Something special is brewing in the Hudson Valley — where the booming beer making business has booze fans dubbing the region the Napa Valley of beer.
The 150-mile stretch from New York City to Albany, which encompasses 10 counties in Hudson Valley, includes 90 craft breweries, nearly 20% of the 515 that dot the Empire State.
Traffic along the Ale Trail by beer enthusiasts is beginning to bypass stops at wineries and craft distilleries in the region, The Brew Bus, owner Regina Rose Lott told Bloomberg.
Scott Vaccaro, owner of Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, has two breweries in Westchester County, one in Elmsford and another Mt. Kisco, that are attract city dwellers.
“Our on-premise business is robust and growing and as strong as its ever been,” Vaccaro told The Post.
When he first opened in 2006, there were 46 breweries in all of New York, he said.
Now, it only trails California, which has twice as many, according to the New York State Brewer’s Association.
Hudson Valley’s high concentration of breweries is also good for the region’s economic health, Paul Leone, executive director of the Brewer’s Association, told The Post.
“People will travel to get to a brewery but if they can hit four or five they’ll do that and it attracts tourism,” Leone said.
Many of the newer breweries are taking a page from wineries, showing off acres of farm land where visitors can sit at picnic tables amidst rolling hills and picturesque landscapes or enjoy samples in aesthetically pleasing tasting rooms that are being booked for weddings and other special events.
Lasting Joy brewery in Tivoli, about two hours north of the city, opened a modern tasting room in 2022 that features floor-to-ceiling windows with 360 degree views of its farmland.
Plan Bee Farm Brewery is nestled on 25 acres in Poughkeepsie, where it moved to a three-story 1830s barn in 2015, and is a popular destination for weddings.
Empire State breweries took off in 2013 when a law was passed allowing the beermakers to serve customers in taprooms as long as 60% of all the hops and other ingredients they use are grown in New York.
At seven year-old Hudson Valley Brewery in Beacon, all the beer is made from 100% New York sourced wheat. Arrowood Farms — founded in 2013 and located on 48 acres in Ulster County — also uses nearly 100% New York grown ingredients.
In 2023, the brewery completed renovations on a historic mill building, adding a new tasting room and event space.
“The wineries have been in place for a while, and whether traditional or newer with a hipster vibe, they have these beautiful and romantic locations,” Lott of the Brew Bus told Bloomberg.
“Breweries have managed to do the same thing. They’ve created these gorgeous venues, some for weddings and rehearsal dinners, and others have taken beautiful old buildings and given them life. It’s a big draw.”
The Hudson Valley brewery renaissance comes even as national statistics show that Americans are drinking less overall.
Some city venues are struggling, including the Coney Island Brewery, which closed its taproom in November, citing the seasonality of being located on the boardwalk.
By another measure, alcohol sales are flat over the past 12 months following a boozy period during the pandemic.
In 2018, New York was adding a new brewery a week.
“That wasn’t sustainable growth,” Leone said. “But right now we are holding steady while craft beer overall has experienced some declines.”
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