C.H. Evans Brewing Company

dwarbi

New York

4.2/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5

I've made two trips up to this area in the past few months, and managed to visit C.H. Evans Brewing Company At The Albany Pump Station both times. What a wonderful place.

Atmosphere: Situated right on the Hudson, it's a nice drive up to C.H. Evans Brewing Company At The Albany Pump Station. It looks like a massive brick warehouse, but the cranes still hanging from the 50 foot ceilings actually used to be used for water pumping equipment. One of the two large rooms has a tremendous fireplace. I'd like to get back there in the winter so I can watch it roar.

Quality/Service: The beer is good and the bartenders know what they are serving, as do the waitstaff. But C.H. Evans Brewing Company At The Albany Pump Station is too large of an operation for that special something that makes service great, but they are very efficient.

Selection: C.H. Evans Brewing Company At The Albany Pump Station offers a good range, from a tripel to a bavarian wheat (last time I was there). My dad ordered a Scottish Light - and even that was tasty. C.H. Evans Brewing Company At The Albany Pump Station also have a cask. Their cask-conditioned IPA was deliscious.

Food: There's loads of seating, but always a wait... but it's worth it. This is not just the usual pub fair, some truly interesting dishes are served. I had stuffed pork chops and Dana had a subtle trout meal. Sandwiches are just under $10, but entrees run in the teens. Great food, C.H. Evans Brewing Company At The Albany Pump Station.

note about growlers:
C.H. Evans Brewing Company At The Albany Pump Station sells some beautiful, but expensive growlers. They have a metal handle and Grolsch-like seal top. $26 for a filled growler, but they'll fill whatever you bring in for much less.

09-22-2004 02:09:42 | More by dwarbi

vonnegut21

New York

4/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25 | $$$

A: The C.H. Evans Brewing Company or "Pump Station" as it's called, is located in a beautiful repurposed building, that was once used as a water pumping station for the city. The interior is an oddly charming mix of classic industrial building, with modern restaurant/brewery flair. One of the coolest interior bar/restaurant spaces I've ever been in.

Q: The beer quality ranges from average to excellent. The Kickass Brown and the Hefeweizen are the standouts IMO. The brewer here is relatively new and has been experimenting with some new recipes. The imperial IPA is coming along nicely and he's going to be starting to serve some barrel aged offerings using whiskey barrels from the distillery

S: The service is the most disappointing part for me. It has been uniformly poor to average, regardless of whether I sit at the bar, near the kitchen or in the back. Servers and even bartenders have a very weak understanding of beer and aren't very helpful with recommendations if you're not sure what you're looking for.

S: There's generally a nice range of styles on tap along with a cider or two. They've been offering cask beer lately as well, which is a nice option. Pretty standard lineup without anything too crazy.

F: The food is generally pretty good. I've had a few excellent meals and a few average meals, but never a bad meal. The menu is quite large with lots of options, so it shouldn't be hard to find something you like. The entrees are a bit pricey for what you get, but the burgers and sandwiches are well-priced.

Overall, one of my favorite places to go for dinner and beer. Great atmosphere, fun vibe. Definitely worth checking out.

06-13-2013 15:34:32 | More by vonnegut21

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.73/5  rDev -8.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.75 | $$

In town to visit family, so we headed down to have a late lunch here. Right off of the highway exit, it was easy to get to. You can literally see it from the highway as you exit. Great vibe when you walk in. The bar space is actually on the small side, but there is a ton of seating, and a ton of windows providing a bevy of natural lighting. High ceilings allow some cushion for the noise as the crowd gets bigger, as well as it allows a view of the tanks above the bar area. The menu is a step above normal pub fare, with some very decent and diverse entree options. There is also a gluten free menu, if you should so need one. The wait staff was great, friendly, and fairly knowledgable about their beer offerings. Very attentive. They had 8 beers on-tap and one cask, and they offer samplers of their tap offerings, as well as beer to go. The growlers were a bit on the pricey side, I think $25 for 1L and $30 for 2L, or thereabouts. All in all, other than the growler pricing, the place was very reasonably priced, the food was good, and the staff was friendly. With some decent beer offerings, this is a place worth visiting if you find yourself in the capitol district.

04-06-2013 04:17:50 | More by GarthDanielson

DWolf

Pennsylvania

3.91/5  rDev -4.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

CH Evans is located in what is known as the Albany Pump House. The old factory gives the brewery a pretty cool feel. Parking can be a bitch however, because it seems limited, despite the large number of parking spaces. Where are all the people for those parked cars? Anyway ...

The beer selection is pretty broad. So, they should have something for just about every taste. That's a big positive, because none of the beers are particular standouts. Many taste the same, and appear to be one-offs of similar recipes.

The food is pretty good. The prices, to me, seem a bit on the higher side, but the portions are generous. So, I am okay with that. Depending on how busy they are the service can be spotty.

Overall, it's worth a visit if you're in the area; but I wouldn't classify it as a destination place.

02-05-2013 17:49:23 | More by DWolf

stercomm

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Was in Albany on a business trip, place was a few blocks from my hotel.

Very nice building, large open area, ended up sitting at one of the bar tables. Bar area is somewhat small compared to rest of the restaurant.

Service was excellent, very quick.

Had the pork tenderloin and it was excellent, chased it with a couple of their brews, the brown ale which was excellent and a pale ale which was very good.

Good selection of brewed beers. Lots of folks were taking growlers home with them.

When back in Albany will definitely revisit.

06-17-2012 01:47:14 | More by stercomm

merc7186

New York

4.28/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

For the record, I am not a local, I live on the other side of NY. I feel the obligation to mention that as locals tend to over over hype their haunts...with that being said, here is my over hype...

I have come to the Albany Pump Station about 5-6 times and can't believe that I have never reviewed this place. IMO, if you are in or around the Albany area, this is the best brewpub in the region (beats Keegan, Davidson Bros, Browns, Madison, and Adirondack hands down). The building is the former water pump station and wide open with dining on both the upper and lower levels. The bar hold about 18 patrons easily at a time. The quality of the beer is excellent as they have several GABF and WBC flagship beers on tap and other selections that are also impressive. Of all the times I have been here, I have never felt neglected and have always been attended to well. The beer selection is great as they feature 7 in house beers and a guest cider tap (Light Scotch Ale, Blonde, Hefe, ESB, Stout, Brown, Pale, and guest Pear Cider). The food here is great as they offer a wide variety between appetizers, burgers, wraps, steak, chicken, seafood and the prices are decent. I think the value is reasonable as the beer is reasonably prices and the beer is under valued $4 pints for a really good beer. Overall, if you have been here, then you know what I am talking about. If you have never been, this is your first stop.

11-02-2011 00:24:41 | More by merc7186

UDbeernut

New York

4/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

Been to CH Evans aka The Albany Pump Station on two occations. Both times were waited for a table by having a few beers at the bar before getting seated.

The building is large and very open. The bar is in the center of the building with seating areas on each side. Open Kitchen. The Brewery is on the second floor overlooking the action below.

The servers were pretty prompt. They seemed very busy but handled it well.

Beer selection on tap is all of their own beers from a wide range of styles; APA, Hefeweizen, Brown Ale, IPA, Blond, Barley Wine, and a Scotch Ale. Beers served in clean glassware as appropriate.

The menu is pretty extensive. Ranges from Sandwiches to Pasta, Seafood, Steaks, Ribs, etc. Food was good and filling, felt heavy in my stomach both times.

Prices for beer is reasonable. I think food to be a bit pricey.

Good place worth stopping by.

07-29-2011 19:06:19 | More by UDbeernut

greenmonstah

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Going to school in nearby Troy NY, I've visited the CH Evans Pump Station several times. The beer is fine, but with nothing that knocks your socks off. The Brown Ale and the Tripel are stand-outs. I've had several meals here, and the best thing I can remember is the calamari appetizer. Some of the best I've ever had! The burger is good but nothing special, and the reuben is average. Service was good, and the atmosphere is lively. Cool looking building too! I generally prefer Brown's in Troy, since I think the beer is better there, but there's something to be said about the spacious and open atmosphere of the Pump Station.

04-23-2011 23:40:17 | More by greenmonstah

rlee1390

Indiana

4.13/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $

Located as far downtown in Albany as one can go in what once was the Albany Pump Station. This old building has wonderful brick architecture and the place uses Albany's history to adorn the walls. Also proudly displayed are banners from beer awards won.

They had eight of their own beers on tap along with everything else you would expect from a bar in terms of liquor.

They offer a sample rack of their beers.

The food is decent and the restaurant is kept separate from the bar.

A great place to go while in downtown Albany.

04-15-2011 00:02:17 | More by rlee1390

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.86/5  rDev -29.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | $$

Right downtown Albany, a city I avoid travelling around in at night.A large airy place, the other downside is people and staff have some of the toughness and near-chips on shoulders of some of the worst cities. But I am here for the beer, and there were some interesting one here, but also some dreadful ones. Is it the near-foul water?That worked for the mild scotch, an gave a complexity to some of the stronger brews. Not the greatest servie, staff looked beyond me but treated regulars like V.I.P.s

08-20-2010 23:16:32 | More by northyorksammy