Climbing Bines Hop Farm & Brewery — Restaurant in Town of Torrey

After visiting once I am unlikely to return. Visited their farm on Mother's Day weekend and tried 4 beers: Dunkelweizen, Ye Old Traverse, Amber and Stout. You are offered to purchase pints in a 16oz plastic cup for $6 ($5 refill & you keep the cup) or 16oz glass for $7.5 ($5 refill not sure if you get to keep the glass). We went with plastic and were very displeased with the Dunkelweizen and Traverse. Dunkel showed no traits within style for this type of beer. No clove/banana flavor from the yeast, absence of malt flavor or sweetness and hop flavor and bitterness were too forward (admittedly I did not try the straight hefeweizen for comparison regarding yeast and hop flavors). I sampled the dunkel again at the bar to confirm what I was tasting or that I wasn't poured the wrong beer but displeasure was confirmed (the taps are not labelled and the bartender was initially unsure what tap corresponded to what beer; just label the taps!). Traverse is similar to an english ESB but very floral from hops and has a vinyl or plastic off flavor maybe from the plastic cup, maybe from sulfur and chloride compounds in their well water. Unsure what if any water treatment program the brewery uses but Finger Lakes water is very hard with high mineral content.

The amber and stout were much better, especially the amber which I thought was a better example of an english bitter than the Traverse. Pleasing hop flavor and aroma with a good mouth feel and malt backbone that really came out as the beer warmed. None of the off flavors experienced with the Traverse which leads me to believe those flavors weren't due to the plastic cup.

The brewery/farm is in a beautiful location right on Seneca Lake with great views from the patio. Prices aren't bad especially since you get a novelty cup. The staff is very friendly and accommodating; dogs are allowed on leash outside and you can bring your own food to eat on the patio. The only bathroom present was a port-a-john about 30ft...

We had our wedding ceremony and reception at Climbing Bines July 2020 and we honestly can’t say enough good things about Bri, her team, and the venue overall. We first saw the venue a year and a half before the wedding. She showed us around in the middle of winter and we fell in love despite it not being “in season”. Bri was super responsive with answering all of our questions, and helping us stay on track well in advance. When COVID-19 affected our wedding she was so helpful and understanding. We didn’t want to reschedule due to a long engagement so she helped us have the best wedding we were allowed to have. We ended up downsizing to 50 people, distancing tables in the venue, and so much more. Bri and her team eased a difficult time as much as they could, and helped us execute both the safest experience, and most fun day of our lives.

Bri/the team coordinated with all of our vendors, kept the timeline moving, kept things clean/sanitary, and most importantly provided DELICIOUS beer. We had 10 taps for the wedding, in addition to canned cocktails also provided by the venue. You are allowed to bring in NYS wine for the bar to serve, which we also did.

As for the venue itself, the hops served as a great backdrop for our first look photos and wedding ceremony. The pavilion is perfect for wedding receptions - it provides cover from the sun and is a spacious place for your guests. It’s a breathtaking place to be, and our guests loved it as much as we did. If you love craft beer this is definitely the...

Disappointing experience here. Looked fancy, clean, nice design, but serious service, employee, and owner issues. We were there with a group, and the leader worked out a deal that for a ticket, we would receive a full tasting. At most breweries or wineries in the area, that consisted of 3-7 beers or wines to taste. The employee only gave us one beer to taste, not a full tasting. It was one sip in a small cup. I needed to take a couple small half sips of the one beer to even halfway try to enjoy it. I wish they were upfront that the ticket was only for one beer to taste. A few others from the group came in to taste, and must have asked about it, as they left without tasting. I felt I wasted the ticket here on nothing. I would have just paid for the full tasting had they been honest about it. Apparently it was an issue, as I overheard an employee talk to the owner about other patrons grumbling about the deal, and he blew them off, mumbling something about how he can't afford giving a full tasting. I was so excited about a brewery being on the tour, then so disappointed in the atmosphere and attitude by the staff and owner. Running a business, I know if you give away a dollar and exceed customer expectations, you'll reap ten in return. I'll hopefully be able to return next year, to give them a second chance, and hope for improvement. Hopefully I can actually find out what their...