ROCK STREAM, NEW YORK
Born in England, brewmeister Bradley Gillette formed SENECA LAKE BREWING COMPANY in 2014, utilizing an 8 barrel system from the British town of Lancashire to create soft-toned cask conditioned ales. Undergoing a secondary fermentation when hand-pump dispensed, these ‘real ales’ forgo extraneous gassing for natural carbonation, retaining a delicate mouthfeel served at room temperature.
Located at the main Seneca Lake brewery in the tiny waterfront hamlet of Rock Stream, BEEROCRACY re-creates a tradition low-ceilinged Brit pub. Its diminutive 12-seat L-shaped bar serves liquor, wine and snacks alongside wood-handled draught beers. There are eight rounded three-seat tables fronting the bar. Behind the streetside main bar house is The Snug, a light brown lakefront barnhouse perfect for live events and parties.
Sitting at the bar on a cold Friday eve early November ’23, my wife and I tried all six subtly designed suds (surprisingly two Americanized IPA’s but not an English version). Though specializing in daintily-hopped English cask ales, Beerocracy’s website listed a few Specialty Ales available occasionally, including a Belgian-styled dubbel and saison plus German hefeweizen.
Sessionable straw-cleared Golden Ale tied mellow yellow fruiting to mild herbal spicing and cereal grained pilsner malts, leaving distant mustard seed, dill and onion snips.
Mossy truffle earthiness, light brown tea musk, nutty fungi and dried florality draped The Dunmore ESB, picking up mild toffee sweetness.
A delicate Irish red ale, Kill Kenny With Kindness retained dewy peat sweetness and wispy hop herbage.
Dewy soft-toned Bertie’s English Brown Ale plied chestnut, walnut and hazelnut subtleties to its caramelized biscuit base.
As for the India Pale Ales, muted perfumed citrus spicing softly embellished American IPA as lightly embittered yellow grapefruit, tart mandarin orange and tangy white peach gathered above dry pale malts.
Meanwhile, easygoing casked New England IPA, The Colonial, brought dewy fungi musk and sweet tea wisps to musty citrus oiling.