Rare Form Brewing Company

Great selection of brews. Had their calypso ipa, ludicrous speed all fantastic. Will definitely be a regular stop when in troy.

We had a great time at Rare Form and enjoyed some excellent beers. Even discussed some Aristotle.
Went to the the Rare Form Troy Taproom with a friend, its the perfect venue for a one on one catch up or for a group of friends. They have a charcuterie menu sourced locally, and are down for BYOF.
We were greeted by the wonderful Zanne (or Zanna…) and had a few of their permanent and seasonal offerings. Left with a growler of a seasonal collaboration with the Brooklyn CIA.
Highly recommend the Earth to Troy while it is on, and the permanent Karass Robust Porter. Excited to come back and try more, especially when they have the Black IPA «Bioluminescence» on tap again. From the brewer: «…a wonderful sweet-​tart like aroma while the dark grains hint towards roast. The citrus hops give it a well rounded floral bitterness.»

I love the smell of breweries, this place has that awesome smell. The bar is pretty much right in the middle of it all. It’s small and intimate. The beers are phenomenal. They offer meat and cheese plates from The Cheese Traveler in Albany, perfect for snacking on while you sip their selection of awesome beers. I like to get a flight and enjoy different styles. It’s a great place to nerd out over hops and yeasts and barley, or to just kick back with an awesome beer.

Great tasting room. Very visually appealing and clean. We came during a slower point in the day and had the place basically to ourselves with other patrons trickling in and out.
The beer sampling is 4– 5oz pours for $ 10. We tried 2 of their own and 2 guest taps and all were quite drinkable. We shared the I’m an IPA guy, the ménage Troy and 2 others that were not from RFB. Both of these were quite enjoyable. The IPA wasn’t all that hoppy and even as a non-​IPA fan, I enjoyed drinking this one.
They offer small food and cheese plates, however, they seemed to be out of all of them when we visited. It’s nice to have this spot to hop to in the downtown Troy area.

Oh how I love this brewery, let me explain.
First, foremost, and most importantly is flavor and taste of their lineup. Rare Form has a beer for everyone. Their Cascadia Double IPA is for me; with its balance between hoppy and malty and noted with citrus, I can’t help but appreciate this beer. On rotation is another IPA, I’m an IPA Guy. No really, the beer is called I’m an IPA Guy and it’s truly for those who love their IPAs. I am personally not a fan of porters, but my friends attest that they are just as amazing as their IPAs. They also show-​case other local-​independent breweries on their guest tap.
Second, I love the size of this place. When you first walk in, you’ll see two things: a bar directly ahead and a few large tanks right past them. This place as a micro-​brew as they come; they make the beer right behind the bar. While some people may love Rare Form just for this fact alone, I love it because it means the bar tender knows what he is pouring. Not only that, but he helped craft it. I’ve sat for hours and just talked to the bartender alone about their beer and other local-​independent brewery’s. The base-​knowledge is extraordinary and will leave you appreciating well-​made beer more than when you walked in.
Third, I love the atmosphere. This is a great place to go to on a night with a small group of close friends. The décor is perfect in that it matches the independent nature and creativity of the Rare Form. Even their logo matches the walls.
I attended their 1 year anniversary and was tried their 1 year anniversary beer: Dark Tropic, a coconut porter aged for 6 months in rum barrels. In the afternoon they had a blended version on tap and later that night they tapped a pin that was non-​blended. Like a said, I’m not a porter guy: I loved it. What a difference the aging process in a barrel does. I was lucky enough to take home 4 bottles of Dark Tropic (bottles 66 – 69), which is big because they don’t bottle.
If you’re in Troy and love a well-​crafted beer, come to Rare Form.

Seriously one of the best additions to Troy in the last year! If you’re looking for a bar where you can just grab a couple of great craft beers and have some great conversations without having to shout over music or over other people, this is the place to be.
The Toast Coconut Cream Ale is my favorite. They can even do a black and tan with that and Satan’s Gut! Their beers don’t feel too heavy in your stomach either which is one of my favorite things about them. It’s also great that they have rotating beers and new beers pretty regularly.
One of my favorite places to go in Troy! Five stars all around!

Love the service love the beers love the atmosphere ;)

Are you a pretentious a-​hole looking for a spot to be condescending and judgmental? This is not the spot for you.
Solid craft beer with no frills and a laid back but very nice layout. Good spread for beer, something for all taste buds. Perfect for anyone who wants to drink and chat in an open but intimate setting. They have some seating outside but it’s a tad sketch so would recommend the inside.
Bartender was super helpful. Would Deff go back — boom!

Great little brewery in Troy. Great tasting beers. Great service. Only negative is it is small and get crowded quickly. Pours vary based on the alcohol content of the beers.
Bottom Line: Without question the best brewery in Troy. Beer fans only.

good spot for the hipsters of troy — barstaff is excellent and the beverages are awesome will be back and if you havent been what are you waiting for !

It really is as good as it gets. Every beer on tap was excellent, I’m especially excited about their Side Dish beer made out of sweet potatoes. Delicious and perfect for thanksgiving. It’s an excellent addition to Troy.
The samples are free (Try them all!), and when you’ve found the perfect match buy one because the prices are absolutely reasonable.
This is the perfect spot for a date, or to have drinks with a friend after work.

We were just passing through Troy and stopped in. Nate, our fellow San Diegan– was awesome! Nate we hope to cross paths with you again. when we do, we’re getting you a beer or two! Beers were pretty good too!

We’ve only been here twice since their opening. The first time was shortly after they opened and they were sold out of almost everything that they had brewed. On that trip we thought the beer that we tried was ok, but nothing outstanding. This trip, the only beer that they were out of was the one that was at the top of our list to try — Royal Coconut Cream Ale. And to make things worse, they said it sold out about 20 minutes before we arrived and won’t be back until next Spring! ;-(
But we were not to be deterred and soldiered on by tasting about a half-​dozen others (there is no charge for simply tasting) and settled on the nitro version of Karass Porter (6.6% abv) and Satan’s Gut Imperial Stout (10% abv). While all beers are $ 6, glass sizes vary based upon the alcohol content of the brew. For example, the 6.6% abv Porter is served in a 12 oz. glass while the 10% abv Stout was served in a 10 oz. glass.
The nitro Karass was so much more creamy than the regular draft Karass that we tasted, providing a wonderful mouth-​feel. Satan’s Stout was rich and full-​bodied with notes of chocolate and coffee. Delicious. I’m sure we’ll be back before Spring.
Btw, this is a great place to have a drink before attending a show at the Troy Music Hall. It’s just a short walk away. And you can also purchase or fill growlers to take home and enjoy later. For the most part this is not a place you go for a meal. But they do offer for sale some good cheeses and meats to match up with their beers. Staff are really friendly and happy to discuss the beers with anyone.
I can’t think of a single reason to take a star away.

Great lineup of creative beer styles. The tasting room has a fun eclectic vibe. My favorite beers so far are the L’Homme Chat Black Belgian and Satan’s Gut Imperial Stout. Prefect place to hang out before seeing a show at the nearby music hall.

Quaint and awesome location. Décor is industrial/​cozy and beer is awesome.
Each visit is relaxing and enjoyable. Never feel pressured by staff to drink and move along.
Beer selection is excellent and varied, from a session ale to a stout — with a rotating selection, royal coconut cream ale is my favorite.
Offers cheese and meet selection, good for meat eating beer folk, not so good for vegan beer folk. My only qualm is not having a vegan snack selection as i could sit and enjoy a few beers if there was nourishment available.
A great new addition to downtown Troy.

Rare Form Brewing is exactly what the city of Albany needs downtown. A small, locally owned and operated brewery that serves fine, hand-​crafted ales in unpretentious environs. The brewery only serves tasty, home-​crafted brews ($ 6 a pint), nine pin cider, and cheese and crackers. Simple, short, and sweet.
Except Rare Form is right in downtown Troy.
Luckily, I love Troy, and I am always looking for an excuse to go across the river.
The Nitro Stout and Porter were excellent as was their B-​Side IPA. They also had 2 session ales on tap (I didn’t try them). There are no flights available but you can just ask the friendly bartender for a sample of any of the brew before you decide on your pint.
Unfortunately, they were out of their Belgian Trippel and Scottish Ale.
Fortunately, that just gives me another excuse to head over to Troy.

Beautiful and welcoming space, delicious beer and fantastic people. Looking forward to filling up our first growler :)

Can’t say enough good things about this place, and it’s only been open for a week and a half!
It seemed as though their opening night wiped them out of a lot of their beer, but they still had some good stuff left on tap. I tried their porter and their Satan’s Gut Imperial Stout, and both were excellent. I’d even go so far as to say their porter is the best I’ve had, period.
I’m stoked to go back. They seem to have several interesting beers that I haven’t gotten to try yet, and their coconut cream ale sounds very intriguing!

What an awesome addition to downtown Troy.
The space is beautiful. The beer is excellent. The staff is friendly, warm and knowledgeable.
Can’t wait to make it back and fill up a growler.

Just got back from their grand opening last night, and cannot say enough good things about this quaint brewery in Troy. Last night I tested out 3 different beers, my fave was the session ale, it had a good hoppy taste with a crisp clean finish. The actual tasting room is airy and well lit; it had such great vibes all night. the cute rooms on the side are unique; loved the little secret garden on the right— plenty of seating at the bar and the tables on either side of the room. All the bartenders were super knowledgable and service was fast. Excited to have this bar in my rotation of places to go out.
If you haven’t been there yet, what are you waiting for? GO! NOW!