When the weather heats up, nothing cools us down quite like a crisp, chilled, local beer. With a surplus of brewery options these days in and around New York, it’s impossible to pick just one hoppin’ spot to visit. Check out a list of some of our favorite breweries – new and old – below and plan your weekend getaway to hit one, two or ALL of these delicious spots this summer!
The Hudson Valley is brimming with beer. For decades, craft beverage makers have taken a locally-focused, earth-to-bottle approach in creating award-winning liquid gold. They take advantage of the regional climate, perfect for growing hops. Check out Westchester County gems Broken Bow Brewery, Peekskill Brewery and Yonkers Brewing Co. Take a tour, chat with brewmasters and quench that summer thirst! A few of our faves in Dutchess County are 2 Way Brewing Co., Hudson Valley Brewery, and Hyde Park Brewing Co. Want to enjoy a little history alongside your brew? Book our Dutchess Pints & Political Figures Tour on July 21 or 22 for a trip to some historic homes of famous political figures, all washed down with local brews from Hyde Park Brewing Co. Get up to the Hudson Valley via Metro-North Railroad and stay for the weekend — lodging options here and here.
Drive up to the gorgeous Catskills region in Sullivan County for a brew-filled weekend. Head over to Roscoe, NY – aka Trout Town, USA – for a little fly fishing along with your cold ones. Check out the new 1,600 sq foot store front, self-serve tap wall, tasting bar and lounge at Roscoe Beer Co. Make your own beer trail (with a designated driver, of course) and stop by Catskill Brewery and Callicoon Brewing Co. Make a weekend getaway out of it with one of these gorgeous luxury lodging options.
Did you know that just over a century ago, the Central New York region represented the hop capital of the country? CNY’s Brew Central puts the region back on the map with a growing number of producers that create a hop-tastic beverage trail. Check out the famous 125-year-old F.X. Matt Brewing Co., makers of Saranac. The 15th-largest producer of beer in the U.S., F.X. Matt is known for its endless selection of styles and limited-release High Peaks Series. The dedicated band of Saranac brewers craft more than 65 different recipes in a year, including an IPA recently resurrected more than 100 years after the brewery’s founder last made a batch. Also part of the Cooperstown Beverage Trail, head over to Brewery Ommegang, which was established in 1997 on a former hop farm just outside of Cooperstown, N.Y. – the first farm site brewery founded in the U.S. in more than a century. Another regional favorite and farm brewery, Empire Brewing Co., has walls covered with Great American Beer Festival hardware and a menu chock full of locally produced eats. And all you beer lovers MUST stop by Blue Tusk (across the street from Empire) to experience one of All About Beer magazine’s “125 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die.” Drink up!
Breweries are popping up all over Ithaca, NY (in the Finger Lakes region of NY State), and are becoming an exciting stop on the Finger Lakes Beer Trail. These breweries craft beer for all palates – from hoppy IPAs to mild summer lagers. Ithaca is not just for Finger Lakes wine lovers anymore, check out some of our Ithaca favorites and see for yourself: Ithaca Beer Co., Liquid State Brewing Co., Bacchus Brewing Co., Hopshire Farm & Brewery, and more. Stay for the weekend while you soak up all that beer and enjoy a relaxing retreat at one of Ithaca’s quiet and quaint B&Bs.
Comments