Over the past 10 years or so, Westchester’s craft beer scene has exploded. Where once the options were few and far between when it came to a locally brewed pint, the thriving industry has given rise to hop houses and taprooms from Yonkers all the way up to Peekskill. If you’re cruising for a new quaff or perfectly paired pub grub, here are the Westchester-based breweries you should be seeking out.
Alternative Medicine Brewing Co.
29 Elm Ave, Ste 1A, Mt Vernon; 914.530.3269
Year Founded: 2021
Longtime home brewer Jordan Hahn (a software network engineer) teamed up with his buddy Tom Ryan (an audio engineer) to open Alt Med Brewing simply because they wanted to. Located directly across the street from Mount Vernon East’s Metro-North stop in what used to be a manufacturing company in the early 1900s, now renovated by the two friends, the dark, but cozy subterranean space features Hahn’s recipes scaled up for beer geeks to enjoy much like all his friends and family did, hence giving him the courage to open a brewery.
Flagship Beers: Charlatan, a crisp, bright, easy-drinking brew with smoke and scotch and Juice Cleanse, a hoppy, tropical, hazy New England-style IPA are both usually in heavy rotation on the lines.
Food: Although the brewery welcomes BYOF, Caribbean Soul Food Delight serves up daily specials. For a lighter snack, go for the small batches of popcorn with the option of adding flavors, flavored pretzels, and beef jerky. There are also sliders and spicy pickle salads from New Rochelle’s AJ’s Burgers at the bar.
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Broken Bow Brewery
173 Marbledale Rd, Tuckahoe; 914.268.0900
Year Founded: 2013
A homebrewing hobby that started in Michael LaMothe’s family home in Bedford Hills turned into a career and family affair with his parents and sisters helping him run the day-to-day operations. Inside this former tile factory, you’ll find lots of repurposed nuances from the building’s previous occupant. When the weather calls for it, venture outside with your pint for a little fresh air and cornhole.
Flagship Beers: Grooving on a chocolatey, coffee-laden Broken Heart Stout is a proper move. The Mexican-style lager also takes the cake.
Food: There are snacks in the taproom, so feel free to bring your own food or have a meal delivered from nearby restaurants. Leila’s Empanadas, The Steak Truck, and Latusion have made regular appearances, so keep an eye on the website for food truck guests.
Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
444 Saw Mill River Rd, Elmsford; 914.741.2337
369 Lexington Ave, Mt Kisco; 845.261.3279
Year Founded: 2006
Captain Lawrence wasn’t always a brewery. Before that, he was Samuel Lawrence, a Westchester County militia captain during the American Revolution. Of course, it’s also a street in South Salem where founder and head brewer Scott Vaccaro grew up. When the brewery opened in Pleasantville, Captain Lawrence was the only Westchester brewery and, in 2011, it moved its operation to Elmsford and doubled production and overall space, making it one of the largest breweries in the Hudson Valley. Whether you’re enjoying Belgian-inspired brews with a New York twist in a lively taproom or outside on the patio (with bocce ball and cornhole), expect an often-busy scene that’s great for group gatherings and many special events. Captain Lawrence has its Mount Kisco spinoff named the “Barrel House,” where patrons can get their fill of many different drafts and similar food to that of the main brewery.
Flagship Beers: Freshchester Pale Ale, a light drinking, slightly hoppy brew is the original, but anything barrel-aged or puckeringly sour shouldn’t be passed up.
Food: Captain Lawrence’s kitchen is centered on pub grub like pretzels with beer cheese, two fried chicken sandwiches (one is Nashville hot), wings, two burgers, mac and cheese, and a summer ahi tuna poke bowl. Pizza is a highlight, too, with 10 different pies to choose from and chef specials.
Related: Grab a Drink at These Rooftop Bars and Eateries Around Westchester
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Marlowe Artisanal Ales
139 Hoyt Ave, Mamaroneck; 914.412.0016
Year Founded: 2023
Since its inception, the goal for Marlowe’s was to create a community-centric brewery and kitchen. Owner Zac was the head brewer for 20-30 different brands before a opportunity to start a small pub in Nyack knocked on his door. When that partnership wasn’t fulfilling, the brewery made the move across the Hudson and relaunched its operations in Mamaroneck. They set up shop in the old Decadent Ales space and currently host events in their taproom including trivia every Wednesday night.
Marlow is the name of Zac’s late grandfather and the breweries logo is his signature taken from the piece of music he composed for Zac’s parents wedding.
Flagship Beers: Marlow Lite-ish is an easy-sipping American lager.
Food: This Mamaroneck brewery won the 2024 Best of Westchester for brewery food. Needless to say, their menu is unmatched. Whether you’re opting for the Nickel Pickle dip served alongside house-fried tortilla chips or the Chipotle Burger made with Koji aged house-ground beef, make sure to wrap up the evening with the ricotta doughnut holes.
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River Outpost Brewing Co.
5 John Walsh Blvd, Peekskill; 914.788.4555
Year Founded: 2018
Located inside the Factoria at Charles Point, this collaborative venture comes to the table courtesy of Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.’s founder Scott Vaccaro, along with local developers Louie Lanza and John Sharp. But there’s more than just a brewery; Factoria houses an entertainment space called Spins Hudson with a ropes course, laser tag, shuffleboard, and an arcade, as well as a private event space, and Fin & Brew, a full-service New American restaurant.
Flagship Beers: There’s no real flagship, but River Outpost has a variety of styles on tap from light lagers and pilsners to hoppy IPAs.
Food: River Outpost serves a wide selection of food options. For starters, a raw bar stocked with a selection of East and West coast oysters, littleneck clams, and gulf shrimp cocktail is available for seafood lovers. Outpost classics include shareable snacks like mozzarella sticks, popcorn shrimp, Irish nachos, and pretzel bites. The venue also offers a range of barbecue and pizzas.
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Run & Hide Brewing Co.
223 Westchester Ave, Fl 1, Port Chester; 914.305.1352
Year Founded: 2020; Brewery opened in 2022
Named after an old Prohibition term, Run & Hide Brewing Co. comes to Port Chester by beer aficionado Tim Shanley, who you might know from his time at Coals Pizza in Bronxville. A proud New Yorker who says, “I’ve never left [New York] and never will leave,” brings a much-needed influx of something new and exciting to the village with delicious drafts that range from an Italian pilsner to no-lactose double IPAs and a bright, floral quaff in Fuque de French, a farmhouse saison.
Flagship Beers: There are two! Stick With Grandma is a crushable Italian pilsner and Larry’s Liquid Love is a smooth double IPA, minus any lactose, that’s a nice balance of tropically juicy and dank.
Food: There’s no kitchen at R&H, but they’re doing salads, cold-cut sandwiches, and Italian/Spanish tapas bites like olives, cured meats, and cheeses.
Simple Motive Brewing Co.
222 Lake Ave, Yonkers; 914.968.1406
Year Founded: 2023
After six years of planning and various obstacles delaying the process, Simple Motive Brewing Co. opened its doors in June 2023. The brewery, which resides in a historic building, is the perfect hangout spot to go to with friends. You can engage in a night of trivia with a crisp brew in hand while listening to live music.
Flagship Beer: A Kölsch-style ale, Lake takes the cake with white grape, lemongrass, and cracker tasting notes.
Food: There are local food options that customers are welcome to bring inside to eat.
Sing Sing Kill Brewery
75 Spring St, Ossining; 914.502.0577
Year Founded: 2018
With a tagline like, “It’s water, not murder,” Ossining residents Eric Gearity and Matt Curtin are referring to the Sing Sing Kill Creek, not Sing Sing Correctional Facility. They hope to change the perception of a place that’s infamous for its prison and be a part of the village’s revitalization. This local haunt features Curtin’s homebrew recipes with an emphasis on being 100% local, so every malt, grain, and hop they brew with is from New York.
Flagship Beers: Singularity is a single malt and single hop brewed with 100% sail freighted grains. This pour is a throwback to West Coast IPAs of old upstate NY and Cascade hops.
Food: Look for small stuff like hot dogs, Papa’s Best Batch Nuts (they’re excellent, btw), Hal’s Potato Chips, and fresh-baked pretzels made by First Village Bakery.
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Soul Brewing
41 Wheeler Ave, Pleasantville; 914.800.7685
Year Founded: 2020
Founder and brewmaster Allen Wallace wanted to create a small community gathering space and, when combined with his love of beer that he discovered while traveling in Belgium and Germany, opening a microbrewery in Pleasantville was a no-brainer. Given his inspiration, it should be no shock to find light Belgian-style witbiers and German-inspired toasty, hop-spicy maibocks among a list that also includes fruited sours, a chocolate milk porter, IPAs, and easy-drinking lagers.
Flagship Beers: Anything brewed in the German or Belgian style is what you covet. Go for the maibocks, pilsners, ales, wits, and strong ales.
Food: Soul’s grub selection is all about supporting local, so they’ve partnered with nearby Sundance Deli to offer empanadas (beef, chicken, and buffalo chicken). Additionally, Bavarian pretzels (either with mustard or beer cheese made by Second Mouse with Soul Brewing beer) come to the taproom via Ossining’s First Village Coffee and, if you’re just snacking, there’s the vegan, Hudson Valley-produced BjornQorn to eat by the fistful.
Wolf & Warrior Brewing Company
195A E Post Rd, White Plains; 914.368.8617
Year Founded: 2019
Former television producer and decorated home brewer Michael Chiltern named Wolf & Warrior after his two sons, Vuk (means “wolf” in Serbian) and Branko (translated to “defender,” but adapted to warrior). The taproom is a chill vibe with an IPA-heavy beer list — including hazy juice bombs and imperial IPAs — that’ll keep the hopheads happy and makes this a hotspot beer haven for the foreseeable future.
Flagship Beer: The Mission is a West Coast, East Coast IPA made for the heady-topper-like moment from the first sip. The brew boasts an amber-colored, piney, hoppy balance.
Food: The menu refresh is more beer-friendly than before as they’ve added mouthwatering birria tacos, wings, four different burgers, hand-cut fries, and three sandwiches in the form of a Cubano, a chicken sandwich coated in spicy IPA buffalo sauce, and a cheesesteak.
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Yonkers Brewing Co.
92 Main St, Yonkers; 914.226.8327
Year Founded: 2015
When Yonkers Brewing first started out, they contract brewed out of Thomas Hooker in upstate Connecticut, but they needed community support from a Kickstarter campaign. The result was a success, over $40,000 worth, and it helped bring to fruition a brewery to Westchester’s only existing trolley barn on the Yonkers waterfront, right by the Metro-North station, making it ideal for a post-work thirst quenching session.
Flagship Beer: The 914 has been around since YBC’s inception. It’s an easy-drinking, true-to-the-style Vienna lager that’s malty and sweet.
Food: Go for the wings, parmesan-dusted blistered Brussels sprouts, Bavarian pretzels, ribeye, and lots of handhelds like tacos, quesadillas, and sandwiches.
