Explore the rich history of alcoholic beverages produced in Dutchess County.
Revolutionaries like George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and General Lafayette frequented taverns like The Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck. Namesake of the Beekman Arms Colonel Henry Beekman was major proponent of apple cider production as early as the 1720s, as the Hudson Valley became a prominent apple-growing region.
By the 1800s, local proprietors turned their eyes to beer, planting European barley in Dutchess. The Vassar Brewery was in operation by 1807, using local hops, barely and malt for English-style ales. Matthew Vassar took over the business and by 1836, had two thriving breweries in Poughkeepsie (including a riverfront brewery that produced 50,000 barrels of beer annually). His success as a brewer enabled him to found Vassar College, one of the first women's colleges in the U.S.
The late-1800s saw the proliferation of cider mills in Dutchess County, both as small-farm and large operations; New York Gazetteer reported nearly 10,000 gallons produced.
Things slowed down for the Dutchess beverage boom when New York State passed a ban on the sale of alcohol in 1855 called the Prohibitory Law, devastating the county’s breweries, distilleries and cideries. Prohibition on a national scale (1920-1933) ended the remaining producers, until the ratification of the 21st amendment during the presidency of Hyde Park’s Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Fishkill Farms in Hopewell Junction was founded in 1913 by Henry Morgenthau Jr., friend of FDR who served as Secretary of the Treasury. The two met on the farm many times over the years. Today, sip ciders from heritage apple varietals at Fishkill Farms’ aptly named Treasury Cider.
Dutchess County became the home of several wineries after the New York State Farm Winery Act of 1976. Millbrook Vineyards and Winery was established by 1982 and continues to offer local vintages. In the 19th century, new cultivars of wine varietals were bred in the Hudson Valley; taste Dutchess terroir at Milea Estate Vineyard’s (Staatsburg) living vine library, Hudson Valley Heritage Wines.
In 2003, the longstanding U.S. ban on black currants was lifted. Dutchess farmer Greg Quinn spearheaded this movement, and his currants are used by C.Cassis in Rhinebeck and Branchwater Farms in Milan to this day.
Ushering in a new chapter for beverage production in Dutchess County, Dassai Blue Sake Brewery opened in Hyde Park in 2023. It is the first of its kind in the U.S. producing the highest premium grade of sake.
