LIVINGSTON MANOR, NEW YORK
Established in 2014 and occupying a large maroon carriage house with raccoon-faced grain silo, CATSKILL BREWERY resides at the Sullivan County hamlet of Livingston Manor. A commemorative Woodstock birdie celebrates the rural mountainous surroundings where the ’69 music and arts fare exploded a few miles south.
A six-seat aluminum-topped serving station pours beer emanating from the windowed silver brew tanks and round wooden casks on the left. The cross-barred high ceiling, paneled wood backdrop, barreled tables with steel-wood seating and aluminum-topped side seating spread thru the pristine barn house. A huge TV hangs from the front wall.
An aluminum -topped back deck with wood picnic tables, hung-up canoe and Adirondack chairs provided outdoor comfort.
My wife and visited Catskill Brewery during September ’23 to quaff seven previously untried, well-rounded, efficient beers – four of ’em of the IPA variety.
Spritzy lemon and peppery Saaz hop herbage dotted Ball Lightning Czech Pils, leaving delicate floral spicing and honeyed tea daubs upon its mild oated wheat pilsner malts.
Bittersweet orange oil pasting and leafy hop astringency scurried thru moderate-bodied Octoberfest, Barkaboom Marzen, leaving caramelized amber grain sweetness and chestnut-hazelnut snips in the dust.
Toasted amber grains and dry Noble hop herbage coalesced for lightly caramel spiced German-styled red ale, Little Quarry Franconian Rotbier.
As for the India Pale Ales, sessionable sunny yellowed Grass Wagon gave its dainty Citra-Mosaic-hopped grapefruit peel, orange rind, pineapple and mango licks a light wintry pining above earthy pale malts.
Soft-toned gold-hazed New England IPA, Devil’s Path, let tart guava and green grape esters plus bitter yellow grapefruit and sweet orange peel settle above oated wheat creaming, picking up tertiary lemon meringue, lime gelatin and pineapple chiffon whims.
Hybridized farmhouse IPA, Onteora Mountain, retained a sour lemony orange lollipop tartness and brisk white grapefruit zesting over saison-like barnyard leathering.
Meanwhile, cryo-hopped Rusk Mountain NEIPA, spackled its lemony herbal misting with dry wood tones and dryer pale malts.