Bobby Belleard, head brewer at Table 41, gave me directions to see where he and partner Giorgio are serving beer this summer, from May until October.
They are at Lanthier’s Grove, in Clifton Park. Never having been there the address 4 Dunsbach Ferry Rd, Cohoes, NY was punched into my GPS and I was off.
Lanthier’s Grove, http://www.lanthiersgrove.com/about_us/index.htm, is an outdoor
restaurant known for clambakes and open during the summer. Table 41 is located at the grove. It’s just off route 9, past the Latham Circle going north, past the Century House and left onto Dunsbach Ferry Rd. There’s an immediate left and a large field for parking. It wasn’t apparent where Lanthier’s grove was as there was a big house to the left and no sign right after the turn. But I parked and walked down to a fence where I eventually saw a sign for Table 41. I wandered about looking for Bobby and found myself at a pavilion where I was able to get a bowl of Manhattan clam chowder and directions to Table 41.
I found Bobby adjusting the taps for his beer. I started up a conversation with a patron drinking a beer, Steve, who turned out to be a friend of Bobby & Giorgio. He told me he’s been drinking their beer for years and loves it. When Bobby was done we started chatting. Brewing is done at a different location, so a visit to see equipment will come later. I hadn’t met Giorgio so Bobby called him over and we were introduced. We talked a bit and I checked out their beer selection. They were served from a jockey box from kegs behind the counter. Normally they have the whole bar, which they renovated. Today was a special event and they were sharing the space.
There were 5 brews available when I was there. Ilean is their flagship and heart of 41 a pale ale that is different than most, it is lightly hopped, sweet to the pallet and has a crisp finish. It’s named to honor the memory of Eileen Keppler, a friend and co-worker, who died in 2015.
REB Light Here’s a light, fresh beer, for the generation that still believes Coors Light and Budweiser are great beers. ABV 5.0. It’s named after Bobby’s dad, whose initials are REB. There’s almost no hops nose or taste. It was much cloudier than one would expect for the style, something that might put AB drinkers off.
Bavarian Weizen German is a wheat ale with a slight under tone of German hop bitterness. A great summer beer, but it’s not a hefe, so don’t look for any banana notes as you would with a hefe style. ABV 4.8%.
Blueberry Bogart. This wheat ale is lightly hopped with 1 lb. of blueberries per gallon, 5.8% ABV. There was no doubt about the blueberries; it was like drinking blueberry juice.
Trouble IPA had a big citrusy hops nose, with a balanced taste leaning towards hops.
Lavender Equinox was a floral, spring celebrating beer. No doubt about the lavender being there. It was not shy, but whacked you on the nose with lavender. I could see how people would like it, but it was not for me.
The Bavarian Weizen, Blueberry Bogart and EB light are still on tap. Now also available is Humphrey Old Ale an English Ale using English fuggles, fresh raisins and dates, 8.5 ABV%,
Proper Porter, is a well balanced porter with chocolate and coffee tones that offer a full bodied and full flavored porter at 8.0% ABV. And finally there’s Habporto, a habanero porter with slight heat quickly extinguished, with 8.5% ABV.
You can sample Table 41 beer every Thursday from 5pm-9ish at 4 Dunsback Ferry Rd. Cohoes. Drive on in and they’re all the way down. Food is available and most nights there’s live music or a DJ.
Saturdays from 9 am-1 fill up at Colonies Farmers Market, located at The Crossings on Albany Shaker Rd.
Visit every last Wednesday of the month when Table 41 hosts Bike Night at Lanthier’s Grove from 5-9.
Look for another road trip to learn about Table 41’s brewery. When you visit tell them Roger sent you. See you there.
Road trip: Table 41, http://www.table41brewing.com/