USA, NY: Talking Cursive Brewing Co to launch early next year in Syracuse

It's got a slightly off-kilter name, plans for some out-of-the-ordinary beers and what appears to be a pretty good location.

When it opens early next year, Talking Cursive Brewing Co. will become at least the 11th beer-making business operating within the city limits of Syracuse. (That's if a different one doesn't open sooner), syracuse.com reported on October 29.

It will bring the total number of breweries in Onondaga County to more than 20.

The brewery and tap room will take a space in the Creekwalk Commons, at 301 Erie Blvd. W. That's next to a Cafe Kubal location and across the street from the iconic National Grid (Niagara Mohawk) building.

Co-owner and brewer Andrew Brooks is hoping to open in early February, in time for the annual Syracuse Winterfest downtown. The exact date is still uncertain.

Brooks, of Manlius, will operate Talking Cursive with his wife, Patricia, and business partner, Susan Kimmell of Constantia.

It will start with 15 taps - serving both its own and "guest" beers, plus other New York craft beverages. There will also be a small kitchen serving a limited food menu - baked potatoes, ale-braised hot dogs, charcuterie plates etc.

The brewhouse will be capable of making 7-barrel batches - that's about the same size as the brewhouse in the Empire Brewing Co. brewpub in nearby Armory Square.

"Our vision is a brewery where you can always try something new, but where you can also count on a couple favorites to be available," Andrew Brooks said. "We love breweries where you can talk to the brewers and they can tell you the stories behind the beer you are drinking. We want to be a place to share and create memories and enjoy great beer with great people."

The beers that Brooks plans are on the creative side of the craft beer business. One of the more unusual styles he's been brewing in test batches is something he's calling Italian Grape Ale (IGA). He plans several versions in a series - the first will be made with 49 percent Riesling grapes and a pale ale base.

There's also a Rye IPA (India Pale Ale) called Ryenapple Express, brewed with Mosaic and Chinook hops and pineapple added in several stages during the brewing process. Cinaed is a Scottish Export Ale made with Scottish Golden Promise and New York plum wood-smoked malts. Cinaed is a Gaelic word meaning "born of fire."

Others include Spirit Of Light, a light Pilsner inspired by the NiMo building; and Joshua, an English style ESB, which won Brooks a gold medal in a homebrew competition.

In addition to their homebrewing experience, Andrew and Patricia Brooks have extensive background in the local restaurant industry. Over the past 32 years, they've worked at such places as Jack Appleseed's Tavern, Park Circle Restaurant, Bennigan's and Rafferty's.

After deciding to open a brewery, Andrew and Patricia took business and beer-related classes, and have visited more than 150 breweries across the country.

The decision to name the brewery Talking Cursive came during a brewery tour the partners took to Florida, Andrew Brooks said. Talking Cursive can mean "speaking freely and easily," he said, or perhaps "talking while tipsy."

The Talking Cursive location is on the site of one of Syracuse's first commercial breweries, Morey & Kellogg, which opened in the 1820s. That area along the old Erie Canal was also home to such historic breweries as Greenway, Moore & Quinn Brewery and Germania.

The decor will pay homage to the city's brewing history, Brooks said.

The location is just a few blocks from Middle Ages Brewing Co., at 120 Wilkinson St., and to the three breweries operating in the downtown area: Empire Brewing, Syracuse Suds Factory and Sahm Brewing.

29 October, 2018