The seasons change, the days turn dark and chilly, and a savvy visitor’s mind turns to warming beverages. Embark on a journey through the Hudson Valley and Catskills, where craft beverages take center stage in a symphony of flavor and creativity. Prepare to indulge your senses and savor the finest craft beverages the region has to offer. Cheers to unforgettable moments and unforgettable flavors!
Union Street Brewing | Hudson
In Union Street Brewing, which opened in July, owners Emma and Paul O’Donnell have created a place to share their “obsession for craft beer with the greater Hudson Valley.” This brewery, taproom, and beautifully landscaped beer garden is located in historic downtown Hudson, only steps away from the bustling businesses of Warren and 7th Streets. The focus is on hoppy, juicy brews, along with an ever-changing selection of seasonal beers, and a wide range of New York State wines and spirits, all supporting the O’Donnells’ commitment to local, Hudson Valley ingredients. Bites and beers will work hand in hand, with CIA-trained chef Joel Somerstein making plates like lamb koftas with tzatziki ($10) to shrimp tacos ($16) and sausage bites in puff pastry ($15).
Ravish Liquors | Coxsackie
“Antiques in the front. Party in the back.” Like the triumphant return of the mullet, Sara Miller’s genre-defying Coxsackie storefront shoehorns two disparate concepts into one 1870s firehouse, steps away from the Hudson River. Up front, Unquiet displays the former Saveur editor’s aesthetic and zeal for oddities with a curated selection of furniture, art, and decor. In the back, Ravish Liquors, “a speakeasy with a Southern accent,” is a small, cozy space with dark wallpaper and a rotating menu of small Dixie-inflected bites, from rotel dip ($5) to the crawfish etouffee ($18) and succotash salad ($12). There’s also liquor, wine, sake, beer, and live music most Saturdays.
Hemlock | Catskill
Rustic elegance-meets-Doobie Brothers at Catskill’s newest bar and lounge, Hemlock, featuring classic cocktails made with high-quality spirits and as few ingredients as possible, creating a simplicity that allows bold flavors to shine. Try the pineapple daiquiri, made with fresh juice. Other top choices are their margarita and the garden paloma, made from tequila with lime and grapefruit juices, jalapeno agave syrup, and celery bitters, with club soda. Cocktails run $12 each.
Hemlock also offers a small, moderately priced menu of elevated bar food, with items like a Wagyu beef smash burger with the works—cheese, caramelized onion, lettuce, pickle, and A1 aioli ($9); and a big leafy salad ($9), but they’re constantly selling out of the vegan chopped cheese: an Impossible patty chopped with vegan cheese, onions, Sriracha ketchup, and pickle ($9).
Pillow & Oats | Beacon
Husband-and-wife duo Maria and Max Headley have opened Beacon’s latest brewery, Pillow & Oats, right in the heart of town. Sandwiched between Peaceful Provisions and Big Mouth Coffee Roasters, Pillow & Oats specializes in small batch Hazy IPAs and hoppy, but not bitter, offerings. In time, the now-Spartan space, a long rectangle that radiates beer hall vibes, and the industrial interior are soon to be spruced up with murals. All the brewing equipment is out in the open and, in addition to the rows of communal tables and benches, there are a dozen or so round tables flanked by comfy bar stools.
The Print House | Fleischmanns
When the room isn’t filled with the sounds of live music, records spin on the turntable at the Print House, a new vinyl bar in the Delaware County village of Fleischmanns. After a 25-year career in television and film, Joe Devito has returned to his lifelong passions of music and food with this new venture. The menu offers flavors of DeVito’s childhood like his grandma’s classic meatballs ($12) served in a cast iron skillet, as well as fresh flatbreads ($12-$18), and locally sourced options like the farm-fresh cheeseboard. Located in a circa-1905 print shop with tall tin ceilings and crown molding, the restored space offers a cozy spot to hear music and catch up with friends over craft cocktails.
Aspire Brewing | Middletown
Located in the Plaza at Crystal Run off Route 211, Aspire Brewing shares a parking lot with a PETCO and a gym. A former Off-Track Betting parlor, the brewery’s 30,000-square-foot space is comfortable and inviting. Dramatic, dark-colored walls are highlighted with pendants and sconces formed from barrel staves. Edison-light chandeliers hang from the ceiling, illuminating long couches set up for intimate conversations. There’s also a free cornhole area and giant Jenga tower, or try your hand at laser ax throwing and a variety of other electronic games ($25 per person, per hour; four lanes allow for multiple groups to play). Or grab up to nine of your friends and rent the golf-simulator room. The room has tables and a plethora of life-size video simulator games, from golf to zombie-shooting to baseball and soccer.
But the real differentiator at Aspire is its pour-your-own beer system. After purchasing a PourMyBeer card, you can take your beer card over to the self-pour wall of 40 taps. Choose from a selection of beer glasses, from tiny tasters to pints and bigger glasses. The beers—all brewed onsite—are tasty and diverse spanning the gamut from fruity IPAs to creamy stouts, ales, and pilsners. There’s also a menu featuring elevated pub fare like personal pizzas and buffalo wings.
