So far we’re doing really well on staying on top of things here. #jokes. But I’m trying to catch us up even if it means slightly abbreviated reviews. But these come with handy dandy photospheres so it kind of makes up for it?
Anyways, this was back in December for Andrew’s last cyclocross race of the season in northern New Jersey. We figured we’d make a day of it and hop across the border to check out some local breweries.
The race was cold and muddy and we wont bore you with details so here’s like two pictures.
I lied. That was three.
Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery (Warwick, NY)
Our first stop of the day was Warwick Valley Winery in Warwick, NY. A winery you may be asking to yourself. But remember that we are equal opportunity alcoholics and Warwick Valley Winery is also to the home of Doc’s Draft Hard Cider and I do love my cider. We also learned that it is home to Black Dirt Distillery, so more alcohol! This winery is on a large farm and looked like they offer tours and accommodate large groups. There’s a cafe for lunch and and outdoor space that would be fun in warmer weather. We stayed in the tasting room and merchandise area for the most part but there was lots more to see. We opted for the flight which included wine and a few of the cider taps. I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t really keep track of the wine samples because I’m not really a wine person and it all kind of tastes the same to me. The two ciders that came in the predetermined tasting were the Pear Hard Cider and Cranberry Spice, both ones we haven’t had before. Out of the two, I preferred the cranberry spice but both were delicious ciders. For $5 we got a decent amount of samples and kept our glasses. However, I was sad to find out that they offered a cider only flight that we would probably have chosen. Oh well. We ended up buying a few bottles of wine and cider for christmas presents and headed off to the next stop.
Glenmere Brewing Company (Florida, NY)
Our next stop was Glenmere Brewing in Florida, NY. When I think of going to Florida in December, this is not what I pictured. But, oh well. This was a baby brewery, only open for five months at the time of our visit. Despite being so young, there was a large system with what looked like lots of room to grow. As with many young, small breweries, this was a small two man operation so our bartender was also one of the owners and brewers. It’s fun to chat about beer and breweries and good to see that the folks at Glenmere are really open to suggestions. Just a reminder, my biggest suggestion to every brewery is to put purse hooks at the bar. Gotta appease the beer drinking ladies! As for the beer, we got a flight which included Saga (Red Ale), Lucid Dragon (IPA), Penning’s Brown (Brown Ale) and Wicked Witch (Stout made with wild cranberries). All were pretty tasty but Andrew enjoyed the Lucid Dragon and we both agreed that the Wicked Witch was fantastic. We even ended up leaving with a growler which is something we try to avoid because we have so much beer at home waiting to be consumed. Overall, we very much enjoyed Glenmere and think it has lots of potential to be an excellent local brewery and hangout.
Pine Island Brewing Company (Pine Island, NY)
Our next stop was Pine Island Brewing Company in Pine Island, NY. This seemed to be another fun local brewery. When we visited, they only had three of their own beers on tap. I believe that there was a party or something that was the day before because they had a bunch of guest beers available. We obviously decided to sample the house beers which were the Biere de Melon (Belgian IPA), Drowned Lands (onion saison) and Double IPA (self expanitory). Andrew enjoyed the DIPA and we thought the Biere de Melon was interesting although I felt deceived by the name. The Drowned Lands was the most intriguing as I don’t recall ever having an onion saison or an onion any kind of beer for that matter. Apparently the region of NY has really awesome black dirt that makes the onions taste delicious. Also, I guess that’s where the Black Dirt Distillery at Warwick Valley comes from. So yeah, there’s awesome dirt and onions and an onion festival. So naturally they would make onion beer. The Drowned Lands had a subtle and not overpowering onion flavor which was good for me and it was actually quite enjoyable. The brewery itself had a nice size tap room and seemed pretty quiet and full of locals enjoying a pint. That is until a bachelorette party van pulled up coming from one of the many local wineries. That was our cue to keep moving. But Pine Island is a great stop and if the weather was nicer, it looked like there was a fun beer garden for more room to enjoy the beer with games.
Westtown Brew Works (Westtown, NY)
Our final brewery of the day was Westown Brew Works. Another farm brewery with a beautiful wood tasting room and outdoor seating. There was also a food truck on site which is always a wonderful thing in my book. We get inside to a cute barn with live music. Unfortunely, it was a little chilly even with a stove so don’t plan on taking your coat off if you go during the winter. I’d probably recommend going during the late spring or summer because the outdoor space is so beautiful and based on pictures on google, they seem to do a lot of fun events then. So yes, plan your trip accordingly. We ordered a flight and got Wit Tail, Three Hives (honey amber), Sugar Shack (Maple Porter), Eclipse Black Imperial IPA, Shoo-fly Stout and Good Neighbor (Pale Ale). Andrew really liked the IPA which was not a surprise. I enjoyed the Sugar Shack and not just because it reminded me of my neighborhood candy store. Each beer was above average but it was getting late so I didn’t review them in my untappd posts. Andrew made a new friend and decided to smoke a cigar outside in the cold. Leon, the cigar friend, was fun to talk to and gave us some insight into the area and local beer scene. That’s why we love beerventuring, meeting new people and sharing our love of beer!
Despite the beautiful brewery, I will note the one negative was there were so many kids running around. Maybe it’s because Andrew and I are in our mid-twenties and have no desire for children at the moment, but kids running and screaming around the brewery really is not something we care for. No it’s not a bar, but its somewhere we go to have fun and enjoy beer and not be disturbed. Blah. But dogs on the other hand are quite the opposite. Bring on all the brewdogs! And kitties!
