In June, Aspire Brewing joined the handful of craft breweries in the Middletown area of Orange County. The spin? At Aspire you pour your own beer in a gorgeously appointed self-serve taproom with plenty of games and amenities to keep you entertained.
Located in the Plaza at Crystal Run off Route 211, the brewery shares a parking lot with a PETCO and a gym. The taproom looks nothing like its former incarnation as an Off-Track Betting parlor. As you approach Aspire from the spacious parking lot, look up: The brewery’s name beckons, spelled out in marquee lights on the ceiling of the patios. On warm nights, floor-to-ceiling garage doors roll up, connecting the taproom to the patios for an indoor-outdoor experience.
The lobby is lined with black and white penny tile, anchored with a huge copper brew kettle. In case you may be wondering why you’re here, the answer is spelled out in black hexie tiles, with an arrow pointing to the taproom doors: BEER. Merch ranging from tees to coasters to hats lines the walls.
Don’t leave the lobby without purchasing a PourMyBeer card (linked to a required credit card and ID). From there, 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—a handy video shows the correct angle to hold your glass. Hold your card against a reader next to the tap, position your glass (did you pay attention to the video?), and pull. On a recent visit, brews ranged from 68 to 80 cents per ounce. “Our bestselling fresh brews would have to be our Widman (Pilsner), Seek (NEIPA), and 30 other beers that are all fresh and amazing for everyone to try,” owner Parth Patel says. When you leave, simply check out with the counterperson in the lobby to pay your tab.
Patel describes the menu at Aspire as “elevated pub fare,” with options ranging from personal pizzas to soft pretzels, buffalo wings, and other nibbles. Patrons can snap a QR code to order food delivered right to their table.
There’s a full-service bar carrying all the beers and seltzers brewing at the moment, as well as ciders and wines. “We make our own seltzers that are brewed at Aspire,” says Patel. “Also, we have our very own Aspire cola, orange soda, pineapple soda, root beer, and many other soft drinks.”
The drinks are just the start of the fun here. Check out the 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. At $45 per hour for up to 10 people, the room has tables and a plethora of life-size video simulator games, from golf to zombie-shooting to baseball and soccer.
The Great Room, a 1,600-square-foot event space, accommodates 75 guests and features floor-to-ceiling windows into the brewery. It’s available for gatherings, corporate meetings, and watch parties, with full food and beverage service and a personalized craft brew selection.
The beers—all brewed onsite by head brewer Rick, brewers Mikey and Nick, and cellarwoman Jaclyn—are tasty and diverse spanning the gamut from fruity IPAs to creamy stouts, ales, and pilsners. This is the first time running a brewery for Parth and his son Sonny Patel, but they’re no strangers to beer—they also own Beer World, a beer retailer with 11 stores throughout Orange, Ulster, and Sullivan counties, as well as in Horseheads. (Canned Aspire brews can be found at some of them. “I have always been familiar with the beer business and enjoy craft breweries,” Patel says. “This location was chosen based on the town of Wallkill growing and becoming a place for all kinds of people to come.”
The 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. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to snag a table with two wicker hanging chairs, whose pillows invite a long afternoon of swinging and sipping.
Aspire Brewing is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 11:30am-9:30pm, and Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30am-10:30pm.
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