Since 2014, Moo-Duck Brewery has been a small family-owned and operated brewery and pub in Elizabethtown, handcrafting unfiltered beer in small batches on a hand-built brewing system. Brewer-owner Mike’s recipes respect traditional styles while making room for unconventional ingredients and techniques, with twelve seasonally rotating taps and a locally sourced food menu. The taproom also keeps community at the center through an ongoing charity beer program, live music, and a no-TV, conversation-first atmosphere.
Rushing Duck Brewing CompanyRushing Duck Brewing Company is a small, family-owned brewery in Chester’s Historic District, making beer that ranges from hop-forward IPAs to Belgian-influenced, barrel-aged and sour releases. Founded as Dan Hitchcock’s college-dorm brewing idea in 2006, the company began selling beer in August 2012 with help from his father, Les. Its 20-tap tasting room also serves as a Hudson Valley gathering place, hosting regular live music and special metal and punk shows.CHESTER, NY
Knucklehead Craft BrewingKnucklehead Craft Brewing is a family-run Webster microbrewery that grew from two friends’ garage home-brewing project into a brewery and neighborhood gathering place. Opened in December 2014, it makes thoughtful, hand-crafted beers alongside a food menu, with the Dummer family carrying the business forward and treating customers and staff as part of the Knucklehead family. Community is central here, from face-to-face conversation at the bar to the welcoming atmosphere built around the brewery.WEBSTER, NY
Hopshire Farm and BreweryFamily-owned and run by Chris and Holly Rakow, Hopshire Farm & Brewery has brewed New York farm beer in Freeville since opening in 2013 as the state’s fifth farm brewery. The brewery uses locally sourced ingredients, sends spent grain to a nearby farm, and operates an onsite market garden, while its taproom doubles as a community gathering place for local food and live music.FREEVILLE, NY
Two Goats BrewingFounded by Jon and Jess Rodgers in 2010, Two Goats Brewing is a locally owned brewpub making traditionally styled beer in a renovated 19th-century barn overlooking Seneca Lake. Its manually operated seven-barrel system produces fresh, unfiltered beer, while the taproom pairs the brews with a signature beef-on-weck sandwich and a steady calendar of mostly original live music. Solar power supplies 75% of the operation’s electricity, and the brewery also supports local causes through fundraising and community donations.HECTOR, NY