On tap at Ambulance, smooth German-styled kellerbier (a matured cellar-aged pale lager) brings musky grain malting to dryly peppered Saaz hop spicing, picking up mild lemon rot bittering. Easygoing straightforward moderation.
SAUREZ FAMILY BREWERY
LIVINGSTON, NEW YORK
Originally inside an old freestanding red brick building just south of the town of Hudson on the rural back roads off Route 287, Livingston’s SAUREZ FAMILY BREWERY crafts some of the East Coast’s finest lagers, pale ales and saisons since opening June ’16. During 2024, Saurez Family built a new taproom behind the old brick edifice, increased production and began bottling-canning.
A sterling mom-and-pop operation, Saurez Family create adventurous foraged farmhouse recipes alongside mixed fermented ales and unfiltered lagers. Its new barroom digs include a lacquered pine top bar (with large mirrored barback), olden wood floor, soft-toned blue walls, community tables and six-chaired tables.
Its former space, a large white room setting, featured three massive store front windows, five community tables, wall-bound art deco and high ceilings, creating grandiose splendor from simple auspices.
Former Hill Farmstead brewer, Dan Saurez, not only crafts wholly approachable, crisp, clean and brisk brews, but each of the four previously untried brews I quaff on this sunny Sunday afternoon, December ’17, maintained an uncompromising originality and majestic aura.
First up, hoppy spelt-grained pale ale, Homespun, aligned tangy grapefruit, lemon and orange juicing with vinous green grape tartness in a fresh mineral-watered setting that gained straw-dried astringency.
Next, splendid wheat pale ale, Crispy Little, brought zesty lemon, grapefruit, orange, pineapple and peach tanginess to perfume-spiced hops and oats-dried wheat cracker malts, gaining the slightest vinous grape perk.
Countryside farmhouse pale ale, Big Night Saison, let subtle brettanomyces funk affect vinous green grape tartness as well as lemony white peach, pineapple and mango subtleties plus lemongrass-peppercorn snips to its grassy barnyard bottom.
Arguably the best selection in a fine field, Bandwidth, a highly approachable pale ale, plied sweet orange-tangerine-peach tanginess, zesty lemon spritz and mildly creamed cotton-candied sugar malts to grassy hop resin.
Upon muggy July ’25 revisit, wife and I quaffed a few at one of the four community tables under the baroque gated cement-floored porch then brought some more home (reviewed in Beer Index).
Dry lemon-soured sumac tanginess briskly centered Backroads Sumac Country, a rustic farmhouse ale with vinous green grape tannins, bitter orange zesting and salty botanical licks soaking up oaken spruce tipped minting.
Summertime hoppy blonde ale, Walk Don’t Run, let mild lemon musk, strawberry rhubarb tartness and white grape esters slip inside tealeafed cilantro-sage herbage in grassy hop setting.
www.suarezfamilybrewery.com
SLOOP BREWING COMPANY (2011-2018)
ELIZAVILLE, NEW YORK
A true backyard farmhouse brewery in the agrarian community of Hudson Valley hamlet, Elizaville, SLOOP BREWING COMPANY has gained a solid reputation since its modest 2011 auspices (becoming a mega microbrewery in 2018).
Founders Adam Watson and (brewmaster) Justin Taylor began operations while maintaining day jobs and expanded to a full-sized microbrewery soon after.
Specializing in India Pale Ales and a few sours, Sloop’s fare retains a clean mineral-watered crisping that’s conducive to making real fine East Coast IPA’s.
Inside a gray 19th century barn house on the 134-acre Vosburgh Orchards, Sloop features a farmstand with local goods to complement its sturdily fine brews.
Olden lights decorate the centralized serving station (with its lacquered tree bark top and white-lettered wood-planked Sloop Brewing sign adding antique splendor). The 10-draught back bar also includes various wood plaques listing each proprietary beer.
A bigger second Sloop spot in Fishkill is due to open, April 2018.
“Classy” Rosé IPA let delicate rosé whims caress wispy Malbec red wine juicing and vinous green grape tannins as dry Nelson Sauvin hops brought latent tropical tones.
Closer to a pale ale, Segal Bomb IPA regaled a light citrus fruiting and mild candied spicing as herbal hops left oily foliage on tertiary mango-papaya-pineapple tropicalia.
Daintily delectable Super Soft IPA (with its Teddy Bear-rainbowed insignia providing visual pleasure) relied on tangy grapefruit, peach, mango, pineapple, orange and tangerine salience, light dry wood tones, subtle hemp-oiled hop musk and gentle spicing.
Spicier (No) Santa IPA retained a well-balanced citric hop briskness and refreshingly crisp grapefruit, tangerine and orange tang. Like most Sloop brews, it’s totally smooth and never over-the-top.
www.sloopbrewing.com
BURIAL ROSARY EXPORT STOUT AGED IN BRANDY BARRELS
On tap at Ambulance, light apple brandy wining nudges dark chocolate fudging and mild wood char. Distant cherry, plum and date illusions barely touch the serene brandied mocha surface.
BURIAL S’MOORHAMMER IMPERIAL MILK STOUT
On tap at Ambulance, rich chocolate milk-doused stout imitates S’mores dessert with its Graham Cracker-honeyed marshmallow fluff gaining brown-sugared molasses snip. Fudgy chocolate syruping coats tertiary cacao nibs, vanilla, cinnamon and anise illusions.
BURIAL SKULLSAW SWEET POTATO PORTER
On tap at Ambulance, minimal sweet potato influence upended by dark chocolate chalking and burgundy grape tartness. Light earthen musk underlines modest chocolate-caked sweet potato smear.
BURIAL REAPER OAK AGED TRIPEL
On tap at Ambulance, hybridized Trappist-styled tripel seeps raw-honeyed Scotch whiskey dryness (from French oak barrels) into lively citrus spicing and astringent maize snip with underwhelming results.
BURIAL HAWKBILL INDIA PALE ALE
On tap at Ambulance, briskly clean Mosaic-hopped yellow grapefruit and orange rind bittering receives tart lemon spritz while retaining coniferous Simcoe-hopped pining. Dry oats-flaked rye malts and floral-spiced herbage backup tangy citrus-pined finish.
BURIAL WANGIES IMPERIAL RYE CREAM INDIA PALE ALE
On tap at Ambulance, turbid yellow-glazed IPA hybrid (in collaboration with Brooklyn’s Other Half) lets yellow grapefruit tang surface above mild rye-spiced oats and spelt-dried malts as wispy lactic sourness flutters.
BURIAL BONEDAGGER
On tap at Ambulance, exquisite sweet-spiced citrus tang spreads across creamy crystal malt sweetness to contrast dankly resinous Simcoe-hopped lupulin powdering. Sunny Citra-hopped grapefruit and orange peel spritz picks up candied peach-pineapple illusions. For daintier hop-heads.
DOGFISH HEAD OAK-AGED VANILLA WORLD WIDE STOUT
Rich oak-aged vanilla beaned 17% ABV Imperial Stout retains syrupy molasses-sugared chocolate creaminess. Deep vanilla essence receives velvety bourbon licks as well as delicate port, sherry and brandy daubs. Setback dark chocolate fudging picks up gooey anise sway and dried-fruited black cherry, rum raisin and plum undertones. A trusty dessert nightcap with loads of gusto.
SOUTHERN TIER THICK MINT IMPERIAL STOUT
On tap at Curley’s, excellent Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie alternative joins brewers’ classic Crème Brulee, Choklat and Mokah dessert treats as rich, inviting chocolate lovers’ favorites. Junior Mint-like freshness retained as dry Belgian dark chocolate malting and cookie dough sweetness gain syrupy layer above dark-roast hop bittering. Beneath the mocha-minted surface lies mild vanilla, coffee, cappuccino and walnut illusions. Decadent.