We’ve now got quite an explosion of local breweries around Poughkeepsie. So I’m now finding myself wanting to pick up beer on Friday for the weekend. I’ve got a ton of classic glass growlers but by day 2, the beer in them is getting noticeably flat.
This growler is different. I was originally turned onto these by my brother in law Andy Tveekrem, who knows a thing or two about beer. With the rise of allkindsoflocalbreweries in Poughkeepsie, I finally picked up one of my own. Filled on Saturday, and Tuesday night things were only starting to lose carbonation.
We just returned from a road trip of a vacation, where we visited many friends and family. It was sort of like the vacations we’ve taken in far away lands, except instead of jumping on a plane or a train every 2 – 4 days, this time it was our own car. Home to Ithaca, NY to Cleveland, Ohio to Charleston, WV to Greenbank, WV to Greater DC area then home. About 2000 miles in 12 days.
The reason the trip happened at all was because of the Ohio portion. The Market Garden Brewery just opened last month, with Susan’s brother Andy as brewmaster, so we had to go check it out. It’s an American style beer garden, with a few different inside seating spaces, and roof seating in the works for next year.
Market Garden Brewery - Beer GardenMarket Garden Brewery - Beer GardenMarket Garden Brewery - Bar and Dining AreaMarket Garden Brewery - Other Bar which opens into a meeting room
They are currently running 10 taps with 10 different brews going at once. Most are what Andy calls “Session Beers”, meaning 5% or alcohol or less. This goes contrary to the current trend among internet beer aficionados, who are mostly drinking much stronger stuff at home, but for a brew pub, is the only way you can sanely have more than one glass. Over the course of a couple of nights, plus some growlers that came back to the house and to WV, we managed to sample most of the menu. The Cluster Fuggle IPA and Tart Blanche were probably my favorites, with Pearl Street PM and the Strong Ale as close seconds. They also did a great job with the food at the place.
With the Market Garden Brewery, Bier Mart, and Great Lakes Brewery across the street, the whole area is basically now the Cleveland Beer District. This appears to be working well for all parties involved, because you’ve got so many good options right across from each other. If one doesn’t fit your taste, just go down one door to the next.
I suspect that we’ll be making a regular pilgrimage out to Cleveland now. Like I’ve said many times, it’s really a great thing to have a beer maker in the family.
It's always more complicated 
