From the “We are Setting Up for Failure Before We Even Start” department, we bring you the Brewery of Broken Dreams. Just based on the name, we knew we needed to review this establishment. This tasting room is located in a beautiful old barn and takes full advantage of the antique building. The beer is decent and the prices are average; what really stands out is the setting.
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There are two ways to utilize an old barn for your new Microbrewery. One was described in a previous review here on the site and the other is how it should be done. The Brewery of Broken Dreams did this right. As you drive up to the brewery, you are met by an impressive facade of stone and tan siding on an old barn at the edge of the road. The street level is decorated with grape vines, a beautifully painted wooden sign featuring a crying loon, and a pair of red doors with a lot of glass.
As you enter, you step into the tasting room. There is a large L shaped bar in front of you. To the right there are several tables, and to the left logo merchandise. The ceiling is a grid of exquisite exposed joists with massive beams supporting the floor above where the brewing is done. The walls are the same hand hewn stone seen outside. The whole place is stunning with a very rustic look.
Behind the bar on the far wall from the entrance is a display of growlers that is aesthetically a cut above most displays we have seen. Above this display, you will find the on-tap beer list written on a series of small hanging chalk boards. The taps are mounted on a wall to the left and they utilize an antique sink basin as the catch pan under them. This adds to the look and the feel of the old barn in a great way.
There were eight beers available for tasting the day we visited:
| New Moon Dark Wheat | Dunkelweizen | 5.2% ABV | |
| Crying Loon Pale Ale | English Pale Ale | ||
| Old Antics Amber Ale | American Red Ale | 5.2% ABV | 50 IBU |
| Our Daily Enkel | Belgian Pale Ale | 4.2% ABV | |
| Floating Leaf Porter | American Porter | ||
| Unfinished Business Scottish Ale | Scottish Ale | 4.7% ABV | |
| Wise Old Ale | Old Ale | 6.0% ABV | |
| All 4 One | American Pale Ale | 4.1% ABV | 100 IBU |
Tastings are done winery style; you have a card with the beer list, you check the ones you want, and they are delivered one after another with a rehearsed description. For $4.00 you can sample any six beers of your choosing and for an additional $0.50, you can sample all eight. You also have the option, for a dollar more to keep your logo tasting glass, which we did. There were three folks behind the bar so we didn’t have to wait long for our samples and each sample was delivered with an overly rehearsed and somewhat mechanical description that went over our heads most of the time. Broken Dreams opened their doors in November of 2014 so they are still quite new to the game. Still, they faired somewhat well in our untapped scores with an average of 3.0 for the six beers we sampled. The fault with Broken Dreams, which we find with many new breweries, is that too many of their brews taste similar to all the others. More distinction of flavor is needed.
It’s a Wrap
Hammondsport and Keuka Lake are really quite lovely. While you are there, the Brewery of Broken Dreams is a decent little stop along the way. From the exposed beams to the beautiful stone walls, this little brewery has a great look. Their process is young and needs some refinement but shows some promise for the future. In general, just for the selfie in front of the crying loon out front, this is a must stop when you are in the neighborhood.
| Overall Rating |  |
| Quality and Selection of Beer | |
| Quality and Selection of Food | N/A |
| Family Friendliness (For those who care) |  |
The Details
| Address
8319 Pleasant Valley Rd Phone: (607) 224-4050 |
Hours
Monday 12:00 – 6:00 PM |