As the nip in the air gets crisp, we turn to the comfort of darker, more amber beers, some subtle spice, some great pairings to the rich flavors of fall cuisine. As you gather around the table with family or friends, a good local beer is a great way to celebrate the fall harvest.
In Westchester, there’s more great beer than ever. The scene continues to bubble up and this fall you can enjoy some limited-time pints from local brewers, whether it’s a malty Octoberfest, a hazy India Pale Ale or a slightly sweet pumpkin ale. We talked to just under a half dozen of the top brewers in Westchester to ask them about the brews they are offering up this fall. Read on to learn what’s on tap.
Soul Brewing Company
41 Wheeler Avenue, Pleasantville
Traveling through breweries in Belgium and Germany with his new wife in the 1990s, Allen Wallace fell in love with European-style beers so much that used to smuggle fresh bottles back home so he could reculture the yeast and brew at home.
After homebrewing for the next two decades, the former advertising photographer decided it was now or never to follow his passion and opened the doors of Soul Brewing in 2020. Wallace’s brews with a European sensibility.
“I’d like to be known for making really well balanced, drinkable beers,” he said.
His “Pleasantbrau Oktoberfest” won the gold medal from the New York State Craft Brewers Association in the Amber Beer category. It’s light enough that you can enjoy more than a few. It’s a luxuriously malty Amber lager balanced with a slight spiciness in the finish from hops.
Also look out for the “Winter Soulstice,” his yearly Christmas Beer, a 9 percent alcohol-by-volume Belgian style. It’s a strong dark ale made with figs and cinnamon.
Run and Hide Brewing
223 1, 2 Westchester Avenue, Port Chester
Tim Shanley might be the only tap room for a hundred miles that’s also an Italian deli. The Irishman from the Bronx married an Italian and so here comes the fresh mozzarella sandwiches beside his beers. As he not-so-patiently awaits the opening of his full-scale brewery two blocks away in Port Chester that will also seat about 100, he operates out of a small tap room as he brews at different regional breweries.
This fall, try Shanley’s “Das Boot,” a collaboration with Round Table Brewing Company in Garnerville, NY. He describes it as a delicious, classic Marzen, moderate in alcohol. You can also look out for the remaining few bottles of his pastry stout called “Nice Looking Chops,” a boozy (12 percent) imperial stout made with chocolate-covered pretzel, cacao and vanilla beans and aged in a Basil Hayden whiskey barrel.
Wolf & Warrior Brewing Co.
195 E Post Road, White Plains
Michael Chiltern started as a homebrewer, winning various homebrew competitions in the 2010s, inspired by visits to microbreweries around the world, and launched Wolf and Warrior in 2019 in White Plains. Whether in the brewery, the sidewalk, or in the beer garden, try his “Harvest Fresh Hop IPA,” a West Coast IPA that’s both crisp and a hop-lover’s delight brewed with wet and fresh whole cone Nugget hops. You can also sip the “Braufest” (6.5% ABV), his copper-hued, rich and malty take on a classic German Oktoberfest. Finally, quaff the “Horseman’s Pumpkin Ale,” featuring a silky-smooth body with a punch of great pumpkin spices and just a touch of sweetness.
Broken Bow Brewery
173 Marbledale Road, Tuckahoe
Family-owned and operated, this beer garden and tasting room often has community events, food trucks from Thursday to Sunday and a Happy Hour from Monday to Thursday. This fall, try an autumn beer mashup: the “Pumpkin Spiced Oktoberfest” (5.5% ABV). A malty backbone gives hints of biscuit and toffee, balanced by East Kent Golden hops. There’s a crisp finish of subtle autumn spices: cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Also try the “Tropic Wonder Hazy IPA” (6.5% ABV). For those not super into the bitterness of some IPAs, this hazy wonder has notes of stone fruit and tropical punch.
Sing Sing Kill Brewery
75 Spring Street, Ossining
The baby of two craft beer lovers, Eric Gearity and Matt Curtin, Sing Sing Kill Brewery is a New York farm brewery dedicated to sourcing fresh Hudson Valley ingredients. The taproom is open from Wednesday through Sunday, often hosting events from trivia, to live music to salsa dancing. This fall, two limited-time brews are both made with 100% New York grains and hops. “SSKB Pumpkin Ale” is made with local pumpkins that the team chopped with an axe! Enjoy flavors of roasted pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and clove. Also try the “Palisades Octoberfest Lager,” an amber-colored Märzen that’s smooth and malty with a crisp finish.
