The Little Beer Bus - Hudson Valley New York Breweries

Defiant Brewing Company
6 E. Dexter Plaza, Pearl River, 845-920-8602

Not technically a brew pub, Defiant does keep bar hours and has a bar where you can sample the brewery's signature beer, Muddy Creek Lager. Besides this sweet lager, with its nutty aroma and sage aftertaste, Defiant also offers a rotating selection and seasonal beers. Its bartenders, all brewing apprentices, are good-humored but take their beer seriously. Instead of beer nuts, patrons get chunks of the brewery's own barbecued meats to nibble while bartenders fill mugs and talk with patrons about the art of beer-making.

Little Thumper is a rotating beer that follows a simple formula: It always uses a single malt and a single hop. Prohibition Lager has special ingredients making it true to that time when strong drink was banned. The Belgian Style Tripel Ale is a mouthwatering abbey-style ale with a fruity flavor and spicy finish.

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
99 Castleton St., Pleasantville, 914-741-2337

The "Freshchester" Pale Ale has a clean bitterness with a woodsy aroma. The Sun Block Wheat Beer is a hazy Belgian-style wheat beer that's evocative of cream soda. The Captains Reserve Imperial I.P.A. (India Pale Ale) is a hoppy beer with a citrus taste that won a best beer in New York prize in 2006.

Brewmaster Scott Vaccaro's father, Vincent, conducts free brewery tours on Saturdays, every hour on the hour, and thus his son has dedicated a specialty beer to him: St. Vincent's Dubbel. This caramel-colored classic Belgian-style abbey ale is rich and malty.

Peekskill Brewery Restaurant 
55 Hudson Ave., Peekskill, 914-734-2337

Co-owner Morgan E. Berardi says Peekskill has several original beers, plus a medley of brews from various regional craft breweries, such as Defiant and Captain Lawrence. There are 14 craft beers on tap (not including its own) and about 100 varieties of bottled craft beers.

Its flagship beer is the Paramount Pale Ale - a session beer with a slightly minty flavor and just the right amount of bitterness. The Hefeweizen is a mild seasonal beer with a buttery flavor. On a recent visit, a serious beer-drinker scoffed at the seasonal Strawberry Hefeweizen as something "for the ladies," but he missed a fruity and spicy wheat beer that's frothy and refreshing with strawberries in the mug.

Hyde Park Brewing Company 
4076 Albany Post Rd., Hyde Park, 845-229-8277

One of the breweries that got the whole craft-beer craze started 15 years ago in the Upper Hudson Valley, Hyde Park Brewing Co. not only serves handcrafted lagers and the occasional ale, but also offers choice beef steaks. German-style brewmaster John Eccles tends to be traditional (for instance, he shuns fruit in his beers) and has had plenty of time to perfect his lagers and ales. In summer, there's outdoor dining and live music Wednesday and Friday nights.

The brew pub's signature beer (also served at sister brew pub, Skytop) is Winkle Lager, a Bohemian-style beer that's crisp and clean with a slightly spicy, almost peppery, finish. The Rough Rider Red Lager is an auburn beer with German and Belgian malts that references Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. Big Easy Blonde is a Munich-style Helles (light lager) with a logo that calls to mind World War II plane art.

Brewing apprentice Lucas Marmo is happy to give tours when not too busy with customers. The steakhouse's menu also offers German specialties such as a knockwurst platter and a schnitzel, plus seafood, burgers and pizza.

Keegan Ales 
20 St. James St., Kingston, 845-331-2739

Keegan Ales is the baby of Long Island native Tommy Keegan, whose father runs the BrickHouse Brewery in Patchogue. Keegan brews three varieties and is working on a fourth. The brewery has picnic tables in the bar area and peanut shells on the floor, plus a small restaurant area that's also used as a performance venue. It's been recognized as one of the best craft breweries in the Hudson Valley and New York State.

Skytop Steakhouse and Brewing Co. 
237 Forest Hill Dr., Kingston, 845-340-4277

As the sister pub to the Hyde Park steakhouse, Skytop sometimes carries one or two of the same brews, but it also serves up some original beers in a space with eye-catching views of Kingston and the verdant Shawangunk Ridge.

Skytop's ample portions of Continental fare are quite tasty. The pub is also the home of the Brew HaHa, a comedy night that takes place one Friday every other month. Skytop also offers live entertainment and dancing Friday and Saturday nights.