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Albany Ale Trail (Warehouse District Breweries)

Six brewers, cideries and distilleries within one square mile in Albany's Warehouse District — Nine Pin Cider, Albany Distilling, C.H. Evans and more, all walkable.

Where
warehouse-district
Time needed
Half day
Tickets
$5
Nine Pin Cider Works tasting room with wooden bar Nine Pin Cider Works tasting room with wooden bar

What to expect at Albany Ale Trail (Warehouse District Breweries)

Albany's Warehouse District — the industrial blocks north of downtown along Broadway and Learned Street — has quietly become one of the densest craft beverage clusters in upstate New York. Within roughly one square mile you can walk between Nine Pin Cider Works (the first farm cidery licensed in New York State), Albany Distilling (whiskey and rum in restored 1800s ironworks buildings), C.H. Evans Brewing at the Albany Pump Station (a working brewery in a 1874 pump station), Fort Orange Brewing, and a couple of smaller producers.

The natural loop is Nine Pin → Albany Distilling → Fort Orange Brewing → C.H. Evans Pump Station, roughly a mile and a half of walking with tastings at each. Nine Pin's tasting room has flights of five ciders for $8; Albany Distilling does whiskey flights for $12 and free 30-minute tours on Saturday afternoons. C.H. Evans is a full brewpub with a good lunch menu and a beer garden in summer. Fort Orange has a smaller tap room but excellent hazy IPAs. Skip driving between them — walk or use a single rideshare between the far ends.

Best as a Saturday afternoon activity, 14:00-19:00. Nine Pin runs occasional cider-making workshops ($45, book ahead). All venues are 21+ inside the tasting areas, though C.H. Evans is a full restaurant that seats families with kids in the dining room. Genuinely one of the most concentrated small-batch drinking scenes in the northeast — locally treasured, tourist-underrated.

Plan your visit Tickets$5 Time neededHalf day Wherewarehouse-district Opening hours Most tap rooms Wed-Sun 15:00-22:00 Some open earlier for lunch on weekends Hotels near Albany Ale Trail (Warehouse District Breweries)

Questions about Albany Ale Trail (Warehouse District Breweries)

How much for the ale trail?

Individual flight tastings range $5-15 per venue. Full afternoon of tastings runs $25-40 per person plus food.

Is any of it free?

Albany Distilling's Saturday 14:00 and 16:00 tours are free (tastings extra). Otherwise pay-as-you-go.

How long should I plan?

Half a day, roughly four hours, to visit three or four venues at a reasonable pace.

When are the breweries closed?

Most closed Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday-Sunday afternoons and evenings are core hours. Nine Pin closes 21:00, C.H. Evans until 23:00.

Do I need reservations?

Walk-in fine at all tap rooms. Albany Distilling free tours benefit from a phone call ahead: (518) 621-7191.

How do I get around the trail?

Walk between venues — the loop is 1.5 miles. Rideshare in from downtown ($8-10) and out at the end. Do not drive between tastings.

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