Co-owner Keith Berardi paraphrases Donnie and Marie Osmond when describing The Peekskill Brewery: “The bar is a little bit rock ‘n roll, the dining room is a little bit country.” Indeed, there are two faces of The Peekskill Brewery, separated by a long hallway: an elegant New American restaurant and a buzzing brewpub.
The casual dining room features a seasonal menu that changes every two months. Current standouts include an appetizer of braised pork belly slow-cooked in dark beer ($9), and an entrée of ginger-glazed grilled Atlantic salmon with wild rice and roasted fennel salad ($21). A few tables are placed outdoors during the warmer months. The dining room offers a prix-fixe menu of three courses for $25, or three courses plus three matching beers for $35.
Walk down the hall and enter beer lovers’ heaven, a brewpub with around 100 types of bottled beer and 16 taps. On tap: American craft beers (“no imports”), including local brews from Defiant, Captain Lawrence, and Southampton, and The Peekskill Brewery’s own Paramount Pale Ale, Hop Common, Bourbon Stout, and Yeah Peaches infused with French white peaches, which are seasonal.
The brewpub takes the rest of its libations seriously as well, serving up American boutique wines, cocktails with freshly squeezed juices, and signature drinks like the Peekskill Perfect Martini. It also has its own bar menu of burgers, chicken fingers, wings, and hand-cut French fries.
During the day, the brewpub and its scenic river setting draw a mixed crowd of predominantly local blue-collar workers. White-collar patrons getting off the train begin to arrive for happy hour, from 4 pm to 7 pm. By 11 pm, Berardi says, the customer base transforms from 40- and 50-somethings to 20-somethings who kick up the energy level (and music level on the jukebox) and set the stage for an active singles scene.
Beginning in October, The Peekskill Brewery will offer Cask Nights on the first Monday of every month, at which customers can sample beers directly from the cask. On Saturday, October 10, the Brewery will hold a “First Birthday Party,” shutting down Railroad Avenue and filling the street with live music, food, and a beer garden.
As evidenced by its special events, menu homages to Peekskill, and black-and-white historical photographs dotting the walls, the town plays an important role in the brewery’s identity.
The Peekskill Brewery
55 Hudson Ave
Peekskill
9147342337
