color, this was indeed a treat for the taste buds. Tart yet sweet with the candied strawberries, making for a smooth, well-rounded finish. This beer had my name written all over it. I would have happily consumed this and no other during my visit. But with a first beer on this level of greatness, I had to move on to the next! 

Space Twilight, also a sour IPA has a 7.0% ABV. It pours a bright gold with pink hues and a watermelon, kiwi nose. A nice but not overpowering tartness, smooth and drinkable.

I definitely picked up some watermelon Jolly Rancher notes with the added bonus of some lime. Some might find fault with the light hop taste for an IPA, but I think it suits this beer well.

I saved the Middletown Mud Pie for the last of my initial three to give it time to warm a bit. This is an imperial Stout at 11% ABV. I spoke with Rosie about this one before ordering. I don’t traditionally enjoy a nutty flavor in my beer, so the pecan conditioning made me a little uneasy. Rosie assured me I would love it, so I agreed to give it a try and she was right, it was delightful.

Although it’s 11% it doesn’t taste it at all, dark rich, and beautiful on the pour with a chocolaty nose. And with a mildly salty chocolate vanilla flavor, this was a winner for sure.

Equilibrium has shirts for sale that say Beer Balanced By Science and they are, without a doubt, working some scientific magic in their brew tanks.

I next had a sample of the Triple Stacked Coconut Cake Imperial Stout, yep that’s a mouthful in more ways than one. This one also came in at 11% ABV.

This one was so rich and fudgy that I couldn’t finish it. Not overwhelmed by coconut which I liked, but too intensely sweet for me. It struck me more like a pastry stout.

Neutron a nougat-style porter was next on my roster. A low ABV porter that comes in at 4.2%. This porter hit the sweetness level perfectly with a pleasing marshmallow toffee initial flavor and a super interesting sarsaparilla finish.

It immediately reminded me of the sarsaparilla sodas I used to drink as a child. A little nostalgia in a glass. It’s a little thinner than you would expect a porter to be, but full-bodied and smooth. I picked up a 4-pack for home.

The final beer of the day at Equilibrium Brewery was There and Back Again, a fruited wild ale with 6.0% ABV. A beautiful golden yellow in the glass with a tropical nose. This ale was refermented over guava and passionfruit.

The passionfruit came through brilliantly, more so than most other passionfruit beers I’ve tried. A mild tartness with the carbonation interestingly hitting my nasal cavity and then finishing smooth.

Always Something Going On

Equilibrium Brewery has something going on in the taproom every day of the week except Saturdays. Sunday, they have a brunch from 11 am-1 pm and live music from 2 pm-5 pm.

Monday is 50/50-day, half-off pitchers and .50-cent wings. Tuesday is trivia night. Wednesday is their special version of bingo called Boombox Bingo, basically name that tune meets Bingo.

I have to admit I wish I was closer to come play (and, of course, have more beers). I feel like I would kill at this! They call Thursday Wandering Blaze Day; they offer regional food specials and different cocktails from around the world. Friday is when the Live Music starts cranking!

In the warmer months, Equilibrium has some great outdoor seating full of barrel tables and picnic tables, some under a large tent and some out in the sunshine. The outside area is dog friendly, and, in the winter, the outdoor tent is also dog friendly.

Food is offered from their smoker and live fire grill 7 days a week. My group did enjoy having lunch on this visit. I had a fantastic Caesar salad and some mac and cheese, which was tasty but very oily.

We also tried the brussel sprouts with chipotle peppers, and the chili, both were delicious. The only letdown was the cornbread, which was so dry it almost crumbled into dust when you tried to break a piece off.

I had high expectations for Equilibrium Brewery as a drinker of their beers locally here in Albany, and they lived up to them and then some. I will certainly be back sooner rather than later.

A Little Bit Extra

I always love learning new things, so when Space Twilight kept coming up on Google as a non-beer, I had to investigate.

Space Twilight is a phenomenon produced when a rockets exhaust particles hit a certain altitude and then expand in a less dense atmosphere. The sunlight at the higher altitude shines on the exhaust and creates a breathtaking view from the ground. You can find Equilibriums take on this phenomenon’s appearance on the Space Twilight label.