Hudson Valley Brewery launches Beacon tasting room

It wasn't uncommon for folks to wander into the warehouse on Beacon's East Main Street, the buzz of a new brewery attracting inquisitive minds.

Each time, John-Anthony Gargiulo, founder and president of Hudson Valley Brewery, would turn them away. There was work to be done and beer to make.

"When the brewery's rocking and rolling, steam's shooting out, water's sloshing around and the machines are making all sorts of noise, it really does feel like a surreal Willy Wonka factory," Gargiulo said.

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But this weekend, craft beer aficionados can see what's been brewing at Hudson Valley Brewery with the launch of its tasting room.

The launch is a long time coming, with anticipation building since Gargiulo purchased the Beacon property in Aug. 2015. The site features the 1970s block warehouse and a brick factory building dating back to the 19th century. And, the $3 million renovation project is far from complete. Gargiulo plans to add seating and ultimately expand to include an eatery.

With the tasting room, thirsty patrons will be able to try the brewery's five beers, such as Soleil, a sour farmhouse ale aged in oak wine barrels and conditioned on pineapple and marigold flowers, or Forever Overhead, a sour India pale brewed with wheat and hopped with Citra and Simcoe.

"For us, the motivation is experimentation," Gargiulo said. "Playing with different hop temperatures and bacteria, aging beer in wooden wine barrels. We're not making the same thing over and over. Even with the same beer, each brew has certain nuances."

Even before the tasting room's launch, Hudson Valley Brewery established itself with its experimental sour beers. First We Feast, Complex Media's food culture site, listed the brewery as one of 10 across the country primed to break out in 2017.

The project fell within its $3 million budget, according to Gargiulo. The brewery received a $450,000 grant from the state in 2015, but Gargiulo declined to comment on what was used from the grant.

Construction and renovation focused on the warehouse in order to establish the 30-barrel brewery and a temporary tasting room within the building, Gargiulo said. Hudson Valley Brewery starting producing beer a couple months ago, with more than two-thirds of its accounts in New York City and about 40 accounts throughout the Hudson Valley.

"Before we could open the tasting room, we needed to build repertoire," Gargiulo said. "We needed a full lineup of beer, package ourselves for wholesale and get our name into the community."

With the tasting room, the 2,000 square-foot space will feature no seating to encourage guests to explore the brewery. It will feature Hudson Valley Brewery beer, as well as brews from Suarez Family Brewery in Hudson.

The site is still a work in progress, Gargiulo said.

"Over the coming weeks, we will plan to add seating, different lighting and make other changes," Gargiulo said. "Eventually we want to convert the brick factory to be a full dining and entertainment area."

The brewery will be open 5-10 p.m. Friday and 2-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 7 E. Main St. in the City of Beacon.

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