Arrowood Farms Brewery & Distillery
Photo by Steph Mossey
Breweries and farms are two of the Hudson Valley’s greatest treasures. Some of the best beers happen when they combine their goods.
Arrowood Farms Brewery & Distillery
Accord
One of the Hudson Valley’s most beautiful breweries sits on a working farm. Throughout the rustic property, you’ll find hops, fruit, herbs, chickens, ducks, pigs, and bees, plus a brewhouse and distillery. Many of the brewery’s beers use 100 percent New York State ingredients; and all of the barley, wheat, rye, and corn used in the distillery’s spirits come from the town of Accord. Try the Bier de Miel, a white-wine-barrel-aged farmhouse ale conditioned on honey from the farm’s own hives.
From The Ground Brewery
Red Hook
From The Ground Brewery sits on the property of Migliorelli Farm. Barley grown on the farm gets harvested and malted in nearby Germantown before coming back to the brewery, and brewer Jakob Cirell recently bought the entire harvest of local Rhinebeck Hops. The result: Most of the beers brewed at From The Ground have never left a 3-mile radius. Previously, the brewery didn’t have much seating, but May 2021 saw the introduction of a rustic outdoor beer garden.
Gardiner Brewing Company
Gardiner
Owned and operated by the fifth-generation farmers behind Wright’s Farm, Gardiner Brewing Company makes several classic styles, including Short Fat Fannie Stout and Stonefruit Saison, aged on a variety of Wright’s Farm stone fruit juice. If beer isn’t your thing, opt for the Freefall Sangria, which uses fresh fruit from Wright’s Farm, or just come for the food and live music, which happens in The Barn almost every weekend.
Honey Hollow Brewing Co.
Earlton; find them on Facebook
If you love small, rustic breweries, look no further than Honey Hollow. Self-classified as “sub-nano” (a nano brewery is generally defined as three barrels or less), Honey Hollow brews inside a shed with 100 percent New York ingredients, including hops from their own garden, which also contains a variety of wildflowers. Because the brewing system is so small, the tap list changes frequently, but see if you can grab the Nut Brown or Ruby Red ale.
Long Lot Farm Brewery
Chester
Like Gardiner Brewing, Long Lot is owned and operated by fifth-generation farmers. The brewery has 10 taps and sources all of its ingredients from other farms in surrounding Orange County. Each beer on the menu notes how much of the grain and hop bill came from the state. For a true taste of the Hudson Valley, try the ABV Long Shot Pilsner, made with hops from Long Lot and 100 percent New York State malt.
Obercreek Brewing Company
Wappingers Falls
Although Obercreek has been one of the top-rated breweries on beer-rating app Untappd for several years, the success hasn’t gone to their heads. The brewery has stayed small, putting out hoppy IPAs, farmhouse ales, and sours for on-site consumption and releasing a single crowler each Friday. Most of the beers include fruit from the certified organic Obercreek Farm. Dogs and picnics welcome.
Old Klaverack Brewery
Klaverack
For a relaxed pint in a country setting, visit Old Klaverack, the first brewery in the town of Claverack (just outside Hudson) in more than 100 years. With a motto of “Local Supports Local,” Old Klaverack Brewery (or OKB, as the locals call it) grows its own hops and uses a base malt from Germantown Beer Farm, a malting facility only 30 minutes from the brewery. Try the Klaverack Kream, the perfect beer for a hot summer day.
West Kill Brewery
West Kill
Located on a 127-acre dairy farm, West Kill uses local and foraged ingredients, from cherries picked in its own orchard to map sap boiled in its wood-fired evaporator. They’ve even cultivated their yeasts from the Spruceton Valley. The brewery makes rustic, traditional ales as well as more-modern IPAs, and their labels feature some of the most beautiful art and hand-lettering in the industry.