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Summer Escape: Westchester Beer & Food Tour
This Summer as the subway turns into an oven and the concrete streets reach egg frying point, you are probably looking for an escape from the concrete jungle. Over the past few weeks we’ve been exploring beer and food centric places in Westchester to design a day trip with several stops - the farthest stop being less than one hour away from the City. The trip includes two breweries, one beer bar, and two farms closely tied to breweries. In addition, if you do not have a car, many of the stops along the way are accessible by Metro North Trains. Here is a map to show how far all five places are from NYC:
Photos courtesy of Brendan McNamara.Stop 1: Stone Barns Center For Food & Agriculture in Tarrytown, NY (approx. 25 miles north of NYC). Stone Barns is a non-profit farm/laboratory/classroom designed to help people make farm-to-table connections. They grow hops used to make beer at Captain Lawrence Brewing Company and they have a really nice bar with local beers on tap. You can walk around the farm on your own or take several educational walking tours.
Hop vines in the foreground at Stone Barns
Stop 2: Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in Pleasantville, NY (approx. 30 miles north of NYC, half a mile from the Pleasantville Metro North train stop on the Harlem Line). Named the #5 brewery in the country by BeerAdvocate, Captain Lawrence has a national reputation for brewing barrel-aged beers, Belgian-style beers, American-style hoppy beers, and pretty much anything that tastes delicious. Their tasting room is open Fridays 4-7PM and Saturdays noon to 6PM where you can fill growlers and take a tour of the brewery.
Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Stop 3: Hemlock Hill Farm in Cortlandt Manor, NY (approx. 40 miles north of NYC). Hemlock Hill Farm has cattle fed with spent grain from Captain Lawrence Brewing Company. Here you can purchase some high quality beef fed with used beer grain that has just a touch of alcohol in it.
Happy cows fed with beer grain at Hemlock Hill Farm
Stop 4: Peekskill Brewery in Peekskill, NY (located about 40 miles north of NYC right on top of the Peekskill Metro North stop on the Hudson Line).
Peekskill Brewery seems to be constantly expanding their brewing system to satiate the local market, which is a good sign. The only problem is you currently can’t get your hands on their beer in NYC. From their rosemary infused Saison to their Vanilla Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout, Peekskill Brewery is a fast growing brewery making beers we foresee winning GABF medals very soon. They also happen to be located right on Peekskill Bay with a beautiful view (see photo below).
A flight of beers at Peekskill Brewery with some apps
The view outside of Peekskill Brewery
Stop 5. Birdsall House in Peekskill, NY (located about 40 miles north of NYC half a mile from the Peekskill Metro North stop on the Hudson Line).
Recently named the Editor’s Pick best of 2010 Beer Bar in Westchester Magazine, Birdsall House has some of the best beer in Westchester. Chef Matt Hutchins, formerly of Chez Pannisse, brings locally sourced beer and food from the Hudson Valley together masterfully (see photos). The Hemlock Hill burger is the best burger you will ever eat.
Butternut squash puree, baked gala apple, hazelnut brittle, maple gastrique.
Hemlock Hill Burger using beef from, you guessed it, Hemlock Hills Farm.
Additional Info
For information on transportation via Metro North, view the schedule
