Hank Partners Up with Wolf Hollow

You might remember from one of our previous blog posts that we found our inspiration for Hank Hudson through the guys at Wolf Hollow Brewing Company. We’ve had such a great time learning from them about the art of the brew that we decided to collaborate on a new beer together. To celebrate this collaboration, we’ll be hosting an event at our brewery.

Not Your Father’s (Day) Cream Ale Party will celebrate the release of our collaborative brew with Wolf Hollow, a cream ale called Hollow Hank. At this event we’ll have staff from both breweries working and mingling with guests at the event and live music from Mark Pierre and Scott Chamberlin. This family friendly celebration will feature specials and giveaways, the cornhole boards will be out and we will be serving up some delicious food specials.

You’ll be even more stoked to find out that the event will be happening twice! Once at Hank Hudson and again at Wolf Hollow. Here are the details for both events:

Hollow Hank Release Party

Hank Hudson Brewing Company

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Hank Hollow Release Party

Wolf Hollow Brewing Company

Thursday, June 13, 2019

4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

We’re excited about this local collaboration and we hope to see you at both events! As always, if you have any questions give us a call at (518) 664-1578. Cheers!

Hank’s Inspiration

They say inspiration comes in many forms, and the inspiration behind our brewery is pretty serendipitous. As some of you may know, we were members of a stock investment club (“beer drinking and chicken wing eating club” according to our wives) that was beginning to lose its luster.  At the same time Scotia-Glenville High School was searching for a new principal.  Little did we know how much our next principal would influence and inspire us.

Pete Bednarek, the lucky applicant to emerge as Principal of SGHS, is the co-founder of Wolf Hollow Brewing Company along with Jordan White, located in West Glenville. As Pete was learning the ropes of how to get a craft brewery off the ground we knew it was something we wanted to pursue as well.  What the heck?  We had all that hard-earned stock club money just sitting around doing nothing!  A brewery sounds like a perfect way to spend it!

Pete and Jordan encouraged us to take the leap and start brewing.  We then went back to school ourselves, enrolled in the inaugural craft brewing class at SUNY Schenectady County Community College, and started to brew right here in the basement of the Fairways of Halfmoon. And now look at us! We have a great deal of respect for the whole team at Wolf Hollow, love the vibe of the brewery and of course love their beer!

Wolf Hollow and Hank Hudson are working hard to make the capital district craft beer scene all that it can be. We are currently featuring some Wolf Hollow brews on our guest taps, so make sure to stop in and give their brews a try.

The Definition of Drink Local

We love a good brewing session, and it’s made even more special when we get to incorporate great, local ingredients.  We are very excited about our latest partnership that we collaborated with on creating a new brew, Dawson’s Delight Halfmoon IPA. The beer is made with hops from Rockin’ Hops, a farm located just about a mile down the road. The farm, which started back in 2012, has developed from a backyard production in Ballston Lake to adding a large second farm location in Mechanicville. Rockin’ Hops currently produces about a dozen different hop varieties that you can purchase in both pellet and whole leaf form. Dawson’s Delight Halfmoon IPA is currently in Hank’s Tank and will be hitting the taps in early December.

We know how much effort it takes to start a new business and owner of Rockin’ Hops, Eric Linendoll, has worked hard to build his dream, just like our team. Working with local businesses is something engrained in Hank Hudson Brewing’s spirit and we look forward to a great partnership with Rockin’ Hops.  We plan on announcing some more local collaborations in the near future so stay tuned!

Partnering with local businesses feels great, but tastes even better- come check out the Dawson’s Delight Halfmoon IPA when it hits taproom in December!

To learn more about Rockin’ Hops, check out their website.

What Beers to Pair with Your Thanksgiving Dinner, Start to Finish

Forget wine, introduce craft beer as the beverage of choice to pair with your Thanksgiving Day meal. But where do you start? With so many different dishes on the tables and endless craft beer styles and flavors to choose from, pulling together the perfect pairings can be overwhelming. For this food-centric holiday, here are a few of our suggestions to help you navigate a full day of eating and drinking great beer.

Pre-Dinner hors d'oeuvres

When your guests arrive, you want to make sure you are offering them something that won’t overwhelm their pallets. With a marathon day of eating and drinking ahead, you will want to consider offering something on the light in both flavor and alcohol. Consider something refreshing like our Red, Wheat and Blue. This beer is an American Wheat Ale made with Pilsner and Wheat Malt and bright, floral Willamette, Cascade and Lemondrop Hops. At our taproom we serve this pint with an orange slice to bring out the citrus flavor.

Dinner

With a typical Thanksgiving meal including dozens of dishes, it’s not easy to come up with one that will go with such a diverse plate of food. From the Turkey and stuffing to the mash potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce – what flavor is going to pair well with so many different dishes? Our recommendation is to go with a Brown Ale. This beer will give you a more roundness of flavor and the nutty nuances goes well with dishes like turkey and potatoes doused in gravy. Our Jersey Girl Brown Ale is new to the taps, highly drinkable and is made with Amber, Honey and C-120 Malts.

Not a fan of dark beers? A California Common or Steam Beer is also going to work well for the main course. This light, amber lager is a medium body variety with subtle malt flavors – allowing for all the great flavors on your plate to shine. Our Clifton Common brew is a great example of this classic style.

Dessert

As you may have guessed, a good stout is usually the way to go when it goes to dessert pairings. While I’m sure there is no skipping dessert in your mind on a holiday like Thanksgiving, Stouts would make a great standalone for dessert. As for the majority of us who are already looking forward to a nice slice of pumpkin pie, a stout pairs nicely with most sweet treats. Our Menace to Sobriety Stout features subtle chocolate flavors that is sure to pair well with any dessert brought to the table.

Whether you are hosting or visiting someone’s home this Thanksgiving, rather than bring a bottle of wine, opt for some craft brews.

We will soon be offering growler service so finger crossed we will have that available before Thanksgiving! Check back often for updates!

Arnie, Jack, Phil, Tiger and Daly: How our fermenters earned their names

Hank Hudson Brewing Company, conveniently located just minutes from the heart of Clifton Park, is a unique extension of the well-loved Fairways of Halfmoon, a pristine par-72 golf course and neighborhood staple for more than 20 years. It’s no coincidence when we decided to name our shiny chrome beer fermenters that we followed suit with the golf theme and the local attraction. 

Without further ado, meet Arnie, Jack, Phil, Tiger and Daly. All named after some of our all-time favorite golf legends and trailblazers who won Majors and PGA Tour victories. Each pro golfer has had an enormous impact on the sport and its popularity around the world. 

Whether you’re coming off the links or meeting up with a friend after a long work day, we invite you to unplug and engage in a warm environment that echoes that of a British pub offering fresh brews and bites. Our newly constructed space features arched beams, walls and furniture made of reclaimed barn wood and an oversized stone fireplace. Instead of offering seats at a bar, the space is filled with inclusive, communal high-top tables and ledges facing the brewing equipment to encourage social interaction and conversations about the craft beer-making process. We hope the named fermenters at least spark a discussion or two. Maybe even a debate about who the greatest player is in the sport’s history.

We leave you with this parting thought from the late Arnold Palmer – “The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.”

Pours for the Course: Five Reasons to Pair your Putt with a Brew

As we all know, golf is an extremely difficult sport so it’s understandable if a player might imbibe a little “swing oil” before – and during – a round.  Having a beer afterward, of course, is always a good way to commiserate, or recall a great shot or two.

Just in case you need more, here are five reasons why you should pair your golf game with a trip to our tap room.

1. You deserve it! You just hit a little white ball with a club into a small a hole hundreds of yards away and you did that 18 times! You deserve more than a beer. You deserve at least two. 

2. Appreciate the company of your friends even longer. Our Tap room is a place designed to promote engagement. The communal seating options with close proximity to the brewing process encourages conversation. And if you’ve gotten a bit tired of the people in your foursome, it’s a great place to meet new friends.

3. Enjoy the view. While you were busy keeping your head down on your drive you may have missed the beautiful landscape. Grab a seat in our taproom overlooking the course and views of the green mountains.

4. Did you have a bad game? There is a reason why golf is the one sport that ends close to the bar. After a couple rounds with us you will start to ignore the “snowmen” on your scorecard. With at least eight different varieties always on tap, you are sure to find something to help lift your spirits.

5. Refuel. Our tap room menu offers a little something for everyone and is the ideal way to cure the hunger from a long day out on the course. Enjoy fare from the clubhouse now available in the tap room such as Pulled Pork Tacos and sharable options like classic Bavarian pretzels, you will leave more than satisfied.