Plucky Rooster Ale
Visitors to the Adirondack Coast can get a taste of the area’s history with Plattsburgh’s artisan beer, Plucky Rooster Ale.  At Legends Bistro in Plattsburgh, head brewmaster Jason Stoyanoff has handcrafted Plucky Rooster Ale to commemorate the War of 1812 Bicentennial.  What better way to get a “taste” of the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain then with Plattsburgh’s own microbrew, created from researching the types of beers brewed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

Plucky Rooster Ale is a contemporary nod to brews made 200 years ago by our fore fathers.  The recipe for Plattsburgh’s artisan beer captures the essence of the Battle of Plattsburgh along with that time period in America.  At Plattsburgh’s microbrewery Legend’s Bistro Brew Pub and Wine Bar, Stoyanoff uses American hops, English rye, Canadian barley and molasses to create a burly pale ale with sweet toffee notes and a hoppy aroma, flavor and balance.  Adding to this unique locally brewed beer is the fact that it’s unfiltered, keeping with the time period, since filtration was nonexistent during that time.  The combination of these key things makes this artisan beer one of a kind in the Plattsburgh area.

The Legend of the Plucky Rooster
On the morning of September 11, 1814, the British fleet sailed around Cumberland Head on Lake Champlain and into the bay where Commodore Macdonough’s small U.S. fleet was waiting.  As the English squadron approached, Thomas Macdonough knelt for a moment with his officers on the quarter-deck in perfect silence.  The men were waiting for the opening fight. The American ship Eagle spoke first with its cannons but with no effect.  The shots fell short.  Then the British ship Linnet fired against the American ship Saratoga.  Its shots fell short except for one that struck the coop containing a gamecock that happened to be aboard the Saratoga. Instead of being frightened at his sudden release, the rooster jumped up on a gun-slide, clapped his wings and crowed.  The men laughed and cheered; immediately afterward Macdonough himself fired another round of shots.  The 24-pound ball struck the British ship Confiance and ranged the length of her deck, killing and wounding several men. All of the American long guns opened fired and the British fleet replied back.  The American crew was outnumbered by the British fleet and arms, but took the rooster’s fighting spirit as a sign of good fortune and they were right.  Macdonough’s crew won the battle.  Today, the U.S. Navy continues to have the rooster as a mascot on the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier, and now lends its name to this Plattsburgh brewed artisan beer. 

Plucky Rooster Ale is on tap at:
Legend's Bistro
Anthony's Restaurant and Bistro
Irises Cafe and Wine Bar
Gilligans Getaway
Grizle T's
The Westport Hotel
Turtle Island Cafe