BALLSTON SPA, NEW YORK

In the quaint village of Ballston Spa, downtown watering hole, SPECKLED PIG BREWING COMPANY, was established in 2022. A friendly neighborhood pub utilizing New York grown ingredients for its beer and food, Speckled Pig (a renovated vacant dress factory) retains a rustic warehouse appeal. A pasty white freestanding building with multiple dark windows, its roomy interior includes a 70-seat taproom with wood-fired pizza ovens, granite top bar, olden wood floors and left side brew tanks.

I sat at the Edison light-strung wood porch in November ’22 with wife and dog to enjoy five diverse brews.

Mexican light lager, The Gringo, brought slightly sour lime-juiced spritz, salty lemon-seeded mandarin orange zip and mild agave spicing to toasted Telera breading.

Brown leafed foliage, honeyed black tea and toffee spicing made up Sweater Weather, a crisply moderate-bodied Oktoberfest.

Dry orange oiling and sedate lemon spicing guarded Sands Souci Pale Ale, leaving herbal hop astringency on its slightly pungent spoiled citrus finish.

Vibrantly brisk NEIPA, Restitution, placed zestful grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering alongside peachy pineapple tanginess plus latent green grape, guava and gooseberry souring above silken flaked oats.

Maple sugared dark chocolate initiated Coffee Planet Triple Chocolate Stout, settling into a lingered black coffee midst before its distant black cherry tartness, sweet anise tease and recessive earthen soy saucing make cameos.