BY JOHN CROPLEY, The Daily Gazette

SCHENECTADY — Schenectady’s newest brewery debuted its first beer this week, with a little help from a neighbor.

The kettles and tanks are in place and ready to go at Frog Alley Brewing Co., as work rushes ahead on the upper levels of the building. But the utility lines aren’t hooked up yet, and the building is mostly unenclosed.

So that first batch of beer — an India pale ale dubbed Mad Frog — was brewed two blocks away, at Mad Jack Brewing Co. on Union Street. The Frog Alley brewers and project developers gave a tour and a taste to other members of the brewing community Thursday.

That evolved into a show-and-tell for the larger project, a major undertaking that is transforming the entire block on Lower State Street into the Mill Artisan District, at a cost approaching $30 million.

The district was conceived two years ago as a food and beverage nerve center, of sorts, with wholesale production, retail sales, and education and incubator space all focused on fresh food and craft beverages. Planning is far along, and many details are now finalized.

Developer JT Pollard of Re4orm Architecture shared some of the highlights:

To read the complete article on The Daily Gazette website, click here.  To view a photo gallery on The Daily Gazette site, click here.