Tag Archives: POUGHKEEPSIE NY

OBSCURE OSCILLATION BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Obscure Oscillation Brewing Company

POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK

Running an experimental nanobrewery out of a backyard garage in Poughkeepsie, OBSCURE OSCILLATION specializes in crafting slightly offbeat Belgian style ales and other varied small batch one-offs. A certified New York State farmhouse brewery brought to life by long-time local childhood friends, Pier Di Camillo (of Uruguayan persuasion) and Visham Chinkan (from Guyanese auspices), Obscure Oscillation has handcrafted at least 34 different beer recipes since opening in 2018.

Inside the glorified garage there are twelve black wood seats at the bark top bar and a few conical fermenters towards the rear. A big TV centers the bar where three tap handles serve today’s current fare. There are bottles for sale as well.

Lovers of music and culture, ‘metafictional monks’ Chinkan and Di Camillo set out to be homebrewers during their college years. Though they both maintain day-time jobs, there’s no denying their passion for brewing. The duo’s locally resourced ingredients add an earthen barley-hop rusticity and husked grain rawness to the uniquely handcrafted elixirs.

In their late teens, Chinkan and Di Camillo acquired a palette for Belgian ales of all styles and couldn’t find anything that could satisfy their souls. During this time, there were no hazy IPA’s or NEIPAs, which they now enjoy drinking. Brewing since age 18, they had much success at local homebrewers competitions, but the idea of starting a brewery was just a dream. A decade went by with no thoughts of operating a brewery. During those 10 years, a lot of research was conducted consuming many beverages. Fast forward to 2017, the lifelong friends revisited the idea of opening up a brewery focusing on Belgian style ales. By 2018, Obscure Oscillation was getting established, receiving farm brewery licenses in April.

Some of Chinkan’s favorite Belgian ales include St. Bernardus Apt. 12, La Trappe Quadrupel,  Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven and anything from Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen and Fantome. As for Di Camillo, Victory Storm King Stout, Scaldis Noel, Dogfish Head World Wide Stout and Oude Kriek- Hanssens Artisanaal hit the spot.

During September ’22, my wife and I took a trip to Obscure Oscillation for a tasty noon time slurp.

Zestful dry-hopped Belgian IPA, Meridian Rumble, coalesced candi-sugared orange caking and lemony gooseberry tartness with oaken vanilla tannins, leaving earthen fungi yeast and pulpy sawdust licks on the backend.

Salty strawberry tartness faded to orange-dried lemon souring and candied pineapple tartness for Enwhy Belgian Blonde with Strawberry, a fruitier variant with tamped down Perle hop herbage and mineral-grained pilsner malting buttressing its piquant strawberry rhubarb finish.

A frisky hopped-up Citra saison, Weeping Strings placed lemon-oiled white peach tartness alongside sweet orange peel tanginess as gingery coriander and grains of paradise seeding plus herbal star anise sweetness stayed laidback.

Dry Belgian Golden Strong Ale, Seventh Aurum, unleashed leathery oaken cherry tannins all over vinous green grape esters, raw honeyed cider tartness and citric-spiced hop phenols above delicate peat-smoked pilsner malts.

Slightly unconventional black IPA, Dark Rye Of The Moon, placed treacly Blackstrap molasses-sapped rye malts inside charcoaled dark chocolate bittering, gaining musky soy-bound dried fruiting, dank earthen weediness and dark-roast hop char while maintaining a creamily foamed resilience.

ZEUS BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Thinking About Robots - Zeus Brewing Company | Photos - Untappd

POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK

At the bottom of the hill in Poughkeepsie’s bustling Main Street promenade, ZEUS BREWING COMPANY began operations December ’19. An exquisite Industrial chic pub on the large-windowed first floor of the Queen City loft, its rooftop bar and lounge overlook the Hudson River. Rising to prominence quickly, Zeus joins King’s Court, Mill House and Blue Collar as Poughkeepsie’s first four modern microbreweries.

Brewmaster Amit Ram (formerly of nearby Peekskill and Newburgh breweries) utilizes a left side seven-barrel system to craft his brisk IPA-centric fare as well as nifty one-offs and recurring fare. The upscale pub menu includes brick oven pizza, artisanal entrees, burgers, wings and sandwiches plus specialty cocktails, wine and ciders.

Two colossal neo-Classical wood cabinet murals grace the ten-seat bar. The beautiful black brick-tiled bar back features one bronze draught station with twelve tap handles (and a TV peering out from each corner). Several four-seat wood tables fill out the high-ceilinged black and white-walled pub.

Zeus Brewing: Poughkeepsie's Newest Brewpub Aims for Beer Worthy of Gods | Restaurants | Hudson Valley | Chronogram Magazine

Classic soul music played as my wife and I enjoyed all ten available brews during our December ’21 trip prior to dinner up the street at Schatzi’s.

Muskily earthen grained German-styled light-body, Queen City Pilsner, left a dainty floral-spiced lemon spec upon its French-breaded spine.

Dewy Aviator Doppelbock let rye-spiced brown breading, peaty mossing and dried fig combine alongside sugary toffee malts.

Rustic P.F.L. Harvest Lager retained leathery hay dryness, earthen truffle musk and honeyed rye buttering for mild butternut squash adjunct.

Crisp moderate dark lager, Crown & Anchor English Mild, filled its dewy peat meadow with sashayed red-orange fruiting and leafy hop astringency above biscuity cereal malts.

A Mosaic-hopped West Coast pilsner (collaboration with Wayward Lane), Everything For Everyone brought sharp floral-perfumed lemon bittering to mild lacquered pine tones contrasting cereal grained pilsner malting.

Similarly West Coast styled, Cruisin’ The One, a bright IPA, let juicily yellow grapefruit-peeled orange tanginess and candied lemon absorb floral-daubed piney hop resin.

Escaping to two East Coast IPA variants, dry Nelson Sauvin-hopped Nelson Road hid sour gooseberry tartness beneath lightly lingered grapefruit and mandarin orange bittering.

Meanwhile, fellow New England IPA, Mall Santa, provided spicier sweetness to its zestful grapefruit, orange, pineapple and peach tang.

Delicate yellow-hazed Imperial IPA, Square Two, retained dry grapefruit-orange zesting, mild pine bittering and floral-herbed snips as subtle apricot-tangerine notions waver.

Easygoing Berliner Weiss, Urban Oasis Italian Plum & Cranberry, allowed sour cranberry and dried plum tartness to gain briny lemon liming without overloading citric acidity.          

SCHATZI’S PUB – POUGHKEEPSIE

BEER PUB,

Poughkeepie Schatzi's Vies For DVLicious 'Best Craft Beer Bar' Win | Southwest Dutchess Daily Voice

POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK

A nifty baby blue round signpost (with emblematic pint-guzzling skunk) welcomes patrons to SCHATZI’S PUB – POUGHKEEPSIE, the original storefront gastropub with second location ten miles west across the Hudson Bridge in New Paltz. Both ‘homey’ pubs offer a German beer hall experience serving top-notch local brews and international faves alongside tasty Anglo-Bavarian dishes.

Opened during autumn 2013, Schatzi’s lies right in the middle of downtown Main Street a few doors down from Zeus Brewing (which began operations ’round 2019). Its narrow interior features an elongated 20-seat, bronze-topped bar (with several tap stands holding 16 draughts), a blackboard beer list, top-shelf spirits and four TV’s. Antique wire-meshed lighting fixtures add a Speakeasy feel. There are four chaired tables towards the rear and a black metal-furnished backyard beirgarten.

While visiting November ’21, sunk four previously untried suds, including Hamburg Berry Berry Sneaky! Sour, Crown & Torch Breakshot India Pale Ale, Maine Wolfes Neck India Pale Ale and UFO Journey To Planet Pumpkin! (reviewed in Beer Index).

 

KING’S COURT BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for KINGS COURT BREW

POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK

In the laidback downtown neighborhood of Poughkeepsie, KING’S COURT BREWING COMPANY came into existence August 2018. Founded by UC-Davis educated brewer, Cortlandt Toczylowski, a dry beer lover skillfully concocting sessionable suds, colourful IPA’s, hybridized novelties, dark ales and nitrogenated varietals at his 7-barrel red brick pub, King’s Court occupies a former elite hotel with rustic mainstream American pub appeal.

A beautiful gray marble bar top with aquamarine tiled frontage is the centerpiece of this one-room, brick-walled ground floor brewery. There are right side dining tables and the brew tanks are stationed to the far left as well as to the right of the wood-floored bar.

Currently, Poughkeepsie’s brew scene is thriving as King’s Court, Mill House and Zeus all exist within walking distance.

My dog, Roscoe, and I initially visited King’s Court June ’21 on a steamy Sunday afternoon after perusing Walkway Along the Hudson.

Easygoing dry kolsch, Poughkeepsie KSA, stayed light on the tongue as spritzy lemon-oiled green grape tartness delicately frolicked alongside wispy herbal spicing above biscuity pilsner malts.

Caramel-toasted amber graining and mellow dried fruiting merged for Frog King Amber Ale, a leafy-hopped moderation with latent tobacco roasted crisping.

Spiced lemon zest brightened Sunrise Wheat Ale, a summery lawnmower-boating quencher with swirly banana-clove sweetness, creamy sourdough wheat tenacity and light herbage.

Dryly tart coriander-salted Gold Sunset Gose let orange, tangerine and pineapple adjuncts reach brisk lemon-limed bittering above mild pilsner malting.

White-peppered cologne perfumed ginger roots inundated Mr. Ginger, an herbaceous ginger pale ale with timely lemon lime zesting.

“Everyday” West Coast pale ale, Halfspace, brought lightly lingered IPA-like piney grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and a mellow lemon twist to the same dry Simcoe-Amarillo-hopped wood tones utilized for Back To Basics IPA, a bolder medium body with lacquered grapefruit-orange tang permeating its clay-like hop stead.

Soothing lemony grapefruit-orange-pineapple bittering graced Rainbow Mist, a hazy IPA with raw-grained earthen resin raising its dry edge.

Sharp mango-pureed IPA, Mangoberry Milkshake allowed milk-sugared vanilla sweetness to contrast bold juniper berry bittering and modest blueberry-raspberry-boysenberry tartness while mango-juiced kiwi, guava and pineapple wisps floated by.

Then, there were three nitro-gassed beers onboard as well.

Using Harvest Wheat Ale as its crystal-wheat malt base, Wet Willy Watermelon Wheat – Nitro maintained an easygoing cucumber-watered watermelon rind earthiness.

Mildly creamed Moon Jammin’ Imperial Black Lager – Nitro invited subtle plum, blackberry and dried cherry fruiting into its earthen walnut-charred hop oiling, leaving dry bourbon snips at the dark-roast mocha finish.

Nutty coffee roast and brown-sugared dark chocolate usurped the creamy vanilla sweetness and dry espresso tones of Bat Exodus Milk Stout – Nitro, picking up slight sour soy saucing.

Wife and dog joined me for second King’s Court visit on a sunny August afternoon, ’22.

Candied strawberry tartness picked up soapy lemon sourness over honeyed wheat sweetness for blanched blonde ale, Strawberry Kisses.

Tart raspberry jam spread across mild lime-salted lemon souring for candy-glazed Coppercake- Raspberry & Lemon Milkshake IPA, hiding its light vanilla creaming.

Dry medium roast coffee consumed Sapience – 2021 Russian Imperial Stout, contrasting sweet hazelnut pasting with bitter wood-charred walnut tones above dark chocolate-syruped maple oats base.

Sapience Bourbon Barrel Aged – 2021 version let dry bourbon-whiskeyed burgundy wining seep into dark chocolate syrup.

BLUE COLLAR BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Craft Beer | The Blue Collar Brewery | Poughkeepsie NY

POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK

Poughkeepsie’s BLUE COLLAR BREWERY is a cavernously expansive no-frills neighborhood joint tucked into a residential area just on the outskirts of downtown. In an old factory industrial building, long-time home brewing Red Sox fan Kevin Marquis and his son, head brewer Randy (a proud UC-Davis grad), craft a steady menu of likable ales to go with respectable pub fare.

Blue Collar’s red brick-walled interior features an open kitchen and opposing lower-leveled brew room that lead to its airy 15-seat backroom central bar (with 6 TV’s, a dozen tap handles, ten dining tables and loft seating).

Several fine wines are available alongside the five durable draught ales sampled during my March ’17 excursion.

Perhaps the finest offering, tea-like Irish Red gained a dewy earthiness to combat its caramelized barley roast, mild lemon spicing, raw molasses bittering and wispy coffee snip.

Floral citric herbs guarded light-bodied Saison, where well-watered freshness brought crisp carbolic spritz to sour lemon, zesty grapefruit, tangy orange and bruised banana tones above gentle pilsner-Vienna malting.

Briskly clean moderation, Cream Ale, saddled flaked corn and grassy hay with salted lemon souring.

Lemon-peeled grapefruit and orange rind bittering picked up sticky Amarillo-hopped pining for amiable medium-bodied India Pale Ale.

Mild black-malted Oatmeal Stout plied oats-sugared molasses to coffee-roasted milk chocolate for a nice capper.

www.thebluecollarbrewery.com

 

MILL HOUSE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for mill house brewing

POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK

Right in the heart of historic Poughkeepsie, highly ambitious MILL HOUSE BREWING COMPANY opened for business November 2013. Housed in a lovely multi-sectional landmark building elegantly designed with exquisite rusticity, Mill House is easily one of Hudson Valley’s best brewpubs and expansion for a separate draught distribution center will soon do contract canning.

Proprietary brewmasters Larry Stock and Jamie Bishop, long-time friends “creating locally inspired beer with world class flavor,” started out many years ago making incipiently bad brews with a Mr. Beer Kit. But over time, Bishop received a masters degree from American Brewers Guild and decided to make his hobby a full-time pursuit, convincingly concocting traditional fare while being unafraid to experiment. The results have been fabulous as each quality brew Bishop and Stock crafted at Mill House has its own unique style to recommend.

Industrial wood, metal and plastic furnishings bedeck Mill House’s ground floor while an outdoor terrace, cozy second floor parlor (with patio), and third floor room for private parties consume the rest of this arch-laden colonial chalet. A red brick U-shaped bar with centralized archway, 20 stools and Edison lighting connects two distinct dining areas while the left side brew tanks service the main space.

A wood-fired hearth serves pizzas and the creative menu also includes lunchtime primers, ‘Bar Bites’ and eclectic burgers, sandwiches and entrees. Several homemade bar specialties and various wines and spirits complement the distinguished beer menu.   

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, January ’16, my wife and I thoroughly enjoy succulent best-selling Fig & Pig Pizza (with ham-like duck bacon, smoked mozzarella, black mission figs and arugula) alongside sessionable citric-hopped PK Pale Ale, a red wheat-toasted moderation hardened hop-heads won’t dismiss (reviewed fully at Beer Index).

After lunch, cruised thru eight more diverse brews. Briskly mineral-watered Kold One, a classic kolsch with crisp pilsner-Vienna malting, mildly astringent Noble hop bittering, sweetly soured lemon twist and light creaming may’ve bettered any similarly styled ale marketed. Equally delightful and wholly eccentric, dry vegetal lawnmower beer, Queen City Cucumber Cream Ale, provided a strong celery-watered cucumber influence to sugared rice, corn and barley as well as a light citric spritz.  

‘Behemoth’ West Coast-styled IPA, Northwest Territory, placed honey-spiced peach, pear and apple fruiting alongside its stylishly emphatic grapefruit-peeled orange, pineapple and lemon tang while the mild cereal-grained Maris Otter malt base sweetened the load by helping to contrast the unobtrusive 9% ABV burn.    

Soft-toned Imperial IPA, Hubar, brought tangy lemon-peeled grapefruit buoyancy to the fore as crystal malt sugaring countered light piney hop bittering and radish-y celery remnant.   

Another approachable medium body, Belgian-styled dubbel, Zoe, plied white-peppered citrus spicing to creamy yeast sugaring, delicate pilsner malts and subtle butternut-walnut conflux.  
   
Velvety oak-chipped Scottish Ale, Kilt Spinner, retained light caramelized carafa roast, piquant vanilla sweetness and soft citric fruitiness.
Award winning stout, Velvet Panda, draped treacly black chocolate richness above bitter oats-flaked Black Patent malts and dried-fruited black cherry, raisin and fig cluster.    
Spirited wintry digestif, Dos Cien Cerezas, ‘laced’ sour Morello cherries (the fermented fruit in kriek lambics) through brown chocolate-y cacao nibs sweetness, rum-spiced whiskey warmth and soothingly medicinal 8.5% ethanol burn for an exceptional indulgence.
This place is a must for any and all brew hounds.
Revisited Mill House mid-July ’21 to down five more previously untried suds.
Dryer than most similarly styled blonde ales, Blunar Eclipse lacquers subtle lemon-spritzed blueberry tartness across raw-honeyed pale malting, spicy floral whims and distant green peppering.
Tart raspberry saltiness gave Cross Reference Raspberry Kettle Sour its initial sass while lemon-candied guava, watermelon and green grape souring settled at the earthy bottom.
Lemon-pledged pink guava salting, limey lemondrop tartness, sour papaya subtleties and bitter grapefruit seeding picked up botanical riffs for Gose Gone Fruity, leaving coriander spicing in the dust.
Yogurt-soured guava, papaya and peach tropicalia joined brief orange peel sweetness and mild pine tones for Grocery Getter, a softly rounded NEIPA with ancillary lemon-teased tangerine, clementine and mandarin tartness settling next to honeyed herbal respite.
Salted pineapple souring commenced Everything’s Coming Up: Pineapple, a zestfully fruited NEIPA with spritzy lemon prickle and lacquered pine wisp.
During August ’22, my wife and I journeyed once more to Millhouse, enjoying another four previously untried brews.
Dry DC Fair Pale Ale let mild IPA-like orange rind, grapefruit pith and salted pineapple bittering, dry wood tones and green tea-like astringency reach its lightly sugared pale malt base.
Salted mango entry faded on Everything’s Coming Up: Mango, a soft-toned NEIPA leaving ample pineapple-papaya tanginess and ancillary grapefruit-peach-nectarine whims atop heavily oated malts.
Lactic golden beige-hazed sour IPA, Hopthamology, allowed pink guava tartness, modest lemon-oiled yellow grapefruit bittering and wispy lemongrass minting to pick up residual acidity above milk-sugared white wheated oats.
Black Forest-caked pureed raspberry and dark chocolate-y liquid cacao lifted oats-flaked pastry stout, Piece Of Cake, picking up tart cherry, blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry snips.
www.millhousebrewing.com