Doing Time at Prison City Pub and Brewery

Brian York

Brewery Name: Prison City Pub & Brewery
Type of Brewery: Retail Brewery

Location: Auburn, NY

Website: http://www.prisoncitybrewing.com/
Facebook: Prison City Pub and Brewery
Twitter: @prisoncitybeer
Instagram: @prisoncitybeer

Background: I had been to Prison City within the first month or two it was open. It was a great space with some really neat bar components and a small batch brewery that is every home brewer’s dream. Unfortunately, they weren’t yet serving their own beer. I stuck around for the impressive tap list they had at the time, but knew I’d love to come back once their beer was available. Fast forward to current time and I am so glad I kept these guys on my radar! Well worth the wait for some really impressive beers!

Growlers: I didn’t see growlers and didn’t ask since I was just passing through the area, but they do offer crowlers of their house beers that they’ll can for you right at the bar!

The Beers: Something that makes this brewery a bit unique compared to a lot of the reviews we’ve done is that they serve beers from other brewers. It’s an impressive list that includes a whole bunch of local beers, collaboration specials, and other really solid taps. I went with a focus on the Prison City beers (and liked them a ton!) so I’ll stick to those here:

• 4-Piece Pale - APA with Galaxy hops: Really well balanced table beer. Middle of the road ABV and drinks nice and light, so this is definitely your game-day choice at Prison City.

• Mass Riot - IPA: This is my personal winner. I’ve written several times about my struggle with the hazy IPAs, but this one is so smooth and drinkable that the haze really just makes it a gorgeous pour without giving any stick to the drink. Huge fruit forward hops and a superb balance of wheat.  I’d love to have this beer in a blind test with a couple of the more famous New England-style IPAs--I think it’s that good!

• Laser-Brain - Sour dry hopped with Mosaic & Nelson: When I saw this beer listed I knew good things were to come. I love sours and I seem to love anything and everything dry hopped. This delivers perfectly on both and was the absolute perfect beer for the hot sticky day that I visited the brewery.

• The Big Baboon - Imperial Brown Ale: Of the three of us at TWD, I generally rank Brown Ales the lowest. I wanted more of the IPA/APA part of the spectrum after those first few beers, but this one really surprised me. It’s a gorgeous dark brown color almost like fine finished wood and smells like it’s made specifically to have with a good hearty meal. The really impressive part is that this beer drinks velvety smooth but gives you just a glimpse into that 8.8% ABV with a touch of booziness at the very end.

• The Walrus - ESB/Strong Ale: Lots of malt, very toasty, good smooth-full-bodied drink. This falls outside my personal preferences but is extremely well done for the style.

Vibe: Much more of a restaurant than most breweries this size, but they do a really great job with the bar itself. It’s nice and dark and there is plenty of iron and metal throughout the setup so it gives good homage to the prison feel - almost like a speakeasy.  

The staff was great (especially Sarah, who chatted with us about some of the Prison City history and the beers recently off tap and soon to come), and there was a wide demographic of people there at lunch time on a weekday.  I’d imagine that later in the day (and on weekends) it fills up quickly with locals, regulars, and fans of craft beer.

Dogs: No dogs inside at least--they do offer some outdoor seating where I’d imagine it’s fine to have your dog with you, though.

Price ($ to $$$$$): $$. Great prices on flights, good prices everywhere else.

Food: HUGE yes here! Not only do they offer bar food like fries, beer nuts, and the like, but they’ve got an incredible food menu! I took part in a duck and cherry flatbread and pork belly tacos when I was there and saw another half dozen dishes come out that I’d have loved to try as well.  

Final Thoughts: Everything you could want in a good bar and just about everything you could want in a craft brewery. Their beers were the highlight, so I’d love to see their own taps and listing boards featured a bit more.  Well done, Prison City, impressive all around!

​-- York

---

Don't forget to follow us on social media!

Facebook: Together We Drink
Twitter: @TogetherWeDrink
Instagram: @TogetherWeDrink
Untappd:​ Together We Drink