Hudson Valley is a gorgeous area just north of NYC full of great brews & views!
Hudson Valley Tips:
This area stretches 150 miles along the Hudson River from just north of Manhattan to Albany and things can be a bit spread out so be sure to plan ahead!
While you are in the area head into the city too! Check out my New York City guide here!
Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations:
Suarez Family Brewery: One of the top breweries in the country for Mixed Fermentation beers and Lagers! The have a quaint little taproom with 2 beers on tap and a large bottle selection. Located in Hudson. They have limited hours unfortunately so if they are closed while you are in town you can try to snag their beers at local bars/restaurants.
Hudson Valley Brewery: A fantastic brewery specializing in Sour IPAs and Farmhouse Ales. They are located in the heart of downtown Beacon and have a nice outdoor patio space.
Equilibrium Brewery: Located in the heart of Middletown, Equilibrium makes some fantastic beers. They have a nice outdoor space, a full food menu via Equilibrium Bonfire that specializes in BBQ, and overall a very nice aesthetic. They also have a full retail section with merchandise and to-go beers.
Tin Barn Brewing: Located in Chester, Tin Barn has solid beers with an IPA-heavy tap list. They have a large indoor taproom and a nice outdoor patio. They have pizzas available for food and a nice atmosphere.
Foreign Objects Beer Company: Located in Monroe, this spot has a friendly team, a cozy taproom and a nice backyard space. They are known for their Hazy IPAs but I found the Sour to also be delicious.
Plan Bee Farm Brewery: This is a nice farm-style brewery with tasty beers, chill vibes, and frequent food trucks. They use all local ingredients and focus on Wild Ales, Sours, and easy-drinking beers. Located in Poughkeepsie.
Obercreek Brewing Company: A very popular brewery known for their Wild Ales and IPAs. It is a very small taproom and larger outdoor space. They have frequent food pop-ups and I highly recommend Busbys Pizza if they are there while you visit! Located in Wappingers Falls.
Hudson Valley Brewery
touristy things in hudson valley that are worth doing:
Hudson Highlands State Park Reserve: This park is close to everything and has some great views. I did the Bull Hill Full Loop Trail which was 5.7 miles long with 1391 feet of elevation/122 flights up. It took about two and half hours total. The trail follows along the Hudson River for a section with nice views and was very quiet overall. I would recommend bug spray in the summer months, and there is a parking lot but it is a bit small and it is shared for several trails I would recommend starting early.
The Catskill Mountains: It is $10 to enter the park and I would recommend going early, there can be a lineup to enter in the afternoons.
Artist’s Rock, Sunset Rock, and Newman’s Ledge via Mary’s Glen Trail: This trail is ~7.5 miles long with 790ft of elevation gain. A few issues: 1) the parking marked on AllTrails is incorrect, I just followed the map and found a small lot. 2) It is very rocky, buggy, and muddy. 3) The whole top loop is not at all worth your time. All of that being said, Newman’s Ledge is impressive and Sunset Rock is very cool. Artist’s Rock gives essentially the same view as Newman’s Ledge, just from a lower point. If I were to do this again I would park at the North Lake Day Use Area and do a quick out and back to Newman’s Ledge.
Kaaterskill Falls: This is very popular and parking fills up quickly. also very popular and fills up
Scenic Hudson’s Long Dock Park: A nice large park with great views right near downtown. There are kayak rentals here if you are interested. This is a great spot to catch the sunset as well.
Melzingah Tap House
other hudson valley ideas + Where to Stay:
I stayed at the Hampton Inn Middletown and the Hampton Inn Poughkeepsie and both were perfectly fine.
Industrial Arts Brewing: An IPA-heavy brewery with two taprooms in the area, Garnverville is their original spot and Beacon is their newer taproom. The Beacon taproom has a large patio, food trucks and axe throwing next door.
Sloop Brewing Company: An IPA focused brewery in the old IBM plant. They have more of a restaurant set-up and a full food menu.
Melzingah Tap House: A beer bar and restaurant in downtown Beacon with a solid craft beer selection.
Fishkill Overlook Falls is right across the street and very pretty at sunset
The Drowned Lands Brewery is located between Foreign Objects and Tin Barn, but unfortunately was closed for a private event when I was in the area.
District 96 Beer Factory: Located in New City, District 96 is makes some great IPAs. There is a nice patio out back and they have a restaurant set-up. The Burger Loft has a food menu and a full bar with cocktails and more. Overall I enjoyed the beers but I wasn’t super impressed with the food, service, to-go options and dirty glassware.
