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The pass to fill your glass is officially here! Our Dutchess Tourism Taste Finder is a mobile passport that delivers perks at more than a dozen craft beverage hotspots across the county. Enjoy flights at breweries, embark on guided tastings at distilleries, sip vino at wineries, try ciders from heirloom apples and experience the magic of mead.
Select a 1-day, 3-day, or 90-day pass and save up to 77%. Don’t forget to capture and share your experiences on social media using #CheersDutchess! To get your Taste Finder passport, click here.
Curious about the experience? Continue reading for what to expect at each location and to plan your own craft beverage tour of the Hudson Valley.
This family-friendly stop in Staatsburg features food trucks, live music and cute farm animals. Black Snake Brewing Company is a female-led craft beverage operation. An onsite hopyard fuels beers that showcase the one-of-a-kind terroir of the Hudson Valley. Discover refreshing red ales, cream ales and wheat beers, as your Taste Finder pass permits you to select any pint on tap.
Thirsty for spirits with local ingredients? Branchwater Farms Distillery in Milan utilizes regenerative farming practices to put back as much into the land as they take from it—heritage corn, wheat and other ingredients for a triple-distilled gin and flavorful fruit brandies. Plus, onsite well water provides a beautiful texture and mouthfeel. With a Taste Finder passport, visitors to this pastoral destination receive a tasting of two spirits and one cider. What will you try?
Searching for bucolic craft beverage destinations? Look no further than Poughkeepsie’s Plan Bee Farm Brewery. This husband-and-wife team crafts wild farmhouse ales, sours and saisons from 100% New York State ingredients—including fruits, vegetables, hops and honey produced onsite. When visitors check into the 1800s barn-tasting room, they receive two draft half-pours. The Watsons constantly experiment with ingredients grown on nearby farms, so depending on when you visit you might encounter ales brewed with anything from strawberries and peaches to peppers or pickles.
Visit another highlight of the local beer scene—Zeus Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie—for delicious pizza, rooftop views of the Hudson River and more. Sip your way through the Zeus tap list with a flight (courtesy of your Taste Finder passport.) Pilsners, coffee milk stouts, brown ales, Belgians and NEIPAs round out their assortment of styles. To make a reservation for their iconic rooftop bar, click here.
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Have you tried mead before? Your Dutchess Tourism Taste Finder passport grants a tasting flight of the honey-based beverage at Slate Point Meadery in Poughkeepsie. This modern meadery creates light, refreshing libations with an assortment of unique ingredients. Previous meads have featured such fascinating flavors as jasmine green tea, coffee blossom honey, black currants, raspberries and more. To learn more about this distinctly Hudson Valley approach to mead, click here.
The Hudson Valley’s emerging reputation as a producer of whiskeys, bourbons and ryes makes Dutchess County a must-visit destination for fans of the brown stuff. Taconic Distillery has a vast tasting room with rustic charm, as well as outdoor seating seasonally. Taste three of their spirits when you check in with your Taste Finder passport. Plus, every pass holder goes home with a free Glencairn whiskey glass—another must for aficionados. Natural spring water from the Stanfordville property and other New York State ingredients result in spirits not found anywhere else in the world. Highlights of their repertoire include the Dutchess Private Reserve bourbon, Founder’s Rye Whiskey and the Double Barrel Maple Bourbon Whiskey.
Strolling through a charming vineyard on a pristine day is an iconic Hudson Valley experience. Plan to visit one of Dutchess County’s premiere wineries, Millbrook Vineyards and Winery. After wandering around their breathtaking property, use your Taste Finder passport to enjoy a portfolio wine tasting. This menu changes on a monthly basis, and can be reserved in the tasting room inside on weekdays or under the wine tasting tent outside on weekends. Guided tastings highlight six styles of vino. Chardonnay, Tocai Friulano and Grüner Vetliner round out a few of the popular white wines, while a few renowned reds include their Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Surrounded by quaint horse farms and panoramic views of verdant hills, the tasting room at Shady Knoll Orchards & Distillery is a one-of-a-kind experience. Make an appointment for your visit, as the Dutchess Tourism Taste Finder unlocks both a guided tasting and a family farm distillery tour. If you’re interested in agriculture and the distilling process, this tour is can’t miss. Plus, Shady Knoll’s spirits are imbued with the essence of the region itself. The small team makes brandy and Pommeau from apples grown onsite, continuing a tradition started by the Hudson Valley’s earliest European pioneers. Plus, try their award-winning rye whiskey for another example of grain-to-glass excellence.
Head to Beacon’s Industrial Arts Brewing Company for two 10oz draft pours of your choice—and there’s plenty to choose from in this sleek, vibrant space. Situated in an abandoned factory, Industrial Arts produces a variety of beer. However, they’re most known for aromatic hazy IPAs in their Wrench lineup. Pale ales, lagers, amber ales and other styles are also available. Enjoy your selection on a patio for breathtaking views of the Hudson Highlands mountain range.
Use your Taste Finder passport to sample a flight of New England style IPAs at Sloop Brewing Co. in East Fishkill. This industrial setting produces Juice Bomb, a bright, citrusy NEIPA that’s garnered national popularity. Of course, Sloop Brewing also produces sours, stouts, pilsners and other creative beers. Select four to try with the pass, then stay for oven-fired pizzas, bowls, burgers and other inventive pub nosh.
Ready to sip your way through orchard-fresh ciders? Passport check-ins at Treasury Cider grant a tasting flight. Fishkill Farms grows over 100 apple varieties, resulting in a myriad of flavors and cider styles. Everything is grown, harvested, fermented and bottled onsite. Traditional methods converge with modern techniques, best demonstrated through their flagship Homestead cider—which blends cider and dessert apples with a touch of quince for a delightful semi-dry sip. For more information on their cider offerings, click here.
Visit Denning’s Point Distillery for bourbons, gins, brandies, vodkas and many other Hudson Valley spirits. Nestled in a 19th century building just off Main St Beacon, Denning’s Point offers a curated flight of their products to Taste Finder passport holders. Discover their atmospheric production space and tasting room, along with an array of creative cocktails highlighting the best characteristics of their spirits. Be sure to sample their honey-infused Maid of the Meadow vodka as a part of your tasting flight.
For more information and to purchase your Dutchess Tourism Taste Finder passport, click here.
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