Pennings’ Brew Fest grows in its second year

WARWICK — In its second year of hosting the Brew Fest on the Farm, Pennings Orchard & Farm Market nearly doubled the size of the festival.

“We went from 12 to 21 breweries participating,” bar manager and event coordinator Kaitlyn LeLoup said. “I sent out a personal invitation to all of the breweries.”

To help with the flow of that growth, Florida’s Chumley’s BBQ was on hand to feed the patrons rotisserie chicken, ribs and Pennings’ own sweet corn.

Many of the breweries present were local to the Warwick area, to the delight of Steve Pennings Jr. “It’s just awesome to see how the industry has grown in recent years,” he said. “Breweries are getting closer and closer to us.”

Rushing Duck, Chester
Chester’s Rushing Duck Brewery was one such local option, unveiling its newest beer for the event — Naysayer Pennings, a pale ale brewed entirely with Pennings-grown whole-flower hops. The beer was so new that even the Pennings’ family and brewery representatives hadn’t had a chance to try it before the public.

“It’s a little more English tasting” than Rushing Duck’s normal pale ale, pourer Tony Minerva said, after he tasted.

Using locally grown hops, which impart a less-aggressive hop flavor than the brewery’s typical West Coast variety, makes for an easier drinking beer. Festival participants agreed, voting Rushing Duck Brewery the People’s Choice Award winner for the festival.

“As soon as we say it’s grown on the farm , people jump at it,” Minerva said.

Newburgh Brewing
Also featured at the event was the Newburgh Brewing Company, which finished third in the People’s Choice Award standings thanks, in part, to its brown ale. Part-owner Charlie Benedetti and his wife, Mary Ellen, worked the taps at the 16-month-old brewery’s table.

“So far, so good,” Charlie Benedetti said of the business. “We’ve got a tap room that’s open to the public and distribute to 28 counties in New York State.”

While the brown ale is one of their four year-round options, the brewery just finished brewing its 22nd variety beer.

“We try to come out with a new beer every six weeks and we always try to use a local ingredient,” he added.

Brewing goes back to its roots
Jessica Boehm, a North Jersey resident and beer festival regular, said the Brew Fest on the Farm was “definitely top five” compared to the dozens of festivals she’s been to in the last two years. The differences, she said, were the selection of breweries, the fact that breweries were allowed to bring their specialty beers (which are usually verboten at festivals due to their higher alcohol content) “and the amazing barbecue.”

Warwick resident and longtime beer enthusiast Nick Reynolds is happy to see the beer market expanding with these local selections.

“It’s going back to the way it used to be,” he said, noting that drinkers again have a choice of several local breweries instead of being forced to choose from central, homogenized options. “The quality is so much better.”

One trend that is new to the business is cooperation among nearby breweries, according to Kingston’s Keegan Ales’ sales manager Mike Wojcik, who took home second-place honors in People’s Choice Award voting.

“The best part of this industry is playing nice,” he said. “It’s synergy, not competition.”

Craft brewers are sharing ingredients, recipes and ideas to promote the local cause.

“The more the Hudson Valley gets recognized,” he added, “the more we can become like the West Coast.”

By Scott Baker