Binghamton, New York, is a small city trying to revitalize itself and become a destination for locals and tourists alike. In the heart of the downtown you will find the little gem that is Galaxy Brewing Company. Galaxy has a wide array of beers on tap all made right there in the restaurant and a menu of delicious treats to complement your brew. This is a must for anyone living in or passing through the Binghamton area.
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Photo Credit – Galaxy Brewing Company
If you compare Binghamton of 2015 to the Binghamton of ten years ago, you would not even think it was the same place. A tremendous array of fine and or fun dining has moved into town spurred on by a push for culture and entertainment like the First Friday art shows and a fresh set of shows at the The Forum every season and the biannual Restaurant Week celebration. Cafe’s and restaurants like Burger Monday’s, The Loft, and Laveggio bring people into the downtown area and this has lead to a revitalized bar scene in Binghamton over the past few years. Amongst these new offerings is the Galaxy Brewing Company.
Galaxy Brewing Company was founded in 2011 by the father and son team of Mike and Seth Wiesel. Seth is the brewmaster and his dad Mike is the self proclaimed Old Man and chief taster. On a typical day at the restaurant, there will be 12 different beers on draft (almost never a guest tap) and on Fridays, they roll out a non-traditional cask ale that goes very quickly from what we have seen. The night of our last visit in August 2015 was the Saturday of the Chris Thater Memorial Bicycle Races and that evening they had the following beers on tap:
| Summer Saaz Pils | Czech Style Pilsner | ABV 4.8% | IBU 40 |
| St. Stusan | Belgian Pale Ale | ABV 6.5% | |
| Galactic Silk | American Amber Ale | ABV 5.5% | |
| #42 ESB | English Strong Bitter | ABV 5.8% | |
| Pumpkin Ale | Pumpkin | ABV 6.5% | |
| Octoberfest | Seasonal Ale | ABV 6.4% | |
| Andromeda IPA | American IPA | ABV 6.7% | IBU 58 |
| Star Gazer | Seasonal IPA | ABV 4.8% | |
| Farmhouse IPA | Belgian IPA | ABV 7.0% | |
| Solar Flare | Belgian IPA | ABV 8.0% | |
| Pulsar Porter | Porter | ABV 4.8% | |
| Space Madness | Oatmeal Stout | ABV 7.0% |
The beers at Galaxy Brewing Company are all made on the premises and are made from as many local ingredients as can be found. Most of their beers will run you $5.50 per glass while some, like the pumpkin cask ale, was as low as $4.00. They are frequently experimenting with variations on existing brews and use some fairly non traditional ingredients like a basil infused cask ale or Brettanomyces yeasts and several of their beers are served on nitro for that signature smooth taste. Any time you go in, you will find Galactic Silk, Pulsar Porter, Andromeda IPA, St. Stusan Ale, and the #42 ESB on tap but the others cycle through seasonally or at the whim of the brewmaster.
The St. Stusan Ale is worth a taste as it was the 2014 Silver Medal winner at the World Beer Cup, this Belgian Pale Ale beat the Belgians at their own game in the Belgian Blond Ale category and a nice trophy is hung behind the taps at the bar. There were 46 entries in this category that year.
We try to make a point of trying different things on subsequent visits to a microbrewery restaurant to see how the different offerings fare. At Galaxy however, this tends to not be the case and the problem is the jambalaya… It’s just too good to want to get anything else.
We started the evening at the bar while we waited for our group to assemble. While we waited, we had a nice conversation about the different beers with the bar manager and sampled a couple of labels. When we were ready to take a table, there was no wait but it was also early in the evening. Our waiter was enthusiastic and attentive and took very good care of us.
We started with appetizers, a hummus plate that was outstanding, and beer battered and fried green beans that were so good, you forgot there was a healthy center core under all that great golden deliciousness. For the main meal, as was mentioned above, the majority of the table had the chicken and sausage jambalaya, again, and only a single burger and Blackened Red Snapper Sandwich rounded out the orders. All the food received rave reviews around the table and the only trouble was fighting over the last green bean and the last bite of red pepper hummus.
For those of you who do not want to have the heat of the jambalaya or wish to have something a bit more traditional, there are fifteen different appetizers available, three signature mussel dishes, soups and salads, and twenty three different sandwiches, wraps, burgers, or entrees ranging in price from $9-19 per plate. There are also kids meals available including cheese burgers, grilled cheese, and of course, mac and cheese.
The pricing is not outrageous but you can expect to pay around $120 for a table of 4 with appetizers, entrees, two beers per person with tip.
The environment in the restaurant is comfortable and relaxed, even on a busy night, you never feel like you are being rushed. There are a fair number of tables but they are not packed so tight that you will feel claustrophobic. In the summer there is the new outdoor seating area, however it is oddly down a very long hallway that opens up to the new patio area situated between what appears to be a pawn shop and the entrance to the MetroCenter, a mostly defunct shopping mall in the heart of the city. It is not an uncomfortable or scary place, just a little awkward.
It’s a Wrap
We have always found Galaxy Brewing Company to be a good visit, one to look forward to. The beers are varied and well refined, the food is very good and you will not leave hungry. We have enjoyed the service and the atmosphere but we will continue to choose to sit inside. Overall, this is one of our favorite destinations in downtown Binghamton.
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| Quality and Selection of Food | |
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The Details
| Galaxy Brewing Company 41 Court Street Binghamton, NY 13901 607-217-7074 http://galaxybrewingco.com |
Hours: Tuesday: 4pm-11pm Wednesday: 4pm-11pm Thursday: 12pm-12am Friday: 12pm-12am Saturday: 12pm-12am Sunday: 1pm-9pm Dinner: 1pm-7pm |