Sip Your Way through the Hudson Valley’s Bevvy of Craft Beverage Stops
Your craft beverage journey through the Hudson Valley begins in Yonkers and flows like the river all the way to Troy – a journey that spans 150 miles with over 100 wineries, rustic breweries, distilleries and cideries.
Download our Hudson Valley Wine and Craft Beverage Map to plot your stops. You will:
Swing into Sundog Cider in Chatham to taste their unfiltered hard cider made with solar power, or opt for Nine Pin Cider Works in Albany, New York’s first farm cidery and makers of the delicious Vanilla Chair and Peach Tea ciders.
Begin planning your cider tour of New York State and discover the tart, sweet and refreshing hard ciders of the Hudson Valley.
Or head straight for the beer at Keegan Ales in Kingston, where the cozy and welcoming pub on Saint James Street offers Jambalaya and Mac & Cheese to pair perfectly with their craft-brewed Little Bit of Fun, a session IPA, or Joe Mama’s Milk, a coffee milk stout that is creamy and delicious.
For some of the best brewed beer in the country, check out our list of the best breweries in the Hudson Valley.
Up for more of a cocktail tour? Your first stop is Gardiner’s Tuthilltown Spirits Visitor Center for a handcrafted Rosemary Sour, Basil and Bourbon, or a Snake in the Coconut Grove. Check out Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery in Valatie to enjoy a unique, immersive spirits tasting.
Thirsty? Discover the more than 100 wineries, breweries, distilleries and cideries that make up the craft beverage experience in the Hudson Valley and quench that thirst.
Before you begin planning your Hudson Valley road trip, there are a couple of vocab words to help you get the most out of your tour – and ensure you’re the smartest person there:
- Terroir – Refers to the natural environment in which a wine is produced. Contributing factors include soil, topography and climate. These elements contribute to the taste and flavor of the wine.
- Bouquet – A wine’s tertiary aromas develop post-fermentation during the maturation process in the barrel or bottle. Wine has three primary aromas: varietal, vinous and tertiary – and only the tertiary aroma is the bouquet. A good mature wine will have a complex bouquet, and can be dark chocolate, liquorice, or even coffee.
- Botanicals – Plant-sourced substances used to flavor and scent spirits. Common botanicals include juniper, coriander, orange and lemon peel, cinnamon and berries.
- Proof – The amount of alcohol in liquor. Calculate this by taking the amount of liquid in the bottle and dividing it in half. Therefore, 80 proof means that 40% of the bottle is alcohol. Spirits crafted in the Hudson Valley are delicious, and we have proof!
- Bottle Conditioning – Refers to beer that is naturally carbonated by allowing it to ferment until the yeast has eaten all the sugars it possible can. Here is a good tip – time your brewery tour to end at a brewpub in the Hudson Valley so you too can eat.
- Quaff – To drink deeply, which is what you’ll want to be doing on your Hudson Valley craft beverage tour.
Now that you’re guaranteed to be the star of the tour, head to the Hudson Valley and get ready to sip your way through microbreweries, wineries, distilleries, and cideries!
