Tag Archives: CATSKILL NY

SUBVERSIVE MALTING & BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Opened February 2020 in an inconspicuous overhead-doored gray brick mechanic’s garage, SUBVERSIVE MALTING & BREWING is a nifty New York farmhouse nanobrewery in the town of Catskill. A rickety black foil sign leads patrons to the grain silo-sided pub house.

Crafting “simple and expressive” beers appealing to a wide range of people’s palates, Subversive takes its farm-to-table motto seriously.

Rustic cafe benches and a cozy couched section front the parlor-styled plank wood bar (cornered by two TV’s). Brew tanks are staged at the rear alongside a small canning area. As a malt house, Subversive utilizes floor-germinated roasted malts made from locally sourced grains.

Wine, hard cider and cocktails were available as well as burgers, sandwiches and salads.

It’s noontime in 105-degree weather as I sink five Subversive suds at one of the stone-grounded black picnic table under the covered deck on my late July ’25 trip. Unfortunately, they were out of flagship, Tiny Glasses Kolsch.

“Pillowy Euro pils,” Puff Puff, a light-bodied softie, left fizzy lemon upon its sweet-spiced floral hops and mild herbal tinge above bread-crusted cereal graining.

Year-round hazy India Pale Ale, NY Nectar, stayed soft on the tongue as well, letting yellow grapefruit and orange rind bittering delicately graze subtle spicing, light pining and grassy hop astringency.

Offbeat dry-hopped West Coast IPA, Verdant Voyage, let dank pine and nutty rye redirect pineapple-guava tartness plus wispy papaya-pineapple tanginess above mild pilsner malting.

Classic farmhouse ale, Subversive Saison, stayed easygoing as orange-bruised lemon meringue and dried plantain retained candi-sugared coating.

Smoothly creamed nitro stout, Dark Harvest, placed roasted coffee next to Cocoa Puffs chocolate malting, creamy eclair fluff and dewy earthiness.

CROSSROADS BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Crossroads Brewing Company: Beer Flights at the Catskill Taproom — Brooklyn DoubleWide

CATSKILL, NEW YORK

Among a host of old red brick warehouses alongside the Catskill Creek, the second CROSSROADS BREWING COMPANY opened for biz October 2017. Inside a gray metal cross-barred printing facility five miles south of the original 7-barrel Brewpub in Athens, this neo-mod Industrial tavern is right down the road from historic Main Street.

The black-lettered Crossroads Brewing Company insignia spreads across the angled roof and an overhead door leads to the right side beer-barreled picnic area (featuring great views of the riverbank). Inside, an aluminum top bar with reclaimed wood siding complements the aluminum-chaired wood tables.

A huge glass-enclosed brewing operation with tanks heading towards the high ceiling delivers the liquid goods to the gray-walled bar where several caged Edison lights and two side TV’s fill out the spare space.

On my January ’23 afternoon trip returning home to Jersey from Cooperstown, Crossroads had five previously untried beers I imbibed with the wife.

Crossroads Brewing Company | New York by Rail

Bruised lemon fizziness hit the nose for Green Fees German Pilsner, receiving sweetish green-peppered spicing, mild dried maize starching and slight Noble-hopped herbal pungency.

Spiced red apple and pear dappled across the dry hop astringency of Brick Row Amber Ale, picking up mild caramelized barley sweetness neutralized by its papery cardboard edge.

Sticky pine comb sapped embittered the yellow grapefruit-peeled pineapple zing and spicy orange tang of conventional West Coast IPA, Outrage.

Zesty tropical fruited NEIPA, Spare Parts, sprayed lemon juice on yogurt-soured gooseberry and guava tartness, salty mango tanginess and spicy pale malts given recessive piney hop resin.

The ‘smaller’ Spare Parts Junior, a hazy pale ale variant, prompted lemony green grape esters and mild grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering to settle above sugar-spiced pale malts.