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Woodstock Brewing Company bartender Evan Odato pours a Woodstock Pilsner.
Fog engulfs the mountains on a rainy day at West Kill Brewing, while Brewery Cat Teddy gets some love from patrons.
The Spruceton Inn in the Catskills features nine rooms, several outdoor firepits and easy access to trails and the West Kill Brewery down the road.
The craft beer scene continues to grow in Hudson Valley, making it more than just a happy hour drink of choice — the options around craft beer can also form the backbone of weekend getaways. And the natural beauty of the Catskills and a locally made beer are an easy pairing for an excursion.
Take exit 19 off the NY-Thruway for a quieter scenic route to usher in a relaxed weekend vibe to the Catskills. NY-28 winds around the Ashokan Reservoir and crosses and skirts the Esopus Creek en route to Woodstock Brewing (5581 State Route 28, Phoenicia) — a chill spot for dinner on Friday.
“The goal was to basically build a living room for people to come hangout,” said co-founder Rick Shobin. “We have some people coming in who don’t even eat or drink, but just come by to meet with their friends.”
Founded by two buddies, Shobin and Scott Shimomura, in January 2018, Woodstock Brewing produced almost 1,500 barrels in 2021. With roughly 20 percent earmarked for out-of-house distribution, the bulk of the brew is served in the taproom.
Woodstock Brewing features a full kitchen that turns out pub fare in hefty serving sizes. The wings are popular, Shobin said, but he recommends the Thai chicken sandwich. If you see the Emotional Support beer on tap — an IPA made with 100 percent citra hops — note that it’s their charity brew and 10 percent of the proceeds are donated to a rotating lineup of good causes.
Nestled between mountain ridges on the southern end of the Catskills, Woodstock Brewing’s patio offers views as refreshing as the beer. “We go for an industrial modern vibe with a hint of the Catskills outside coming in,” Shobin said.
The Spruceton Inn front office and bar has beer on tap and snacks, making it an easy place to stay all weekend.
You’ll want to book early to secure a spot at the popular Spruceton Inn (2080 Spruceton Road, West Kill), which fills up quickly on weekends; mid-week stays may be available by special request later in the summer.
Proprietors Casey Scieszka and Steve Weinberg said they set out to create a business that they would want to patronize themselves. A world traveler born and raised in Brooklyn, Scieszka met Weinberg in Morocco during an Arabic studies program. Together, they’ve lived in all corners of the world, from China to West Africa, before finding themselves in the Catskills in 2013.
The Spruceton is surrounded by mountains, with easy access to hiking trails and a brewery down the road, making it paradise for any beer-lover looking for a weekend of serenity.
There are nine motel units for guests (six have kitchenettes), with the 10th room serving as the office and bar where Scieszka can be found serving coffee in the morning, beer in the evening, and stories at either time of day — just ask about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cousin’s history with the property.
After checking in, pick up a s’mores kit and a few local craft beers from the Spruceton bar — either cans or a draft from one of the two tap lines dedicated to West Kill Brewery just down the road — and stake your claim around at one of the firepits located throughout the property to end the night.
“We like to keep it really chill,” Scieszka said. “Often, the first question I ask people is, ‘Do you have any big plans for the weekend?’ And 90 percent of the time people say, ‘Not really.’ And I’m just like, ‘Oh, have you come to the right place.’”
As a rustic tasting room in the middle of the woods, the small producing Honey Hollow Brewing Company was the first farm brewery in Greene County.
Start the morning with a hike along the Rusk Mountain and West Kill trailheads just a few miles down from the Spruceton.
After exploring the outdoors, hop in the car and head up to Honey Hollow Brewing Co. (376 E. Honey Hollow Road, Earlton) — if it feels like you’re pulling into someone’s home when you get to the small brewery in the woods, then you’re in the right place. Founders Matty and Donna Taormina live in the white colonial house that greets visitors driving in.
The farm brewery is in the back, comprising a limited seating tasting room and a quaint patio and surrounding garden. A small operation, they’re only open on Fridays from 4-8 p.m., and Saturdays from 1-8 p.m.
“We converted our little garden area into a small, 20-gallon brewery back in 2013,” Donna said.
“I like to farm, I like to do agricultural work, and my husband likes beer. So, it was a match made in heaven,” she continued to laugh. “He’s been brewing as a hobby since he was young.”
Established just after New York State passed legislation to support farm-based breweries, Honey Hollow Brewing Co. creates beers using with locally sourced ingredients, mostly serving thirsty patrons out of the tasting room. They also distribute sparingly at farmers markets and to a handful of area restaurants. Donna said they were the first farm brewery to open in Greene County.
While she grows some hops varieties onsite for their darker drinks and IPAs, everything else in their brews are sourced from farmers in the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes regions.
“It’s nice to know there’s nothing else in your beer besides the water, yeast, grain and hops,” she said. “We started off with three beers — the Hurricane Pale Ale, the Ruby Red Ale and a nut brown. But since then, he’s gotten into doing IPA styles and cream ales. He’s like a mad scientist back there.”
Most weekends, the Taorminas have food trucks and vendors on the property, but it’s no guarantee — check their social media pages before visiting to plan.
West Kill Brewing tap room, located in a lodge setting, features eight rotating beers on draft and a few can varieties.
Head back down to the Spruceton Inn homebase later Saturday afternoon, but don’t plan to stay for long. After parking, walk a short distance up the road to your next destination: West Kill Brewing (2173 Spruceton Road, West Kill).
With a rustic, mountain lodge vibe positioned just off the main road on a hill, the brewery “feels like summer camp,” said founder Mike Barcone. “There’s so much space here for people to roam, people really spread out and hangout around the firepits, go down to the orchard or sit under the pavilion. The groups will intermingle, sometimes people bring their own lawn chairs and park up here on the lawn.”
Memorial Day weekend will mark the five-year anniversary of Barcone opening the brewery with his wife, Colleen Kortendick.
With all the beers brewed on site, West Kill is equally focused on their growing distribution and the taproom (they’ll open an outpost in Midtown Kingston in June). Therefore, the brewery is closed to the public during the week as the crew produces and ships orders from the Capital Region to New York City, but opens again for service Friday through Sunday from 12 noon to 7 p.m. (6 p.m. on Sundays).
“I’m a big lager guy, I love all the lagers we make,” Barcone said, speaking of the eight-tap variety at the bar. “It’s such a clean palate, and it’s so easy and presentable.”
With relative consistency, late-spring and summer weekends at the brewery will feature live music and an array of food trucks. Though, in a few months Barcone said they have plans to roll out a permanent dining system.
If the food truck of the night doesn’t suite your fancy, just head back to the Spruceton Inn for your dinner fix. There you can buy snacks and a light array of items for cooking — including a burger grilling kit that Scieszka says is popular.
Subversive Malting and Brewing is a rare combination malting/brewing facility that honors the traditions of historic beer-making.
After a cup of complimentary Café Grumpy coffee at the inn, check out and drive over to the village of Catskill for lunch and a beer at Subversive Malting and Brewing (94 W. Bridge St., Catskill).
The brewery operates out of a renovated bus-garage-turned-mechanic-shop. “We’re not a huge building, we have a small indoor taproom, but we’ve been figuring out how to use our space,” said brewery co-founder Max Ocean. “We have a beer garden that has been really nice, and I couldn’t have anticipated how essential that space would be until COVID.”
Founded in 2018, the brewery is keen on paying tribute to the historic traditions of brewing — setting themselves apart by establishing as a combo malting/brewing facility.
“We’re one of the only breweries in the world that does our own malt. We germinate using a floor malting process, where it spends five or six days on a concrete floor. That’s how beer was made pre-Prohibition,” Ocean said. “Most places that make their own malt are heritage brewers that are centuries old.”
While the owners draw their inspiration from traditional continental Europe styles, such as lagers and Belgium saisons, they’ve also made a point to ensure their tap list has something for everyone — although that can be a challenge. Ocean said they’re one of the few breweries that will only source ingredients from New York State, which can make it difficult to conquer all varieties.
Chill out in the beer garden with a smash burger or chicken sandwich and a fruity, hazy New York Nectar IPA. Then pick up a selection of to-go cans or a growler before you leave.
Want to mix it up? Consider a growler of Rip Van Wit, an unfiltered Belgian wheat beer with notes of coriander and orange from Rip Van Winkle Brewery nearby (4545 State Route 32, Catskill), or Tenacity, a vanilla porter, from Crossroads Brewing Co. (201 Water St., Catskill) on the way out of town to extend your beer-filled weekend adventure just a little bit longer.
— Brews with views: Beer gardens and bars that pair well together
— A beer lover's guide to Beacon
— 48 hours on the craft beer trail in Kingston
— The latest artist canvas is the beer can
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