The Defiant Brewing Company

The Defiant Brewing CompanyThe Defiant Brewing Company
The Defiant Brewing CompanyThe Defiant Brewing Company
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

6 East Dexter Plaza
Pearl River, New York, 10965
United States

(845) 920-8602 | map
defiantbrewing.com

Defiant pours a different cask conditioned beer every Sunday and serves slow-smoked barbecue food on Thursdays (wings), Fridays and Saturday (full menu), and Sunday (some or all).

They also have cheese and crackers anytime of the week
BEER STATS
Average:
3.83
Beers:
68
Ratings:
898
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.05
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
71
pDev:
10.62%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Ksilver2:
Photo of Ksilver2
Reviewed by Ksilver2 from New York

3.79/5  rDev -6.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
V: Benches line the wall opposite of the bar. Seating area blends right into the brewery. A bit cramped but high energy.

Q: Has a typical barbecue restaurant feel but with stickier floors. From what I could tell the bar was well kept.

Ser: You can order food and drinks at the bar. Food came quickly and waitress was kind and helpful.

Sel: Beer selection was great, they have a large variety of types. Menu for food was limited but you can't expect much for barbecue.

Food: Food was great, the variety platters are worth sharing and you're able to taste everything.

Overall seems like a fun place to go with friends
Mar 01, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.78 by Zekenyce from New Jersey

Oct 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.78 by AccipiterofBeer from New York

Aug 29, 2023
 
Rated: 3.55 by eluvah from New York

May 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.05 by O-Meg from New York

Apr 13, 2023
 
Rated: 4.33 by Hazey92 from New York

Feb 11, 2021
 
Rated: 3.86 by SaveWaterDrinkBeers from Maine

Jul 26, 2020
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Rated by Miles_Nilges from New York

4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Great atmosphere, and nice selection of beers, with decent pub food. Overall a nice place.
May 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.63 by jt_thomas18 from Tennessee

Jan 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.94 by Arg914 from New York

Sep 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3.98 by Griffith from Connecticut

Mar 18, 2019
Photo of Sprowt20
Reviewed by Sprowt20 from New Jersey

3.06/5  rDev -24.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 2.25 | service: 3 | selection: 3.25 | food: 3.75
This is a fantastic space, perfect for hosting bands, cornhole tournaments and a solid bbq restaurant. Unfortunately, Defiant's beer isn't quite up to the same level as it's digs. Still, a fun time can be had, with plenty of variety to keep the drinking interesting. Also, very family friendly with a play area for young children.
Mar 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.88 by chiefz1 from New York

Aug 23, 2018
 
Rated: 4.18 by Rubezahl from Pennsylvania

Jul 29, 2018
Photo of ProNR
Reviewed by ProNR from Florida

4.35/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
Very extensive bar area. Plenty of table seating as well. Good selection available on tap. Friendly service. Have a smokehouse menu available, smelt great but did not get an opportunity to try the food. Would recommend a visit. One complaint - serve beer in a 10 oz. glass - would prefer a pint option.
Jun 18, 2018
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Rated by BeRightBock from New York

4.66/5  rDev +15.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 5
If you haven't been in a while, go back.

Great variety, great food, great bartenders, etc..

Just go.
May 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4.46 by nyr94cup from New Jersey

Oct 22, 2017
Photo of Brukaki
Reviewed by Brukaki from New York

4.24/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 5
first off, the wings at this brewery are f***** amazing, okay now thats out of the way, defiant has been around for a long time and is by far my favorite microbrewery in the rockland area. They have made so many great beers, the drinks are cheap here and come in a 12oz or a 25oz mug, has a nice rustic feel and is pretty big. You see all the brewing equipment up close and personal. Some of my fav beers are weapons grade ipa, medusa, and the abominal snow beer (seasonal, is amazing). you need to try this place if you are ever in the area, note takes CASH only.
Sep 13, 2017
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

4.19/5  rDev +3.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4
Stopped in while traveling through the area. Defiant is housed in a large old warehouse/manufacturing facility next to the railroad tracks in Pearl River, IMO, this was a pretty cool vibe. They also offer smoked meats but unfortunately we didn't have the opportunity to try some freshly smoked meat since we were passing through on a Monday when "The Smokehouse" was closed. However, the smoke aroma lingered in the air and was intoxicating when we walked in (mixed with that awesome brew house aroma).

The beers we tried were solid and if I lived closer would definitely be stopping in on a regular basis. The Medusa IPA is a solid IPA. They also came off a busy weekend and didn't have enough lines to fill the taps so hooked up other local NY State nano's which were excellent.

The only downside => CASH ONLY so you've been warned in advance and come with a pocketful of green.
Feb 08, 2017
Photo of Knapp85
Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

3.91/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
Pretty cool spot, It wasn't busy at all the night we stopped in so it was rather nice being able to just try a few of their beers while talking to the guy behind the bar. It's a big place, so plenty of room for quite a few people to hang out there. The selection was pretty good. I would have liked to try the food there but the kitchen had already closed for the night.
Feb 07, 2017
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Reviewed by KTCamm from New Jersey

3.99/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Definitely stop by this brewery/BBQ located right across the street from the Metro North station in Pearl River NY. Lots of space at the bar or tables to sit and enjoy a wide arrays of brews. My only knock on the Selection category here is that they don't offer a sampler - would love to be able to try more. That said, friendly helpful service, very knowledgeable.

Oh, and the BBQ is awesome. get the master platter and try everything.
Aug 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.96 by TheNakedStiletto from Pennsylvania

Aug 14, 2016
Photo of djkman
Reviewed by djkman from New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +8.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.75
Greate BBQ ! Let's get that done for the first thing !
Great vibe. Beer men talking about beers. Ok us Dads talking beer. Single guys watching the ladies drink beer.
You all know what I mean....
Nothing Iike getting the beer out of the stills.
When a local place around for a while is making good beer, that is a good thing!
Feb 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.79 by bobv from Vermont

Jan 26, 2016
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Rated by stepherrs09 from Florida

5/5  rDev +23.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
BBQ major plus!
Jan 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Nov 23, 2015
Photo of tappangordo
Reviewed by tappangordo from New York

4/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Went here for beers and dinner with some friends. The beers in general are good. Nice set up with a very relaxed atmosphere. The menu is primarily BBQ and it is EXCELLENT.
Oct 05, 2015
 
Rated: 4.13 by EdwardK77 from New York

Oct 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.85 by psweendogg from Connecticut

Sep 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.11 by JaredSammy from New York

Sep 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.31 by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

Sep 08, 2015
Photo of njcraftguy
Reviewed by njcraftguy from New Jersey

4.29/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 5
Great spot. Very casual - which I prefer. I rolled in on my Harley and felt right at home. It was a gorgeous day and the outside seating was perfect. Brews were good - none blew me away but all were good and the IPA ( Medusa ) was really tasty. I will admit I can see why several have complained about the service, there were 3 bartenders while I was there. One was excellent, on point and attentive. One was OK, decent service but disappeared far too often. The other dude acted like he was doing you a favor to pour a beer. The website listed about 10 beers on tap including Medusa but when I asked he got all crappy with me, pointed at the board and said " just whats on the board " Really ??
However, I will go back for one simple reason. The BBQ was awesome. I must say the wings were the best I've ever had. The best. The dry rub was amazing.
Sep 08, 2015
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Reviewed by gilchrist_whitedale from New Jersey

4.06/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.5
Didn't eat, but have been informed the BBQ is top notch. Defiant is exactly what you'd expect to find for a brewery/bar. Nice long bar and tables along the wall. We had no service problems whatsoever. In fact, the bartender came and chatted with us over what we wanted to try next to compliment what we just had. My only complaints are 1) tiny, one-person bathroom (one for each gender) that can get occupied for extended periods 2) they only take cash. ;)
May 23, 2015
Photo of oriolesfan4
Reviewed by oriolesfan4 from Maryland

3.14/5  rDev -22.5%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 1.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
Stopped by this place on a whim after visiting Captain Lawrence. Easy enough to find along a train track with a good amount of designated parking.

The place has a small outdoor area and a long bar so there's plenty of seating. The tasting room was not very busy when we first arrived, maybe 10 or so total people with one bartender. There were about 8-10 offerings on tap of a variety of styles. Be forewarned, this place offers no flights or samplers of any kind (and seemed kind of perturbed at my request to try some samplers... who would have thunk wanting to try all of your beers would be so frowned upon?) They either offer 10 oz. mugs for $4.25 or 25 oz. mugs for $10. After just paying less than $1/sample at Captain Lawrence, these prices seemed a little high for an 'up and coming' brewery.

Also of note, don't ask for a print out of what's on tap with descriptions... you'll just be directed to decipher what you want from one of two darkly lit chalkboards with what's on tap with just the beer names and no ABV or styles listed. They offer BBQ food which was pretty good and hit the spot.

As for the service, it was pretty subpar. Even with only 10 or so people there, mine and my gf's empty glasses were passed by several times and we were rarely checked on. Once we were finally attended to and able to get another round we got a "Hey guys, saw you've been empty for a really long time.. what do you want?"... well, in the future maybe don't keep people waiting there who are willing to pay for more beers (this is while sitting at the bar mind you, literally made 10 or so passes before offering another round). My girlfriend made a feeble attempt to order a third a beer, but after placing the order and not getting the beer for 20+ minutes, we decided to just throw some money on the bar and walk out.

Beer was above average for what I had, but the lack of offering samplers and the really poor service would keep me from coming back here again. In a time where breweries are popping up every month, customer service is key. When almost all of them I've visited are beyond nice and friendly and go out of their way to pour you their beer, I'll skip the one where it seemed like too much of a hassle to even order a beer. Hope their customer service improves.
Apr 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.4 by lifebeer from New Jersey

Mar 08, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by Lucoli from New York

Feb 14, 2015
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Rated by JonAdams from Arizona

2.95/5  rDev -27.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 1
No food, just beer! Adjacent to RR tracks, warehouse industrial location, all the usual good things that make it authentic...
Dec 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by BlackHawk89 from New York

Dec 10, 2014
 
Photo of jeffleepa
Rated by jeffleepa from New York

4.75/5  rDev +17.3%
The food is so good, they usually run out
Nov 17, 2014
The Defiant Brewing Company in Pearl River, NY
Brewery rating: 3.83 out of 5 with 898 ratings