Ale House

So I'm not a huge fan of the buffalo wings here.  They just don't do it for me; I'll eat them.  They are passable, but not my bag, baby.  

What does the Ale House offer?  A college student free environment (even after 10pm) and Trojan Storytelling.  Both of which are awesome.  And who doesn't love Booie?

The King of Wings in Troy: The Ruck.

I'm a regular at the Ale House.  I haven't tried everything on the menu but I've generally had a favorable experience (save one bad burger on a hungover Sunday), and they have the best wings I've ever had - I definitely prefer Ale House wings (ordered "extra crispy") over the Ruck's, though the latter wins at bleu cheese/ranch hybrid dressing.  I like the townie feel and the wide array of events the Ale House hosts - from bluegrass open mic nights to storytelling, from touring bands to football, bass fishing and organized holiday pub crawls.  The staff are all excellent and take good care of the patrons.  

Beer selection is not infinite and not particularly competitively priced, but there are always several solid choices on tap, from light to dark.  There is a mild Irish feel to the place and that is reflected in what's to drink.

Who has the best wings in Troy - the Ale House or the Ruck?  Tough call, but you are going to get great wings and beer at either place!  I give both these places 5 stars.

Go to the Ruck is you want a limited (but yummy) food selection, more beer selection, a fun bar atmosphere, and to cozy up next to some college co-eds later in the evening.

Go to the Ale House if you want to sit down, be waited on, have more food selection, and not have the noise volume override your conversation. My friends and I will often randomly declare it "Ale House Night", and we all gather there.  It's laid back, not pretentious, the wait staff is friendly, and the atmosphere is conducive to conversation and catching up with each other.  Surprisingly, Wednesday night is Mexican night, and they have great Quesadillas!  In general, I recommend the wings (Regular Medium wings, and the Tequila Chipotle wings), sweet potato fries, and carrot cake!  

The Ale House has also started hosting the Front Parlor Storytelling series on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7:30.  This is an amazing night of storytelling, and definitely worth checking out.  I wouldn't recommend going here for dinner alone on that night - the place is packed, and you don't get a seat unless you show up before 6:45.  Check out more information about the Front Parlor nights here: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Falloveralbany.com%2Farchive%2F2011%2F08%2F10%2Ffront-parlor-story-night-at-the-ale-house&s=fb0fd293e8bf1b5ddc554cb0e1f8b2e681fcf6c99f7edd107682dc0c58968dcd" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://alloveralbany.com…</a>