By Andrew Dominick​
If you’re planning to have more than a few brews or possibly a craft beer crawl, taking the Metro-North, plus a short walk, isn’t a bad idea at these seven spots.
Three-minute walk from Peekskill Train Station
It won’t take you long to figure out Peekskill Brewery is a cool brewpub. Downstairs, it’s a bar scene with games while upstairs it’s a full-fledged restaurant (with another bar, naturally). The beers are solid, too. They have a large variety, so it pays to get a flight, figure out what you like, and go from there. Be sure to include Peekskill’s famed Simple Sour, a refreshing, crushable beer that’s gotten some acclaim over the years. They have a cocktail program, should you go with some non-beer loving friends and try a pickle back (shot of whiskey, shot of pickle juice, taster of C.R.E.A.M. Ale) if you dare. The food? It’s better than most breweries, albeit somewhat pricey.
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47-53 S Water St.
Peekskill
(914) 734-2337
www.peekskillbrewery.com
Seven-minute walk from Croton-Harmon Train Station
I first came here with a good friend and his wife and had no idea what this place even was. But within minutes, I was glad they brought me. The Green Growler has a hipster-ish vibe and for a second I thought I was at a bar in Williamsburg. GG brings coolness with not only it’s consistently up-to-date beer list, which features lots of local selections, but with the live music they bring in regularly. What I didn’t know is that they also have back room that’s a bottle shop and a supply store for home brewers. And if it wasn’t obvious in the name, yes, they do growler fills.
368 S Riverside Ave
Croton-On-Hudson
(914) 862-0961
www.thegreengrowler.com
Two-minute walk from Harrison Train Station
If you follow them on social media, you know The Craftsman not only gets in rare bottles, but some damn good kegs too, so it’s not uncommon to see stuff like Founders KBS and CBS show up there (yeah, that happened recently). If that’s not enough for you, every Friday they host a different brewery for a takeover of all eight taps.
235 Harrison Ave
Harrison
(914) 630-7484
www.craftsmanalehouse.com
One-minute walk from Yonkers Train Station
Clearly the easiest place to get to on this list, Yonkers Brewing Co. is literally right there. If you miss it you probably pre-gamed way too much on the train ride over. Yonkers Brewery has a lot going on though; they’re open every day and they don’t close early, like some breweries. They offer free guided tours at five different times on Saturdays and Sundays, and they have a pretty big food menu (and brunch!). I’ve enjoyed their standard brews when I’ve run into them at beer festivals, but chances are you’ll find something that you like since Yonkers is very much into brewing interesting flavor combos. Events here are plentiful too, like their Detox and Retox (basically yoga followed by beer indulgence), so stay tuned and pay them a visit!
92 Main St
Yonkers
(914) 226-8327
http:// www.yonkersbrewing.com
Five-minute walk from Port Chester Train Station
The anomaly of this list is Coals. Sure, they’re known for their grilled pizza and wings, but they know that those two things plus beer is the perfect marriage. Their draft list isn’t huge (plenty more available in bottles) but they get in some quality stuff and they’re always sure to fit local breweries into the tap rotation. A good option here is a draft flight of four ($9). Coals also keeps an up-to-date draft, bottles, and featured beers list on Beer Menus.
35 N Main St
Port Chester
(914) 305-3220
www.coalspizza.com
Six-minute walk from South Norwalk Train Station
Formerly The Ginger Man, Cask Republic (same restaurant group, Skal) is renovated, revamped and better than ever. The tap list went down from 52 to 35, but Cask promises to get more rare and more sought-after brews and they change the beer lineup a few times per week. What’d they do with those extra taps? They’ve added wine on tap and hand crafted cocktails, also on tap. The upscale pub grub is worth staying for and be on the lookout for their beer dinners.
99 Washington St
South Norwalk
(203) 354-0163
www.caskrepublic.com
Two-minute walk from Tuckahoe Train Station
Named by Westchester Magazine as one of the 31 best bars in Westchester, Growlers is known for its massive and varied beer selection. With trivia night on Tuesdays, music bingo on Wednesdays, brewery nights and kill-the-keg nights on alternating Thursdays, and live music on Saturdays, there’s always a good time to be had.
25 Main St
Tuckahoe
(914) 793-0608
www.growlersbeerbistro.com
