Let’s cheers to the latest releases, updates, openings, and collabs in the Hudson Valley’s thriving beverage scene.
In July, Fidens Brewing Company opened a new 11,000-square-foot brewpub in Albany after outgrowing their Colonie space. The Colonie location will act as a production facility.
Bethel’s Alton Distillery took home a bronze medal from the 2023 Bartender Spirits Awards in July. The award was for their Peace Vodka, a nod to the Woodstock Music Festival that took place in Bethel in 1969.
Hudson welcomed yet another brewery over the summer: Union Street Brewing Co. Emma and Paul O’Donnell converted an old warehouse on Union into a taproom, brewing station, and event space with a beer garden.
Courtesy of Union Street Brewing Co.
After a year-long renovation, The Vinyl Room bar reopened on Main Street in Beacon in August. The record store-slash-cocktail bar has a dozen rotating taps of craft beer, bright-colored drinks, wine, and solid tequila, bourbon and amaro selections.
In September, Wine Enthusiast named Beacon’s Dirty Bacchus as one of the best wine shops in the country.
Newburgh’s Spirits Lab is expanding. The distillery purchased the former Palaia Winery and Meadery in Highland Mills to use as a production facility. In November, the team will release Bull’s Head Bourbon: Amarás Edition, a bourbon finished in a cask that aged Mexican mezcal.
Round Table Brewery—the brainchild of Ricardo Petroni, co-founder of Equilibrium Brewery in Middletown—took over the original location of Industrial Arts Brewing in the Garnerville Industrial Center this fall, where he will specialize in fruited and barrel aged sour beers, a range of IPAs, and stouts.
Hudson Whiskey’s Bright Lights, Big Bourbon was named the official bourbon of the New York Mets. It’s available in limited-edition team-branded bottles and will continue to be served at Citi Field in 2024. Plus, Hudson Whiskey’s founder, Ralph Erenzo, and master distiller, Brendan O’Rourke, were spotlighted alongside Coppersea Distillery’s Christopher Briar in “Fire, Water and Grain: The Story of Empire Rye.” The full-length documentary (released in June) details the efforts to promote the state’s special spirit. Watch it on Amazon, Apple TV, or YouTube.
Four Hudson Valley wineries received certification as sustainable winegrowers from the New York State Wine & Grape Foundation: Benmarl Winery (Marlboro), Clover Pond Vineyard (Altamont), Fjord Vineyards (Milton), and Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery (Gardiner and Hudson).
Millbrook Winery winemaker Ian Bearup continues his close collaboration with former New York Yankee Bernie Williams, adding a pinot noir and chardonnay to the lineup this past summer. Fun fact: the bottle labels are designed by Williams’ daughter Beatriz.
Courtesy of Millbrook Winery
Between late spring and early summer of 2024, Fjord Vineyards is transferring their operation to a new Highland location, where they will plant 30 acres of vines and build a new barn and tasting room.
Hudson North Cider in Newburgh plans to open a taproom next fall.
Related: Catskills Cocktail Club Does Pop-Up Drinks in the Hudson Valley
