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FENCE ROAD FARM BREWERY

United States Brewpubs, ,

WARWICK, NEW YORK

FENCE ROAD FARM BREWERY

I first met brewmeister Charlie Holmgren when his sister and I brought him and his brother to the Bronx Zoo in a stroller. Over a decade later, at age 17, Charlie’d become a local homebrewer 50 yards away from my house in Ramsey, bringing his early zymurgic experience to Suffern’s long-gone Mountain Valley Brewery as brewer assistant soon after.

A decorated award-winning brewer, Charlie now handles operations for FENCE ROAD FARM BREWERY, a mammoth agrarian brewery-meadery-eatery at The Oasis at Warwick (fifty miles northwest of NYC). A 17,000 square-foot farmland with brown aluminum main brewhouse, private event pavilion, wood-benched grasslands, hop farm plus a disc golf pro shop, Fence Road’s Oasis space has many expansion possibilities.

Sharing a love for disc golf, Charlie joined Oasis entrepreneurs, Dan and Zach Doyle, to manage Fence Road’s operations, opening November 2025. Alongside older Orange County breweries such as Tin Barn, Drowned Lands, Glenmere, Rushing Duck, Apex and Aspire, Fence Road features a wide array of high level brewing equipment, pressurized tanks, and now, famed Ale Street News editor Tony Forder’s marvelous meadery.

What sets Fence Road apart is its self-stylized fungiculture, incorporating agriculture, permaculture, socializing, and recreation within the Warwick farmlands it occupies. If you grew up in the ’70s and ’80s like me in the close-by Northern Jersey area, you know damn well these sturdy communal ideals were put forth in the Whole Earth Catalog, an iconic countercultural guidebook.  

A fifteen-seat, aluminum-fronted, black walnut-topped back bar services several four-seaters in the high-ceilinged epoxy-floored main space. There are fancy wood tap handles, hop-designed lights and small searchlights above the bar, creating a certain pastoral barn house rusticity. Wood barrels above the bar contain the multifariously ambitious beer fare readied for pouring right from the source. A fabulous farm-to-table biz, Fence Road’s everchanging pub food menu is equally exquisite. Fried squash blossoms went well with brick-oven pizza.

While my wife and I settle in at noon on a Friday late April ’26, the Allman Brothers classic, “Melissa,” plays in the background, ironic since Holmgren’s parents had parties the band would show up at in the early ’80s.

Flagship Italian-styled dry-hopped pilsner, Funziona, let earthen floral herbage and mossy fungi dusting sink into yellow grapefruit, Meyer lemon and mandarin orange zesting.

Another highly approachable moderation, rustic India Pale Lager, Geyser, splattered musky bergamot orange oil upon white grapefruit bittering and spritzy lemon spicing, gaining fungi-soiled herbal dankness.

Sessionable India Pale Ale, Designated Driver, plied mild grapefruit-peeled orange rind bitterness and grape must esters to buttery pale malting.

Tropical Imperial IPA, Tell You What, stayed soft-toned as lemony orange, grapefruit and pineapple bittering picked up wispy floral pining, retaining a delicate Nelson Sauvin, Citra and Motueka-hopped splendor.

Next, dry-hopped New England IPA, Fearless, coalesced white grapefruit-peeled orange rind bitterness and salted pineapple tanginess with semi-sweet coconut milk, hiding its slight herbal whims.

Zestful passionfruit led the way for Imperial IPA, Passion, tempering misty navel orange and tangerine spurts and champagne-sparkled grapefruit fizziness above raw-honeyed barnyard oats.

On the dark side, dewy Earl Tea-influenced Nermal’s Early Brown Ale, sank lightly soured bergamot orange musk into buttery cocoa-malted cashew, chestnut and macadamia tandem.

Black coffee roast regaled dry breakfast-styled Imperial Stout, Modi, a richly black-malted, hop-charred full body with dark chocolate edges.

An unfinished barleywine allowed dry bourbon-burgundy wining to seep into mildewed date, fig and raisin over earthen floor-grained malts. In the tank was a Belgian lambic blend. Also, there’s a pleasant mead on tap.

A week later, my wife and I again settle in at the bar to try a few meads and a renowned saison.

Zestful farmhouse ale, La Ferme, plied spritzy lemon-candied pineapple and passionfruit to white-peppered chamomile, basil and lemongrass herbage, gaining lightly lingered white grapefruit sway. A briskly tropicalized saison.

As for Tony Forder’s ‘fungricultured’ meads, sessionable champagne-cleared Hoptimead placed pickled homegrown Vista hop shoots in a salty raw-honeyed setting (with coconut-milked Thai herbage).

Soft-toned peach, plum and pear influenced 3P’s, an Easter bread sweetened elixir leaving dainty fruit dusting.

Mild ancho peppering seeped into champagne-sparkled Mango Ginger Chili, picking up lemon-oiled green mango souring.

Tart blackcurrant-paced Pennings Cidery collab, apple-cidered Black Currant, retained cucumber-watered lemon souring.

One of the finest, Oasis Elderblack placated subtle blueberry-powdered blackberry and elderberry tartness with oaken vanilla beans, white grape tannins and gin-soaked botanicals.

DROWNED LANDS BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Drowned Lands, a bucolic brewery, opens at former Warwick prison site

WARWICK, NEW YORK

Inside a refurbished chalet-roofed manor formerly housing a reform school administration, DROWNED LANDS BREWERY opened during 2020 and quickly became one of the area’s most renowned craft beer spots. Perched at the extremely fertile Black Dirt Wallkill region of Warwick, this large farmhouse suds factory’s rustic rural Appalachian-bound confines border Wawayanda Creek on a 700-acre park ninety miles past NYC.

With stiff competition from nearby Chester’s Rushing Duck, Tin Barn and Long Lot Farms to the East, Pine Island and Westtown to the West and  Florida’s Glenmere to the North, Drowned Lands’ solid varietal fare includes a host of recurring, seasonal and one-off farmhouse ales, hoppy IPA’s, sessionable ‘table’ beers and ‘malt forward’ strong ales.

Upon entrance, the high ceiling pub features several tables leading to the elongated wood top serving station and hanging vines line the elegant white walls. Glass-windowed brew tanks are to the right and an umbrella-lined loft deck provides a tree-lined view scape. Beyond the overhead back door lies a covered patio area and an expansive lawn with strewn plastic picnic tables.

Families, friends and travelin’ beer geeks assembled ’round noon on a breezy Saturday, April ’21. My wife, dog and I grab seats on a tilted lawn table to consume five wondrously unique treats (given beautiful pamphlet descriptions by brewmaster, Travis Lawrence, a creative writing professor).

Rangy witbier, Gather House, let its stylish orange-peeled coriander spicing gather cracked pepper herbage and mild gooseberry souring to contrast ancillary banana cream pie tartness.

Elegantly offbeat “table beer,” Flora Firma, stayed crisply clean as sunshiny lime-candied lemon zesting enlightened orange-peeled tangerine tanginess over moist earthen grained pilsner malting.

Described as a “white Sangria,” tropical fruited dry-hopped IPA, Ripe Yield, plied sugary oats-flaked pilsner malting to syrupy apricot brandy treacle, peachy pineapple-guava-passionfruit-lychee tartness and zestful lemon juicing.

Fruitily dry-hopped Imperial IPA, Nesh Terra, regaled peachy melon and cantaloupe tanginess, fleeting “zebra stripe gum” sugaring and spritzy orange spicing above piney hop dryness.

Creamy milk-sugared coffee stout, Fly Crop, crowded its cold-brew coffee roast with lactic brown chocolate richness, maple molasses oats sweetness and subtle peanut buttering.

Upon second visit two weeks hence, May ’21, my dog Roscoe and I walk the premises before settling down at the back patio to consume four more interesting suds. Brewer Travis Lancaster’s on site so I spend a few moments sharing thoughts and copping a few thoughtful flavor illusions.

Bustling foeder-fermented black lager, Soir, let its wattle-seeded barley roast, dewy compost soiling, chocolate Graham Cracker sugaring and black coffee snips secure its red rye-breaded pilsner malting.

Engaging Sour Double IPA, Esopus Kill, brought lemon meringue tartness, sloe gin fizz tanginess and apricot bellini champagne esters to the fore while mildly vinous oaken cherry, white wine and green apple cider dryness reached the leathery oats-straw base.

A more eccentric sour IPA, pink magenta-clouded Wawayanda Kill, retained limey salted blueberry puree tartness and Madagascar vanilla beaning above sweet Graham Cracker sugaring, leaving subtle cranberry, boysenberry and blackberry wisps on the citric Mosaic hop spot.

But the sourest curiosity available this afternoon was fruited sour IPA, Harvest Kill, a milk-sugared elixir with raspy blackberry-raspberry tartness gaining oceanic salinity to intensely contrast its advertised ameretto rum punch. Along the way, yogurt-curded guava, gooseberry and tangerine tartness received marshmallow-candied almond and vanilla sweetener.

Haunted Drowned Lands yet again on Fourth of July, 2022, imbibing six more diverse suds on the covered patio with wife and dog.

The lightest by far, ‘incredibly crisp’ beige-cleared rice lager, Water Elm, utilized mild Japanese flaked ricing to pleat plain white breaded doughiness and lightly peppered watercress zesting.

Sessionable translucent aluminum-hued foeder-fermented pilsner, Rare Earth, tried connecting roasted marshmallow sweetness with pithy lemon zest, wildflower honeyed mead-like astringency and fresh cut grassiness.

Crisply clean helles lager, Find Time, contrasted dry pilsner malts against sweet-breaded Vienna malts, leaving sourdough remnant upon salted lemony orange tingle.

Smooth foeder-aged IPA, Fern, allowed tropical fruited grapefruit, peach, mango and orange zesting plus lightly soured passionfruit-gooseberry snips to penetrate grassy hop dryness.

Ambrosia-wafted fruited sour IPA, Gynoecium, evoked a champagned Mimosa dipped in lime-juiced mango, pineapple and grapefruit then given a heavy dose of juicy orange concentrate.

PENNINGS FARM MARKET

BEER PUB

Image result for PENNINGS FARM BAR

WARWICK, NEW YORK

Along the rustic winding trail thru the historic Orange County town of Warwick, New York, there are several beer-centric destinations any craft brew enthusiast should check out post-haste. Popular Main Street pub, Eddie’s Roadhouse, has a quickly rotating tapped selection that included mighty Rushing Duck Part IV Barleywine and glorious dessert treat, Mikkeller Black Imperial Stout, as well as lemony German-styled moderation, Saurez Family Palatine Pilsner (reviewed at Beer Index) on my late August ’16 Saturday sojourn.

There are also two fantastic beer shops near the hilly center of town: Craft Beer Cellar and Beverage Plus II. And just down the street one mile within walking distance to the Warwick Drive-In lies the ever-popular PENNINGS FARM MARKET, a picturesque farmhouse, garden and grill that boasts a picnic-benched outdoor theatre, beer garden, food shop, plant sanctuary and grub pub.

My wife and I take a seat at the back pub to check out a few previously untried libations. Eight well-selected beers from near and far don the menu (along with one local cider). We grab a few bohemian-styled New York State brews such as Chatham Czech’rd Past Pilsner and New Paltz Hefeweizen before heading to the drive-in to watch a comedic double feature (Bad Moms and Sausage Party).

At Pennings, this cozy Old World pub features a unique 10-seat apple grater bar, a sloped maroon ceiling, several walled beer banners and fine food fodder (from the nearby kitchen). The outdoor patio-bound picnic area boasts five more separate taps.

A few days after we visited Pennings, a few more newly designed Empire State brews hit the taps: Shroon Lakes’ Paradox Beaver Bite IPA, Newburgh East Kolsch, Chatham Extra Special Bitter, Catskill Ball Lightning Pilsner and Southern Tier Tangier 2X IPA.

Ultimately, this multifarious market deserves proper recognition as its rural location beautifully contrasts New York City’s metropolitan hustle and bustle just 40 miles south. So get away from it all and relax in the countryside, y’all!

www.penningsfarmmarket.com

 

 

EDDIE’S ROADHOUSE

BEER PUB

Eddies Road House (Warwick) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

WARWICK, NEW YORK

Filled with Old World charm and nestled in the hilly rural refuge of Warwick 30 miles northwest of New York City, EDDIE’S ROADHOUSE TAVERN & GRILLE may be a hike for city slickers, but it’s definitely worth the trip. Between town fairs, open-air concerts, cool fishing spots, blueberry fields and the annual Applefest, Warwick’s a busy countryside community with a four-screen drive-in theatre to boot. And when the quaint brown and tan-fronted Roadhouse opened in November, 2010, the diminutive Main Street gastropub quickly became a travel destination.

A rustic hardwood-floored saloon with exposed ceiling ducts and framed black and white portraits (of Willie Nelson, Steven Tyler and Jack Nicholson), its fabulous upscale pub fare (appetizers, burgers, steaks, chicken and ribs) suits the swiftly rotating draught selections. At the red brick-walled left side bar are twenty stools, sixteen tap handles and choice spirits. Two windowed and three right side corian-topped tables comfortably seat lunch and dinner patrons.

During my initial August 2015 jaunt, Eddie’s gets packed by 5:30 on a sunshiny Saturday evening. Along with two newfound brews, my wife and I share the big, beefy Roadhouse Burger (with mushrooms) and On The Flat (a rewarding flat-breaded app with eggplant, hummus and olive tapenade dips).

Owner Eddie Cullari stops by before the crowd rushes in to offer some background.

“I grew up on Ballantine IPA in the ’60s. So i got used to the richer, heavier beers and when that IPA alcohol bite went away, I really got into serious beers,” he shares before adding, “Drinking craft was a no-brainer. Friends would buy a 6-pack for $4 in the past and they couldn’t understand why I’d pay $4 for one swing-topped import.”

Though previously untried Lost Nation Mosaic IPA, Against The Grain Jacque Trappe and Clown Shoes Crasher In The Rye Imperial Stout were gone by my arrival, two fruitful summertime brews got quaffed instead. Soft grapefruit rind-embittered passionfruit-derived Avery Liliko’i Kepolo and briskly citric-hopped Other Half Forever Ever IPA were damn near perfect stylistic representatives (check Beer Index for full reviews).

www.eddiesroadhouse.com

Just down the street from Eddie’s Roadhouse, CRAFT BEER CELLAR opened October 15, 2014. Its earth-toned stone front, brick red interior, exposed pipes, high ceiling, clean shelves and Brooklyn Brewery banner give the place a certain lucidity. Twenty tap handles fill growlers to go and a serious-minded bottle and can selection (of rarities and well-selected American and international fare) will please any beer enthusiast.