Grab a pint of Arcadia Beer
By Mark Tichenor and Bruce Lish

There’s a new beer in town, and it’s damn good.

The Arcadia Brewing Company, in business since 1995, is making its first foray into western New York. The brewery’s mix of traditional and eclectic beers can now be found on tap at Monty’s Korner and The Old Toad, with more locations to follow.

“In 1995, I left a perfectly good-paying job to start a brewery and restaurant,” says Arcadia’s owner, Tim Surprise. Originally from South Glens Falls, he spent 4 years as a policeman in Saratoga County, then 14 years in the paper industry before following his dream and setting up shop in Battle Creek, Michigan. At a trim 51 years old with an affable, enthusiastic nature, Surprise is a capable evangelist for his own beers.

Okay, stop. Look, this isn’t meant to be a goof on the guy’s name, all of which I’m certain he’s heard before, but can you imagine being pulled over by Officer Suprise? It sounds like the entertainment at a bachelorette party.  Maybe that’s why he got into a different line of work.

Anyway, back to the column.

It was while traveling internationally in the paper business that Suprise caught the beer bug.  “I became interested in local beer wherever I was,” he explains. “In Bangkok, Atlanta, L.A., I visited small breweries. I became a fan from a consumer perspective.”

The respect he gained for those traditional beers carries over to Arcadia’s brewing methods. The brewhouse is British designed and built, and even utilizes an open fermentation system which leaves the bubbling liquid exposed to the air, much like the traditional Yorkshire Square method used by Acclaimed English Brewery Samuel Smith.

As you might expect, much of the beer maintains close ties with tradition. Arcadia IPA, for example, is subtler, with less of that extremely bitter hop flavor, than most American IPAs. Its flavor profile is closer to the original English IPAs from which American variants derived.

Surprise acknowledges his love of traditional beers, but points out Arcadia’s range of stronger and uniquely flavored offerings as well.  “A number of the beers in our portfolio address that particular genre of assertive,” he says. “But we have an equal number that aren’t ‘one and done’ beers. As long as I have a brewery, we will continuously offer beer that is sessionable.”

For those who gravitate to the big or eccentric stuff, there’s Arcadia Cocoa Loco Triple Chocolate Stout, which combines the best elements of stout, chocolate, and a hangover into one glass.

Another standout is Cereal Killer Barley Wine (named as homage to Kellogg, the big business in Battle Creek).  It’s a 9% ABV brute that won the silver medal at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival.

In addition to that prize, Arcadia’s IPA and London Porter have each taken a gold medal at the World Beer Championship. The Chicago Beer Society also named Arcadia Shipwright Porter as their Championship Beer for 2007.

Ultimately, Suprise realizes it’s not about awards; it’s about making something people love to drink.  As he puts it: “I’m thrilled to have our beers in Upstate NY, which is where I’m from. I’m delighted to be coming home.

Bruce is a certified beer judge and commercial brewer. Mark owns a laptop and likes beer. For more on beer, check out the beercraft blog, updated regularly, at http://www.beercraftsite.com. Send your questions, suggestions, or comments to beercraft@rochester.rr.com.

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