LIFE

VIDEO: Craft beer fest invokes brewer Matthew Vassar

Geoffrey Wilson
Poughkeepsie Journal
J. Tracy Hermann, City of Poughkeepsie councilmember, dressed at Matthew Vassar, and J. Andrew Burgreen, executive director at the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center, announce the raffle winners at the Vassar Street Brew Fest.

Before the modern craft beer movement took root in the mid-Hudson Valley, there was Matthew Vassar.

Indeed, before Vassar founded his college, the man was a spirited brewer, crafting ales and heading one of the country's largest breweries centuries before local beer would surge in popularity.

"He was really a guy ahead of his time — there's no doubt about that," said Virginia Hancock, president of the board of directors at the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center.

Portrait of Matthew Vassar, founder of Vassar College, at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College in the Town of Poughkeepsie.

And the second annual Vassar Street Brew Fest, organized by the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center, paid tribute to this local legacy.

With production peaking at 30,000 barrels per year, Vassar's brewery specialized in making ale.

"It was a much more hoppy drink than what people are used to today," Hancock said.

Though Vassar's brewery closed long before the modern craft beer revolution, Matthew Vassar's influence still exists in the mid-Hudson Valley. Mill House Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie crafted a beer after Vassar's traditional ale: the Albany Ale XX.

The beer was created using local ingredients to emulate the style of ale Vassar brewed. While not currently on tap, Nicholas Paonessa, brand ambassador and brewer's assistant at Mill House Brewing Company, said the brewery plans to bring Albany Ale XX back in the future.

Norman Robson, of Hopewell Junction, Joanne Robson, of Hopewell Junction, and John Griesemer, of Salt Point, try the Queen City Cream Ale from Mill House Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie.

Andrew Burns, a bartender at Hyde Park Brewing Company, said the festival gave attendees a chance to appreciate truly local products.

"I think it's important in terms of spreading the word on craft beer," Burns said.

Breweries and businesses at the festival included Gilded Otter from New Paltz, Mill House Brewing Company, Schatzi’s Pub and Beer Garden of Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park Brewing Company, Yankee Folly Cider in New Paltz, Blue Collar Brewery in Poughkeepsie and Take 5 Deli in Poughkeepsie.

As a fan of craft beer festivals, 62-year-old John Griesemer, of Salt Point, said the Vassar Street Brew Fest stood out as a more personal event focusing on more mid-Hudson region products.

"To me, it's the intimate nature and its ties to the revitalization of the City of Poughkeepsie that sets (the Vassar Street Brew Fest) apart for me," Griesemer said.

The festival also offered visitors a chance to learn about the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center and tour the buildings.

The Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center at 12 Vassar St., the former site of Matthew Vassar's brewery.

As executive director of the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center, J. Andrew Burgreen said it was vital to keep the history alive, especially as these traditions reemerge in the public eye, as with craft brewing.

"That's what we're trying to do, keep that tradition going," Burgreen said.

Geoffrey Wilson: gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4882, Twitter: @PoJoGeoffWilson

Online

For video from the Vassar Street Brew Fest, visit PoughkeepsieJournal.com.