Paradox Brewery

I traveled up from Albany to Paradox Brewery which is a certified Veteran owned brewery in North Hudson NY. Paradox is nestled deep in the Adirondack Mountains but easily accessible off RT 87.

When you pull into the parking lot you can’t help but be struck by the magnificent view that is their backyard. The building itself has undergone major expansion and renovations over the last few years.

When you enter, a long hallway takes you into the great room, the room holds a large bar and plentiful seating in a warm atmosphere. We chose to sit at the bar and were warmly greeted by Beck. She let us take our time perusing the beer and food menus, answering all our questions. Beck was a lovely and attentive staff member, and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting and spending time at her bar.

Lake Life

Paradox started as a home brewery by NJ native Paul Mrocka who spent summers on Paradox Lake and eventually made the area his full-time home. The next step was a move into a trailer on Schroon Lake. The story goes that the trailer on the lake got so busy he decided to buy land and open a full-fledged brewing facility.

The list of typically German-influenced beers you can find on tap at Paradox is a product of Paul’s time in the army as a pilot in Germany. It was Germany where he discovered his love of beer and brewing. Paradox says that the secret to their beer is the water which can only be found in the granite 600′ below the Adirondack Park. Water so pure it needs no filtering.

I started with a Para Helles Helles lager, which comes in at 4.5%ABV. It’s light-bodied and a clear golden color with notes of biscuit, citrus, and light floral. An easy drinking beer but lacking in malt depth.

Next up was the Captain Jack Maibock. This particular beer was originally brewed in Belton, TX, by Bold Republic Brewing Company. It was brewed to honor US Marine Captain Jack Edwards who gave his life in the Gulf War. Captain Jack: A fallen Marine’s memory is kept alive with a special beer | Molson Coors Beer & Beyond

A portion of the sales of Captain Jack are donated to The National Desert Storm War Memorial. I enjoyed Paradox Brewery’s version of Captain Jack. It has a medium amber color with an ABV of 6.8%, malty, and lightly toasted with caramel, bready, and faint stone fruit notes. It has a smooth mellow finish and a high drinkability. A lovely salute to a fallen hero.

When it came time to order food, we went with the Crispy Brussel Sprouts tossed in a creamy parmesan lemon garlic aioli and the hot IPA Pretzel for starters. The pretzel was lackluster, dry, and without much flavor.

The sprouts were a huge hit in all their crispy saucy goodness. The main course was the Buffalo Outlook Pizza, this is not your typical Buffalo pizza. This pie is made up of white garlic sauce and smoked turkey, yep, no chicken here! You also get your choice of ranch or blue cheese dressing; we went with blue cheese.

This was one hell of a great pie, if I were to recommend you try anything from this review it would be without a doubt the pizza. The delicious crispy crust of the Brooklyn-style pizzas can be traced back to the use of water directly from NYC. This New York-originated pizza was a shocking but welcome surprise to find in the Adirondacks.

Seating with a View

In the warmer spring through fall days, Paradox Brewery has a lovely large deck area where you can enjoy your brew and meal, with a beautiful view of the Adirondacks.

My goodness, it is breathtaking even on a cloudy day. During the summer months, they have a large picnic table area on the lawn with some canopies for protection from the sun.

Brewery tours are offered at Paradox every Saturday from 1:00-2:00 pm and 2:00-3:00 pm with some exceptions, so it’s a call-before-you-go situation. They are given to max groups of 10 and on a first come first served basis.

A Little Bit Extra

Fun Fact-Paradox Lake gets its name from a Native American interpretation of paradox which means “water running backward”. In the spring melting snow flows from the Adirondacks into the Schroon River. Paradox Lake’s outlet also flows into the Schroon River, but due to the sudden increase in water flow, the outflow is forced back, causing it to flow in reverse, a paradox indeed.