A Brew with Deep Roots: Vosburgh Brewery Marries Tradition and Terroir

On a recent sunny Sunday afternoon, the air outside at Vosburgh Brewery was filled with the steady strums of an acoustic guitar, lively conversation and the unmistakable clinking of beer glasses. Nestled in the heart of Elizaville, the brewery has quickly become a favorite gathering spot for both locals and visitors who savor both its brews and sense of history. 

One of the brewery’s signature beers, Elizaville, was named after its location and reflected Vosburgh’s commitment to local sourcing. “It’s our most local beer,” said Kieran Farrell, co-owner of the brewery. The hops used in the beer were grown on the farm, just beyond the picnic tables where patrons sat. The malt, sourced from Hudson Valley Malt in nearby Germantown, was produced using traditional methods. Farrell explained, “They buy grains from local farms and malt them the old-fashioned way — spreading them on the floor, raking them, germinating them.”

Vosburgh’s brewmaster, Max Balkin, noted the unique character of the local malt. “It has a distinct, biscuity, whole grain character,” he said. Elizaville, described as a German-style helles lager, focused more on malt than hops, offering a nuanced and balanced flavor. “You’re getting a little bit of the taste of the region,” Balkin added. “When people use the term terroir, they think of wine. But it also applies to ingredients you use in beer.”

Not all of Vosburgh’s brews contained only local ingredients. For example, Silvernails, a New England-style IPA, was brewed with hops from New Zealand. “We bring in hops from the West Coast, too,” Farrell said. Nonetheless, local sourcing remained a priority. Arnie’s Own Cider, a semi-sweet cider produced offsite, was made from apples grown on the farm, and Farrell planned to expand into brewing ciders on-site. The Summer Ale also featured Vosburgh-grown hops.

The brewery’s food menu was similarly influenced by local sourcing, particularly the “smashburgers” made from grass-fed beef from nearby farms such as Gulden Farm and Hover Farms. “The farm-to-table movement is hard to do, and expensive, but we’re really trying to do that here,” Farrell said. “We’re incorporating a local farm with other farms in our brewing and kitchen.”

Vosburgh Brewery was located on Vosburgh Orchards, a farm that had been in the Vosburgh family for seven generations, dating back to 1839. Over the years, the farm had produced a variety of crops, but apples had always been a mainstay. In 2014, Arnie Vosburgh, a descendant of the original owner, entered into a partnership with Scenic Hudson and the Columbia Land Conservancy to ensure that the land remained farmland forever. The farm continued to produce apples, vegetables, pumpkins and hops.

In 2015, Mark Stier, Arnie Vosburgh’s nephew and a civil engineer, invited Sloop Brewing Company to establish a production facility in the farm’s 200-year-old Dutch post-and-beam barn. Sloop Brewing operated there until 2018, when it moved to a larger facility in Fishkill.

Farrell, who had spent two decades in financial IT before opening Gun Hill Brewing in the Bronx, knew Stier through a mutual friend. In 2019, they began discussing the idea of building Vosburgh Brewery. Farrell hired Balkin, who had started as a homebrewer and later became brewmaster at Gun Hill, to help launch the new brewery. Although their plans were delayed by the pandemic, Vosburgh Brewery eventually opened its doors in September 2021.

In its nearly three years of operation, the brewery has attracted a loyal following, with both locals and tourists filling the picnic tables, especially on Sundays when there is live music. Farrell, now a resident of Gallatin, summed up his approach: “We’re just looking to make really great beers at a reasonable price. When people come here, they’re going to get a great beer, a simple menu with quality food, and a good conversation with a smile.”

Vosburgh Brewing, located at 1065 County Route 19 in Elizaville, is open Thursdays and Fridays from 2 to 9 pm, Saturdays from noon to 9 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Most Sundays there is live local music from 2 to 5 p.m. There are pick-your-own flowers (pay at the bar) and food made on site and in food trucks.