Orange County Tourism debuts craft beverage trail pass, a chance to discover new tastes
Orange County Tourism and Film has come up with a new way to experience craft beers, hard ciders, wines and spirits around the county.
The Orange County Craft Beverage Trail and its "Trail Pass" gives craft beverage enthusiasts a chance to explore the county's many breweries, cideries, wineries and distilleries − 24 of which are included on the trail − as of Aug. 17.
Entertainment:Take a stroll through the Forbidden Forest of Harry Potter, coming to Yorktown Oct. 22
For subscribers:From ice cream to ramen: 5 new eateries to check out in Orange County
'Ciao' to good chow:Legendary Italian restaurant in Middletown to close after 71 years
"Our new beverage trail pass will show you the way to the hot spots and hidden gems serving an endless variety of beers, wines, spirits and ciders," said Amanda Dana, director of Orange County Tourism and Film. "Take your time and enjoy them at a leisurely pace."
Some breweries offer discounts on merch or drinks for the first drink using the trail pass. The trail pass is free – sign up online – and is sent to your smartphone via text and email. The website can be bookmarked on a smartphone's browser and does not have an application that needs to be downloaded.
When visiting one of the craft beverage locations, those with the passport can either "check-in" via the trail pass or through GPS on their smart device. When five spots are logged, the passport holder is entered into a chance to win a free "Orange County New York Taste the Craft" t-shirt. The five spots do not have to be visited in the same day.
"We ask that you please drink responsibly," Dana said. "Enjoy all that the region has to offer."
The craft beverage stops along the trail as of Aug. 17 are:
Angry Orchard: 2241 Albany Post Road, Walden
Apex Brewery: 405 State Route 17M, Monroe
Apple Dave's Distillery: 82 Four Corners Road, Warwick
Applewood Winery: 82 Four Corners Road, Warwick
The Brewery at Orange County Hops: 771 NY-52, Walden
Brotherhood Winery: 100 Brotherhood Plaza Drive, Washingtonville
Christopher Jacobs Winery at Pennings Vineyards: 320 Crawford St., Pine Bush
City Winery Hudson Valley: 23 Factory St., Montgomery
Clemson Bros. Brewery: 22 Cottage St., Middletown
Equilibrium Brewery: 4 South St., Middletown
Foreign Objects Beer Company: 150 West Mombasha Road, Monroe
Fox N Hare Brewing Co.: 46 Front St., Port Jervis
Long Lot Farm Brewery: 153 Johnson Road, Chester
Newburgh Brewing Company: 88 South Colden St., Newburgh
Orange County Distillery at Brown Barn Farms: 286 Maple Ave., New Hampton
Orchard Hill Cider Mill: 25 Soons Circle, New Hampton
Palaia Winery and Meadery: 10 Sweet Clover Road, Highland Mills
Pennings Farm Cidery: 4 Warwick Turnpike, Warwick
Rushing Duck Brewing Company: 2 Greycourt Ave., Chester
Shepherd's Eye Brewing Company: 9 Industrial Dr., Florida
Spirits Lab Distilling Co.: 105 Ann St., Newburgh
Tin Barn Brewing: 62 Kings Highway Bypass, Chester
Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery: 114 Little York Road, Warwick
Westtown Brew Works: 236 Schefflers Road, Westtown
For more information, and to get an Orange County Craft Beverage Passport, go to orangetourism.org/craft-beverage-trail-pass.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: 24 breweries, wineries featured on Orange County craft beverage trail