In New York’s Hudson Valley, a New Napa Is Growing—But for Beer

The sun is just beginning to set over the Hudson River, its waters about 2 miles west of my tasting room perch, when I momentarily forget where I am. The waning light streams through the two-story glass walls and refracts off blond laminated timber beams above. Outside, I see farmland and families, children scampering about the vast landscape. The server walks me through tasting notes for the precious liquids—light yellow to dark burgundy—in the stemless wine glasses arrayed on the polished marble bar. It’s not until I take a sip and taste not a riesling but a crisp Czech Pilsner that I’m reminded I’m not at a winery.

I silently toast the owners of Lasting Joy Brewery and say, “Job well done.” The brewer, which opened the current facility in 2022 in Tivoli, New York, is part of an area vanguard creating a Napa Valley in the Hudson Valley, but for beer. Out are the dark, industrial and usually male-dominated spaces typical of brewpub culture, where drinkers swagger through ever-lofty IBUs (international bitterness units—they’re a thing). In are modern, warm, whitewashed rooms, walkable gardens and welcoming tastings. There are even bees.