Newburgh Brewing Company
88 Colden St.
Newburgh, NY
(845) 569-2337
It had been a long time since anyone had brewed beer in Newburgh when childhood friends Christopher Basso and Paul Halayko opened the Newburgh Brewing Company in 2012. But historically speaking, it certainly was nothing new to the Hudson Riverfront city.
As the company’s website notes, people had brewed beer in Newburgh “since before America was America – it’s a tradition we’re proud to be a part of.”
By the time Newburgh Brewing Company opened on Colden Street, between the Hudson River and Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site, craft breweries were much scarcer than they are now. The Newburgh Brewing Company built a following with its reputation for its diverse range of beers crafted lovingly by brew master Basso. He was trained at the French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center) in Manhattan and honed his skills at the Brooklyn Brewery before deciding “he wanted to strike out on his own,” Halayko said. Basso lured Halayko away from a Wall Street job to join in.
Halayko had developed an appreciation for how good beer could be during two years he spent in Germany. His uncle, Charlie Benedetti, is a third partner, the head of sales.
Their first beer was a light, easy-drinking cream ale. They now offer IPA, which is “by far the most popular style of craft beer in America,” Halayko said, but they are equally proud of their brown ale and corn lager. In a nod to Newburgh’s history, their dark Russian stout is named Newburgh Conspiracy after a historic “almost” uprising of the Continental Army at the end of the Revolutionary War. General George Washington quelled this developing rebellion, demonstrating the strength of the bond between Washington and his soldiers, and positively impacting the end of the Revolutionary War.
In all, the brewing company has produced more than 120 styles of beer over the years. The tap room offers more than a dozen beers on tap plus others in cans.
“People appreciate our diverse offerings, because they can almost certainly find a beer that they can enjoy from our list,” Halayko said.
The beer may be enough to draw regulars and newcomers to the fourth-floor tap room, but there’s so much more to love. There are the local wines, hard ciders, spirits and food. There’s the popular Thursday night trivia, and live music Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. Alternative rock station WRRV brings in noteworthy bands once a month to play a few songs.
And then there are those views.
“We designed the tap room like a traditional German beer hall,” Halayko said. “You have those long tables, the high tops and the huge windows with spectacular views of the Hudson River and the Hudson Valley beyond.”
