Hudson Valley Fall Craft Beers You’ll Love
As the summer ends and the crisp fall air settles in, many of our region’s breweries are developing craft beers suitable for the season — and you won’t find the same-old pumpkin spice here. From chocolaty porters, to spiced Oktoberfests, to barrel-aged brews, break out your flannels and head to one of these local breweries to find your new favorite fall beer.
Clemson Bros. Brewery
22 Cottage Street, Middletown | clemsonbrewing.com
Full-flavored beers abound at Clemson Bros. Brewery this fall. Head to their tasting room in Middletown to try an Oktoberfest Marzen — a creamy, malty double-bock lager with slight hop and spice flavors. Or, sample their new release: a chocolate peanut butter porter. Named Porter’s Porter, this full-bodied brew features a creamy rich texture from the chocolate and peanut butter, plus a slight bitterness from the hops and chocolate malt. According to head brewer Paul Pacheco, the peanut butter flavor lingers as subtle notes of espresso, toffee, and chocolate appear. At 7% ABV it’ll warm those chilly nights.
Arrowood Farms
236 Lower Whitfield Rd, Accord | arrowoodfarms.com
This sustainably run farm-brewery is offering an array of unique beers with locally sourced ingredients. An Oktoberfest Marzen (to be released October 13, coinciding with their Oktoberfest Celebration) is a full-bodied amber lager. The Midnight Farmhouse Ale is a dark saison with rye and wheat brewed with Cascade hops harvested from the brewery’s own crop. IPA lovers can try the Bard Owl Harvest IPA (brewed with wheat and featuring hops harvested from Bard Farm in Annandale) and the Long Weekend Double IPA, a 7.5% New England-style beer dry hopped with Citra and Mosaic hops.
Suarez Family Brewery
2278 Route 9, Hudson | suarezfamilybrewery.com
This award-winning brewery has two fall brews visitors can look forward to: Saunter is a dark mild and Bones Shirt, a black lager. According to brewer Dan Suarez, Saunter is a malty beer that’s nutty with a smooth chocolaty vibe and a clean finish. Bones Shirt drinks like a black pilsner, featuring warm tones of pretzel, cocoa powder, and brown bread, with “hop notes that explode with jasmine tea and earl gray expressiveness."
Equilibrium Brewery
22 Henry St, Middletown | eqbrew.com
Sometimes colder weather calls for a more robust beer, and that’s what you’ll find at Equilibrium late fall. Vanilla Gorilla is a stout aged several months in Hill Rock Bourbon barrels. According to brewmaster Pete Oates, flavors include “marshmallow-espresso-fudge with sweet bourbon and more marshmallow fluff, balanced by barrel” — and with an estimated 10-11% ABV for the bottled version, it’s sure to warm you up.
Newburgh Brewing Company
88 South Colden St, Newburgh | newburghbrewing.com
This one’s for the local history buffs. On September 29, 1918 Newburgh native Walter Allison was killed in action during WWI; 100 years later, Newburgh Brewing is commemorating his bravery with a new brew. “Private Walter Allison” is a brown ale aged 14 months in rye whiskey barrels from nearby Coppersea Distillery. The canned beer will be available exclusively in the brewery’s taproom.
Great Life Brewing
75 Clarendon Ave, Kingston
Great Life is best known for its four staple beers, but this fall, they’ve brewed their first Oktoberfest, a Marzen-style lager to be released on Saturday, October 20 from 5-10 pm in the tasting room. Can’t wait to visit? Stout lovers can enjoy the award-winning 1875 Milk Stout much sooner; this rich, sweet stout is available year-round, and makes a great fireside drink. Fill a growler to bring it home and pour your own pint when the temperatures drop.