Hudson/Mid-Hudson Valley Breweries

I believe Suarez remains “to go” only; no onsite consumption.

 

If you're going to IA, you should definitely hit up District 96. Some of the best NEIPA out there, and their burgers are great. Two Villains in Nyack is real close to those two, but they're very NEIPA heavy and not quite as good as D96 in that regard, but still pretty solid.

Drowned Lands and Tin Barn are new and have been great, and are sort of in between D96/IA/Two Villains and EQ.

 

You've clearly done your research, as PB, HV, IA and SF are the cream of the crop in the area you're going to be in. Bear in mind that PB is the only one of those places you can currently sit outside and drink; SF and HV are to-go only and IA is indoor-only as far as I know. I would certainly also throw Obercreek in that category, as they have outdoor seating and do both IPAs and farmhouses extremely, extremely well.

The most glaring omission I see is Arrowood Farms, who make outstanding farmhouse ales (among other things) and have an absolutely idyllic outdoor setup. Similarly, The Drowned Lands would be an essential stop with plenty of outdoor seating though IDK if it makes geographic sense depending on where in PA you're coming from.

EQ is to-go only, but has a pretty easy system to be able to grab cans.

I like Newburgh a ton, and IDK if they have anything outdoor (doubtful given their setup) but their inside space is MASSIVE, like, cavernous, and thus would be easier to distance inside than anywhere I can think of.

District 96 and Two Villains are both very easy to get to off 87 North in the lower HV and will have cans to go. Both do IPAs extremely well, and Two Villains will have some more variety in what's available.

Peekskill and Hudson Ale Works are cool, though skippable. Never been to Yard Owl/Rough Cut/Gardiner so IDK on that area.

Subversive in Catskill is quietly one of the best farmhouse producers in the HV and has ample outdoor seating.

TL;DR

Must-go: Suarez, Hudson Valley, Arrowood, Plan Bee, Hudson Valley, Obercreek, Drowned Lands.

You absolutely should, but won't need to beat yourself up if you can't: Subversive, District 96, Two Villains, EQ.

Only if it makes sense time/geography wise: Sloop, Newburgh, Peekskill, Hudson Ale Works, Rushing Duck.

IDK: Yard Owl, Rough Cut, Gardiner.

 

Interesting about Arrowood. Feel like I’ve barely seen them mentioned on here. I go to Westwind tons, but always skip Arrowood because the one or two beers I had on tap were nothing special, and generally just love the Westwind set up + pizza + other food + Suarez on tap etc. But will check them out next time.

 

D96 IDK, Tin Barn yes, Two Villains yes (but limited), Subversive yes (nice big outdoor beer garden), EQ no.

And I forgot about IA Beacon, I was talking about their original spot which has no outdoor. Beacon probably does given the location.

 

I've been very, very impressed with AF's stuff. Their brown ale in particular (Black Sheep) is the best I've ever had in the style and their farmhouses (Berry Picker's Path, Red Goat, Bramble) are stellar.

They make a lot of different beers so I'm sure they've had some misses, but none I've encountered.

And even if you find their beer so-so, the space is unbelievably gorgeous. Even the outpost in New Paltz is a unique and great place to drink.

 

HV has an outdoor area, but they haven't utilized it yet from what I know. I think they made the same decision as Suarez and Equilibrium in that their respective taprooms get SO crowded that there was no responsible/feasible way to do things with NY's covid restrictions.

I actually like Peekskill a lot (and still cite Amazeballs as one of my favorite beers ever) and think they're worth going to, it's just that the HV has some of the best breweries in the country IMO so it's tough to stack up with that when you only have a limited amount of time.

 

Cool - I'll head there this weekend as we're going to Westwind. Appreciate it

 

Also to answer your D96 question, I've had NEIPAs from every hyped brewery in the Northeast you can possibly think of and I'd put D96 with almost any of them. Not everyone's gonna agree, but that's my stance.

 

IA is to go sales only at this time.

If you're doing Drowned Lands, which I highly recommend, I would definitely do Tin Barn, as they're 3 miles apart, and both quality brewers, imo.

 

Yes

 

Yea unless they have an uncharacteristically bad week when you show up, I doubt you'll be disappointed. Since they started canning just about every single beer I've had has been absolutely top notch.

 

Drowned Lands and District 96 are both open for on-site consumption. Their beers are as good as any I drink and I’d like to think my standards are pretty high as well. If I had more free time I’d go up there often. I don’t know about Tin Barn, but people speak highly about them and they are in that area as well.
Obercreek is across the river but that’s a must hit too.

 

IA Beacon does have outdoor seating, but they are choosing to not do any on-site consumption.

D96 is open for on-site both indoor and outdoor.

D96 and Obercreek make the best hazy stuff in the region.

Yard Owl (and Gardiner in general) is a really nice spot, but it's so far out of your way if you're travelling to CT and I wouldn't say it's worth the detour.