Brewery Roundup: There's More To Experience Than Beer Alone
You can find a beer or a whole brewery that perfectly suits your taste in the middle of town or down a back road.
Photo from Sloop Brewing Company
It seems like there’s a craft brewery around every bend. With such a crowded field these days, it's imperative local breweries not just have good beer, but also boast an inspired brewery program that tries new things and changes with the seasons. They have to do this all while simultaneously offering the relaxing vibes and good eats patrons have come to expect. Here are a few of our favorite breweries from across the RI region offering brews and bites.
Berkshire County
Barrington Brewery
420 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, MA
Since 1995 Barrington Brewery has been serving its own Barn Brewed Beer and food made from scratch. It was the first brewery on the east coast to install a solar panel system that supplies solar-heated hot water for brewing and restaurant use.
Photo from Barington Brewery
The seven-barrel system brewery is still the star of the show. It’s powered by both photovoltaic and that solar hot water heating system and is housed right in the tavern. The brewery focuses primarily on ales but runs a lager series each spring.
Big Elm Brewing Company
65 Silver Street, Sheffield, MA
Big Elm founders Bill Heaton and Christine Bump met while working for Victory Brewing Company in 2003. They both had some experience at smaller breweries and Bump has a degree in brewing from the Siebel Institute and the Doemens Academy. In 2005 they set out to create their own brew pub and opened the Pittsfield Brew Works. After five years they left the brewpub business to start a production brewery dedicated to making just beer and, they say, “smiles.” In 2012 they renovated their current site at 65 Silver St. It needed a bit of work but in the fall of that year they brewed their first batch of Big Elm. Since then they have been focused on bringing their neighbors and visitors fresh, quality beer.
Photo from Big Elm Brewing
Big Elm produces a well-rounded lineup of six beers year 'round, available throughout the area. It also offers special limited selections exclusive to its onsite tap room. Check out Big Elm's own hard seltzers on tap!
Columbia County
Chatham Brewing
59 Main Street, Chatham, NY
In the mid 2000s, New York's craft brewing laws changed dramatically, first allowing for the loosening of craft beer restrictions, and just as importantly, allowing breweries to sell directly on site by the glass. It was during these strange early days of Hudson Valley brewing that friends Tom Crowell and Jake Cunningham started selling beer out of a garage on Main Street in Chatham. A few years and awards later they have a major brewing operation and a brewpub at the center of the village.
Photo from Chatham Brewing
A standard bearer for brewing in Columbia County, Chatham brewing is written in the early pages of the story of craft brewing in the Hudson Valley. The food at the restaurant is now nearly as popular as the drinks, with BBQ and pub fair that pairs great with anything on tap.
Suarez Family Brewery
2278 US 9, Hudson, NY
Suarez, off Route 9 in bucolic Livingston, offers a high-quality selection of meticulously produced beers that highlight the art and craft of brewing. The tasting room, a former garage, feels both regal and Brutalist. The brewery focuses on just three style categories: crisp, unfiltered lagers; mixed-culture fermented ales; and crisp, pale ale-style beers. Presented more like a wine, Suarez beer gives the drinker a lot to consider.
Photo from Suarez Family Brewery
Suarez’s award-winning classic German-style Pilsner is the flagship on a tap menu that’s ever changing with the season or the brewer’s whim. While the beers on tap are constantly rotating, some perianal favorites include the Crispy Little pale ale, and Lo and Behold porter.
Dutchess County
Black Snake Brewing Company
148 North Creek Road, Staatsburg, NY
Black Snake is a brewery that, thankfully, doesn’t over polish its character. It’s a farm brewery, housed in barns at Old Adriance Farm. There are ducks and pigs running around, picnic tables with beautiful sunset views of the valley and great local food trucks. The lawn is a great atmosphere for friends and family.
Photo from Black Snake Brewing Company
With such a great location and vibe, Black Snake’s beer would have to be good, and it is. The lineup of beers is unpretentiously refreshing and so is the activity on site: live music, lawn games, and firepits.
The Factory at Sloop Brewing Company
55 East Dr #106, East Fishkill, NY
In 2019, Sloop Brewing opened a new 25,000-square-foot brewery and taproom in the East Fishkill iPark campus within a former IBM semiconductor plant. The brewery has a full kitchen offering pizza and burgers. The family-friendly space has a playful old-school cafeteria or soda fountain feel.
Photo from Sloop Brewing Company
Their growing popular lineup is defined by juicy, hazy New England-style IPAs like the Juice Bomb. Citrus heavy notes have been the brewery's calling card but its entire roster is top shelf. For those that started drinking Sloop back in their early farm days in Elizaville, the company’s success comes as no surprise.
Litchfield County
Housatonic River Brewing
30 Kent Road, New Milford, CT
Housatonic River Brewing in New Milford is a brewery tap room and beer garden right along the picturesque Housatonic River. “My wife, Dianne, and I decided not only would New Milford be a great place to build this business, but also to do something that our community would appreciate,” says the owner, Dave Littlefield. “The planning began and we opened on Route 7, just north of Bridge Street in a 3,200 square foot building. HRB sits on seven acres that allows our customers to enjoy our many delicious beers both indoors and out.”
Photo from Housatonic River Brewing
The brewery has established itself as a destination for the connoisseur and anyone looking for a relaxing riverside evening. Now they are also using their influence to raise awareness for a good cause while having a good time. To join its established, varied lineup, Housatonic has created a new brew called “Forget Me Not” to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s and dementia research and support organizations. The beer was crafted to honor co-owner Dianne Littlefield’s father, who suffered from the diseases before his passing. Housatonic has a great sense of place, community and beer worth the trip.
Great Falls Brewing Company
75 W Main St, Canaan, CT
The Canaan Union Depot Train Station, built in 1872, is a huge and beautiful centerpiece of the small town once more thanks to the draw of the Great Falls Brewing Company, which has brought life back to the historic structure and turned it into a noteworthy craft brew house. Win win!
Photo from Great Falls Brewing Company
The abandoned station suffered a devastating fire in 2001. The Connecticut Railroad Historical Association bought it in 2003, eventually securing the grants needed to restore the fabulous building to its former glory. After much sweat and elbow grease the building is now home to the historical society and the brewery.
