Great NYS Brewery Destinations
SULLIVAN COUNTY
Travel and Leisure named the Sullivan Catskills one of 2021’s best places to visit. Just 90 minutes from Manhattan, it is a legendary vacationland.
Home to the original site of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair that attracted half a million people, the Sullivan County area is now brimming with new resorts, charming inns and vacation rentals, and a multi-million-dollar arts center at the Woodstock site invites new visitors. There is plenty to indulge all the senses here. For your tastebuds, treat them to the hand-crafted beverages on the Good Taste Artisinal Beverage Trail, especially during the fall.
Here, breweries, distilleries, cideries, and wineries present their award-winning beverages— many in stunning surroundings. The latest addition is Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery brought to you by Sullivan Catskills native, Doug Doetsch. The tasting room overlooks the apple orchards and the Delaware River as it winds through the valley below. Enjoy small bites as you sip on Delaware Dry and four other ciders.
Tasters speak highly of the award-winning Beespoke Gin—a grape-to-glass spirit with pollinator friendly botanicals at Catskill Provisions in Callicoon, a female-powered distillery and tasting room featuring artisanal food as well as vodka, rye and bourbon. Swing by Long Eddy to Rock Valley Spirits and meet Terry, another female distiller. At her family homestead where five generations lived off the land, she crafts small batch spirits in a copper still from local grains, apples, and wild foraged ingredients.
Try a Two Headed Stout at Roscoe Beer Company by the stream where legend has it that a two-headed trout lives at the Junction Pool. While in Roscoe, stop by Do Good Spirits. Owner Brian Facquet, a military veteran, serves up award-winning vodka, gin, bourbon and a luscious Beaverkill Bourbon Cream, made with New York Maple Syrup.
Across four acres and 800 grape vines, Bashakill Vineyards offers Wood Duck Chardonnay (among seven others) with notes of citrus, toasted walnuts, buttered popcorn, vanilla and starfruit.
Head over to Livingston Manor where Upward Brewing Company dares you to hike Beer Mountain then sample some Opiate Sun, Golden Ratio, Blas Grass and others. And over at Catskill Brewery in the GOLD LEED certified building, sample Devils Path, Night Shine, Freak Tractor, and Woodchuck Lodge. Beer lovers also won’t want to miss Shrewd Fox Brewery, a sustainable farm brewer in in Eldred and Glen Spey where Bill and Cindy serve up beer made with locally grown ingredients and feed the “spent” grain to livestock.
Round out the trail with visits to Forthright Cyder & Mead, Stickett Inn Cider, Callicoon Brewing Company, Russian Mule Brewery, and Catskill Distilling Company. Make a weekend of it and be sure to drink responsibly and designate a driver.
ROCHESTER
Rochester, NY is the perfect example of a mid-sized city with a thriving craft beer scene. Rochester is the third largest city in New York State, and currently, more than two dozen craft breweries call the Greater Rochester area home.
Plan your next “brewcation” to Rochester, and visit some of the many breweries that make Rochester one of the best cities for beer in the country.
Genesee Brewery. Genesee is the oldest brewery in New York State and is a leader in the brewing community. Opt for the a classic Genesee Cream Ale or one of the craft options from the Genesee Pilot Brewery embedded within the Brew House. Take your brews to the Genesee patio and enjoy one of the best views in the city of High Falls, a 96-foot waterfall in the middle of downtown Rochester.
Rohrbach Brewing. Rohrbach is Rochester’s first craft brewery, opening up in 1991. Visitors to Rochester can enjoy the Rohrbach Beer Hall in the Rochester Public Market, or the Rohrbach Brew Pub on the west side of Rochester.
ROC Brewing. Located in downtown Rochester since 2011, Roc Brewing Co. continues to evolve its beer offerings and menu, all while delivering the best possible beer-drinking experience to customers throughout Rochester and Upstate New York.
Sager Beer Works. Sager’s cozy taproom is tucked away on a side street in the Neighborhood of the Arts, and features a full food menu.
Irondequoit Beer Company. The first brewery in the town of Irondequoit serves craft beer out of a revitalized historic barn.
Fairport Brewing Company. Enjoy a house made brew at one of Fairport Brewing Company’s two locations in the Rochester area.
Young Lion Brewing. Wrap up a weekend of exploring Rochester’s beer scene with a visit to Young Lion Brewing, a women owned and operated brewery, tap room & event space overlooking the north end of Canandaigua Lake.
BREW CENTRAL: AMERICA’S CRAFT BREW DESTINATION
Craft Brew Road Trip
The heart of New York state is home to Brew Central, also known as America’s Craft Brew Destination. The ever-growing roster of breweries, hard cideries, distilleries and wineries here mixes famous names with lesser-known, but no less tasty, up-and-comers.
The fourth-generation family-owned brewery and the award-winning Saranac craft beers produced here make it an upstate destination and landmark in the industry. Visitors enjoy a tour that’s part brewery and part museum. F.X. Matt proudly houses Victorian opulence and artifacts from many, many decades past in addition to its signature copper boil kettles and state-of-the-art bottling operation in urban-yet-quaint Utica, New York.
Head to the countryside outside of Cooperstown, New York, for more nationally-renowned craft beer at Brewery Ommegang. Ommegang was established in 1997 on a former hop farm – the first farm brewery founded in the U.S. in more than a century at that time. Nearby aquifers supply the brewery with one of Central New York’s best water sources. Carefully selected hops and grain create world-class, Belgian-inspired beers like the popular “Game of Thrones” series based on the HBO show.
More Pours
In Binghamton, Beer Tree Brew Co. uses local ingredients that give them plenty to play with recipe-wise. They produced more than 50 New England IPAs in just their first couple years in existence, brews that have helped grow them a dedicated following across the region.
Nearby Good Nature is another farm brewery doing big things with their creative tap list of craft beers. They depend on New York hops to give their numerous offerings distinct flavors depending on the application of their key ingredient.
Hidden Gems
Then there are hidden gems like Stump City Brewing with its humble taproom essentially located in the founder’s backyard. You can venture out to Green Wolf in scenic Schoharie County, where the brewer grinds grains using a stationary bike, or tour a wide variety of breweries in Syracuse’s home county of Onondaga. How about the Main Street-like surroundings of Owego, New York, where you’ll find the Farmhouse Brewery?
And that’s just the start. If you’re into endless craft beverage sampling, cool brew fests and killer concerts, Brew Central’s got everything you need to plan the ultimate brew tour filled with over 100 places, tons of great events and some of the best times you’ll ever have.
ULSTER COUNTY
Craft beer? Stunning views? Road trip!
Seeking to escape the concrete jungle? Visit the Empire State’s “green empire”—Ulster County. Located 90 minutes from midtown Manhattan in the Catskill Mountains, Ulster County has been a sought-after destination for outdoors people and foodies for decades. However, Ulster’s reputation is growing among craft beer enthusiasts. While NYC’s craft beverage scene is second to none, Ulster County is the state’s best place to enjoy a brew with your crew while surrounded by scenic beauty as far as the eye can see, not to mention plenty of room to stretch your legs. While all of our breweries are great, there are few we’d like to celebrate:
Woodstock Brewing is known for its ever-changing craft beer selection and relaxing, picturesque drinking environment that never changes.
Arrowood Farms is a craft brewery and distillery situated on a farm between the Catskill and Shawangunk Mountains, and uses exclusively local ingredients.
Rough Cut Brewing Co. is Kerhonkson most famous brewpub. With nine different varieties of hops growing at their local farmhouse, their IPAs are a cut above all others.
With so many breweries, distilleries, and wineries to enjoy, experience our craft libation culture in person and seek for yourself at ulstercountyalive.com.
CAYUGA COUNTY
Cayuga County in the Finger Lakes of New York welcomes you with scenic drives, amazing views, and amazing brews! With one new brewery and three major expansions, the craft beer offerings keep improving.
Prison City Pub & Brewery has recently opened a new brewhouse and taproom in Auburn. With honors including the 2020 Best IPA Beer in NYS and 2020 Gold for ‘Elegant Pride,’ picking your favorite will be challenging.
Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co. took home the most awards in the 2020 New York State Brewers Association Craft Beer competition. Sample wood-fired pizza paired with their award-winning ‘Exit 40’, at their new location in Weedsport conveniently located off Exit 40 on the NYS Thruway.
Summerhill Brewing in Locke hosts live music, game nights, and happy hour yoga, plus they pour handcrafted small batch ales.
At Aurora Brewing Co., near the scenic town of Aurora, casually imbibing in unique flavors while immersing yourself in the great outdoors overlooking picturesque Cayuga Lake.
From North to South, Cayuga County will appeal to all your senses from scenic driving routes along rolling hills and long lakes to enjoying a variety of brews with amazing culinary delights. Visit www.TourCayuga.com to start planning your getaway.