Hudson Valley up-and-coming distilleries, microbreweries & cideries

Squashtober reign

Pumpkin junkies: Read on. The Newburgh Brewing Company’s Squashtober, a Belgian amber ale, brewed with local pumpkins and butternut squash, should be next on your list. You’d swear that this richly colored, medium-bodied beauty from brewmaster Christopher Basso was spiced – but it’s not. That tastes-like-fall flavor comes from pure, locally sourced roasted produce, and clocks in at 5.6 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).

Just up from the Newburgh waterfront, the brewery is a historic manufacturing warehouse, beautifully renovated by Basso and business partners Paul Halayko and Charlie Benedetti, with long tables, pull-out wooden benches, excellent bar food and a house brew menu that’s almost overwhelming. If Squashtober’s tapped out when you come in, you might try the Newburgh Conspiracy, a Russian imperial stout with cool licorice notes – but beware: the conspiracy must be with the livery, because at 11 percent ABV, you’re probably gonna need a cab.

Newburgh Brewing Company is located at 88 South Colden Street in Newburgh. Taproom open Wednesday to Sunday. www.newburghbrewing.com.

Yeast master

Located within walking distance of Beacon Station and Main Street, the 2 Way Brewing Company has got the newest brews: Its door opened just six weeks ago. With a big broad space, board games aplenty and a bar that you can draw on (Sharpies provided), 2 Way has the laid-back feel of a brewers’ community center.

“There’s no limit to what you can do with beer. There’s always new flavors to explore, new ingredients to try, new styles to work on. It’s infinite,” said president and founder Michael O’Herron, an autodidact with tremendous enthusiasm for the craft. He isolated his own brewers’ yeast from the blackcaps on a farm across the river where he grew up.

“It smelled like candy – it was the most amazing aroma I’d ever encountered, much more complex than my earlier attempts,” said O’Herron, who built his own makeshift laboratory and took six months to get a clean sample of his local yeast, now confirmed and on file at the national library at White Labs. It’s used to brew 2 Way’s Confusion, which resembles a pale Belgian-style ale, with notes of pineapple and clove.

Future plans include microbatches of experimental beers, gallery space for local artists and beer education sessions.

2 Way Brewing Company is located at 18 West Main Street in Beacon. Open Friday to Sunday. www.2waybrewingcompany.com.

“Handcrafted Spirits to Light Your Way”

The Denning’s Point Distillery is steeped in history: The business is named for a Beacon riverside site that served as both signal point and home of the mighty Denning’s Point Brick Works (DPBW-branded bricks compose the tasting-room bar). Its VisKill Vodka takes its name from the original Dutch for Fishkill, and Great 9 Gin pays tribute to the 17^th-century land grant that reconfigured a ten-mile swath of central Dutchess County, creating Hyde Park. “There’s a huge pride of place in the Hudson Valley and in New York State in general, so we really strive to make that connection,” said Susan Johnson, who co-owns and operates the business with husband Karl.

The Johnsons’ personal history is a perfect pairing: She has got a background in marketing; he used to create distillates for rocket fuel (really). Their respective skills are highly apparent in Beacon Premium Reserve Whiskey, a limited-edition blend of seven-year-old American whiskeys in a handsome bottle topped with signature blue wax.

In upcoming months, they’ll introduce new products and institute a new program: bottling parties where volunteers can get in on filling, wax-dipping and boxing the latest round. “A few craft distillers do this, and it’s a tremendous success. Folks love being in on the process, and it’s incredibly helpful to the distillers,” she said.

Denning’s Point Distillery is located 10 North Chestnut Street in Beacon. Tasting room open Saturdays and Sundays. www.denningspointdistillery.com.

#1 nightcap

Jason Grizzanti and Jeremy Kidde got their start with the Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery. With Black Dirt Distillery, years of experience have come to bear in a fine line of truly luxurious bourbons and applejack. Raise a glass to Black Dirt Distillery’s Single Barrel Aged Bourbon, each with a distinct grain ratio – possibilities include black-dirt-grown corn, malted barley, unmalted wheat, crystal-malted rye – matured in new charred oak.

The 375-milliliter bottles are numbered, dated and marked with the barrel number of each never-to-be-replicated batch. Barrel #042212 has an aroma so enticing that you might want to wear it as a perfume, and it tastes just as sweet, smoky and divine. I got mine at Viscount Wines & Liquors in Wappingers Falls, which has an expertly curated local spirits section that’s worth checking out.

Black Dirt Distillery at Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery is located at 114 Little York Road in Warwick. Open daily year-round. https://blackdirtdistillery.com.

For the most up-to-date information on tours, events and what’s on draft, try each company’s Facebook page.