Our full name, C.H. Evans Brewing Company at the Albany Pump Station, seems a bit wordy to some people. There is a reason for this complex appellation: The family of Cornelius H. Evans, proprietor, owned the original C.H. Evans Brewing Company. The moniker “Albany Pump Station” denotes the historic building in which the microbrewery and restaurant reside. The full name, while quite descriptive, is also quite a mouthful. Most people just refer to us as “The Pump Station.”
The Evans Family

The Evans family was in the commercial brewing business for three generations. The original brewery was built in Hudson, NY in 1786 and was bought by the Evans family in 1860. It continued production until prohibition in 1920. Its award winning ales were well known in the Northeast and were even exported to England and France. Production levels peaked in 1915 when 65,000 barrels of beer were produced at the Hudson Facility.

The brewery bottled its own beer in Hudson at one of the country's earliest bottling facilities (1889) and later at a plant in New York City. The family also malted much of their own grain in their malt houses at the Hudson facility. Neil Evans revives this rich heritage here at the Albany Pump Station. Surviving C.H. Evans Brewing Company memorabilia is displayed in the new facility, as well as pictures of the pump station as it appeared at the turn of the century.
The Building

The Albany Pump Station consists of two adjoining buildings. The first building was completed in 1874, the entire structure being completed and put into service in 1895. Total floor space is 8,000 square feet and the roof trusses are 40 feet above the floor.

The Pump Station drew water from the Hudson River and pumped it under Clinton Avenue to Bleecker Reservoir, which is now Bleecker Stadium. In 1927 the pump station moved over 7 billion gallons of water. In 1932 the Alcove reservoir was put into service and the Pump Station ceased operation.

There are two, massive, overhead cranes which are still in place and operational today. These cranes, completed in 1906 and 1909 and used for pump engine repair, are each able to lift 20 tons. We used these cranes to install the fermentation and serving tanks above the main bar.

Monday-Thursday: 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sunday: Noon - 8:00 p.m.