Are you looking for a retreat from the city close enough to Manhattan yet far enough to relax with a cold one? Salisbury Mills is the perfect place, with a short drive to all of Hudson Valley’s breweries and distilleries to explore and sample.
The breweries and distilleries are reason enough to visit the valley, as are the atmosphere and laid-back community. However, each brewery offers something unique:
- New flavors
- Artisanal appeal
- Exceptional craftsmanship
- Historical and cultural significance
- And a socially inclusive atmosphere
Whether your palate prefers sours, IPAs, or stouts, there’s a brewery in the valley with the perfect blend of locally sourced hops and fruit that’ll tantalize your tastebuds and keep you coming back for more.
Hudson Valley’s Rich Brew-History
There’s a lot to love about the breweries across the Hudson Valley and the valley itself, with its breathtaking views, romantic retreats, rich history, and plenty of things to do. However, the valley also has some of the best breweries on the planet. It all began with local brewers taking advantage of our ideal hop-growing conditions, making the Hudson Valley the perfect getaway destination, or ‘brew-cation,’ if you will.
Colonists imported alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, and mead, back in the day. However, they didn’t take long to create their own crafts. They began with beer and cider before moving on to distilled spirits and honing their brews into what has become some of the best and most unique in the country.
Hudson Valley craft beer is more exclusive than beer elsewhere and certainly less widely distributed. Our breweries offer a wide selection to tempt every palate, from hazy IPAs to sours—each with surprisingly intense flavors. Our breweries, distilleries, and wineries incorporate local resources into their beverages, making their artisanal crafts desirable and widely sought.
Explore Hudson Valley’s Top Breweries
Of the many things to do in Salisbury, exploring Hudson Valley’s top breweries is one of our favorites. There are many breweries to visit, each as impressive as the next — and plenty of drinks to sample, savor, and repeat. To make the most of your trip, here are a few to start with and what you can expect from each.
Aspire Brewing | Middletown, NY
Aspire Brewing takes an inventive brewing approach by pushing the boundaries of flavor and appearance, from bright and crisp to opaque canary with a nonstop foamy head. You’ll also find New Zealand varieties made with Riwaka hops and plenty of others that blend other fruity, earthy flavors and hues to refreshing goodness.
Newburgh Brewing Company | Newburgh, NY
Newburgh Brewing Company: A modern twist on classic brews while offering you a scenic river view. Drafts come in 10 oz and 16 oz, or you can also order a 64 oz pitcher. Prepare for your tastebuds to be wowed when arriving at this brewery.
You’ll find everything from cream ales to sours, lagers, and pilsners of varying flavors and wild names to match, like NanoBoss to InfinityBoss, The Litmus Test Volume 5, and more. It even offers a non-alcoholic brew — the Safety Glasses Pils and a couple of hard ciders for those who prefer more fruit and no hops in their suds.
The Drowned Lands | Warwick, NY
The Drowned Lands is a farm brewery with a country chic approach to its decor. It has modern bar stools and a bar that blends that new farmhouse look with a down-to-earth setting and rustic names for all those glorious brews.
So, taste through those IPAs, sours, Foeders, wheat beer, stouts, pale ales, hazys, and fruity double IPAs. These farm-to-table brews are the perfect beverage for those looking for a tasting adventure.
Equilibrium | Middletown, NY
Equilibrium’s taproom is the place to go when looking for bold and experimental brews in a modern space. It offers a diverse and rotating selection of craft beers, so there’s always something different.
Its typical lineup includes stouts, porters, sours, and IPAs, including hazys and juicy New England IPAs bursting with local flavor. This brewery loves experimenting with ingredients and brewing techniques. So, there’s always something new and unique to sample, like exciting one-off brews or seasonal crafts you won’t find anywhere else.
Taste at Equilibrium is all about variety and complexity, so expect vibrant hops with imaginative aromas ranging from piney undertones to tropical fruits. And if you prefer something darker and richer with notes of coffee, chocolate, or caramel, Equilibrium’s stouts will undoubtedly hit the spot.
Hudson Valley Brewery | Beacon, NY
Hudson Valley Brewery is a must-visit for anyone retreating to the valley for the weekend or longer. It serves creative, hop-forward brews in a contemporary setting with a welcoming atmosphere.
While this brewery is renowned for its juicy, hoppy, and aromatic IPAs, it also serves up an impressive selection of sours, stouts, barrel-aged brews, and hard ciders. Prepare yourself for a tasting adventure when visiting. Along with the usual and more traditional beers, you’re also likely to encounter some unique and experimental brews to try.
Sample Unique Spirits from Unforgettable Distilleries
Although brews are certainly a main attraction in the valley, let’s not forget the delectable spirits and hard ciders that have risen to stardom, too! Here are a few more places to whet your whistle.
While Buffalo Trace is America’s oldest continuously operating distillery, Maker’s Mark and Jack Daniel’s remain the oldest distilleries in the Hudson Valley. However, the valley has many craft distilleries with distinctive spirits and flavors.
Like the breweries mentioned above, each Hudson Valley distiller blends old-world tradition with contemporary flavors and creativity to create the finest spirits your tongue will savor. So, let’s get started. Here are a few Hudson Valley distilleries to get ‘spirited away’ with.
Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery | Warwick, NY
There are many reasons to visit Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, and while the drinks are certainly one of them, they aren’t the only reason. Live music, good food, and fun times add to that list. The place is hopping on the weekends, so visiting during the week might be a better option if you’re looking for smaller crowds.
Hudson Whiskey NY | Gardiner, NY
For a unique experience, head over to Hudson Whiskey NY, where you can take its Bourbon Renewal Tour and learn more about this fantastic distillery. Or book a workshop to learn how to make your whiskey cocktails at home. Then, head to their visitor’s center for a tasting experience.
Denning’s Point Distillery | Beacon, NY
Denning’s Point Distillery is another great Hudson Valley distillery to visit to sample some equally great spirits. It sources fruit and grains from within a 50-mile radius of its distillery. So, their spirits are Hudson Valley all the way.
If you’d like inspiration for cocktails using Denning’s Point Spirits, their website offers fantastic cocktail recipes to start your DIY pouring adventures.
Orange County Distillery | New Hampton, NY
Orange County Distillery is another fun place to visit. They have an event schedule highlighting live music, food truck events, ladies’ nights, raffles, and more! Besides spirits, they also offer a selection of craft beer. And while you could buy some of their products at various year-round markets, you’ll gain a more robust and personal experience by visiting the distillery and checking out their taproom and events.
Coppersea Distilling SpringtownTavern | New Paltz, NY
If you’re into heritage and heirlooms, head over to Coppersea Distilling. This phenomenal distillery exclusively uses heirloom grains from its own Hudson Valley Farm to create some of the best hand-crafted bourbons and malt whiskies your tongue will ever sample.
The tasting tavern is a 40-minute drive from Caldwell House Bed & Breakfast, but the experience is worth the drive. Sometimes, they also have events and live music, but check their event schedule before going if that’s what you’re looking for.
Best Hudson Valley Cideries to Check Out
Our local cideries offer a delightful alternative for those looking for a different taste experience. They showcase the perfect blend of fruity, refreshing, flavorful beverages.
The Hudson Valley is more than just a great place to experience the outdoors, fall foliage, and a phenomenal brew. It’s also the perfect place to experience unique ciders. In fact, some of the best cideries are located right in the heart of Hudson Valley — cideries such as:
- Fishkill Farms
- Orchard Hill Cider Mill
- Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery
- Pennings Farm
- and the ever-popular Angry Orchard.
Delightful taste and sparkling hard ciders are like swallowing those little popping candies from yesteryear as a kid — but much better and available in an adult beverage. Seriously, though, with autumn quickly approaching, there are few things better than letting those delightful cidery bubbles dance across your tongue in bold, beautiful, intense craft-tastic flavors.
To give you a decent start, we’ll quickly break down some of our top cideries near Caldwell House Bed & Breakfast and what you can expect. Three cideries are within a 30-minute drive: Fishkill Farms in Hopewell Junction, Orchard Hill Cider Mill in New Hampton, and Angry Orchard in Walden. The first two have a great farm store, but the cider bars are where the action is happening if it’s that bubbly tart beverage you’re after.
The pub and cider houses are where you’ll find a selection of ciders that’ll delight your taste buds, and maybe even some grub at the pub or café to satisfy that hunger pang that hits home from the delicious aromas filling the air around you. Angry Orchard also offers outdoor seating, live music, and events, but check their event schedule online for updated information.
Drive a little further out — about 40 minutes from our inn, plus or minus, and you’ll reach two other fantastic cideries. Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery and Pennings Farm are in Warwick and offer a pick-your-own orchard, live music, and events. From there, the cideries differ — and yes, we mentioned Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery earlier as one of the area’s best distilleries.
Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery offers a selection of ciders, wines, and spirits, while Pennings Farm has a beer garden, craft beer, and hard cider tap room. These cideries have an eatery, and Pennings Farm also offers ice cream and bakery goods. So, when you venture out, there’s something for everyone.
Plan Your Brew-Cation
Whew! That was a lot to tackle in a short amount of time. There are many wonderful stops in our Hudson Valley’s breweries and distilleries list to see and plenty of things to do; one Hudson Valley getaway may not be enough. So, we suggest making the most of your adventure.
Escape to Salisbury Mills for the weekend — or stay longer! As you can see, there are so many breweries, distilleries, and cideries to explore. So, plan your brew-cation and remember to reserve your room early!
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