My beautiful wife, the kids and I just recently got home from Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, NY. It's an all inclusive horse ranch / resort sitting on 400 acres. It is a beautiful place. They have 110 horses and you're guaranteed at least one ride a day. They also have an indoor and outdoor waterpark and an amazing assortment of stuff to do.
Thankfully for me, they also have the Silverado Saloon in the main lodge building. Pretty cool place that overlooks their main entertainment area and stage. It's a nice place to sit back with the my honey and enjoy a beer or glass of wine for her, and enjoy the show. They also have beer from a local brewery, Keegan Ales, located in nearby Kingston, NY. Since I'm always looking for a local beer, I had to try them. I had also planned on going to the brewery since it's only a 25 minute ride.
I started with Hurricane Kitty at dinner on our first night. It is a fantastic IPA. Nice, fresh hoppy beer. I will definitely need to get some soon. I'm going to put the beer's description from Keegan's website into the photo caption.
Next was Mother's Milk. This was my first, but definitely not last, sample of a Milk Stout. Nice and creamy texture. Another fine beer.
The last one I tried at the saloon was Old Capital. Apparently, in 1777, Kingston was the original capital of NY, prior to Albany. See, you just learned something.
On Tuesday, I drove up to Keegan Ales brewery in Kingston. It's a great looking, old industrial building. I later learned that it was a once a foundry. Keegan's also has a store and homebrew shop across the lot from the brewery. Of course, it was closed when I visited. Oh well, next time. The bartender Brie ( I hope I spelled that right) was awesome. She's been there from the beginning, so she was able to fill me in on all the details of Keegan Ales and the history of the building. She had the scoop on all of the brews. I decided to start with the Black Eye, their Black IPA. It was definitely the right choice. I loved it. Nothing like a dark beer with a ton of hops. I even grabbed a growler of it for later. Next was Joe Mama's Milk. This is Mother's Milk with brown sugar and coffee added. Two words..... Friggin Incredible! That was another growler I brought home. I also tried a sample of KD's Trippel, their own Belgian Trippel. While, I'm not a fan of Belgians, this was another great beer. I was also able to meet Geoff Wenzel, their head brewer. He's a really cool and approachable guy. He had a few tips and advice for me and homebrewing. He also said that they will be hosting homebrew classes at the brewery soon. I even got to sample the sour beer that he's working on. All in all, I must say it was an awesome visit. We definitely need to go back there soon. It's only about an hour and a half away. That's all for now. Enjoy the pics below.
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| The Silverado Saloon |
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This brew is a coppery and heavily hopped India Pale Ale. Named after brewmaster Keegan’s grandmother whose driving earned her quite a reputation with local police racing her six children to and from a local Long Island beach ferry during the 1960′s, Hurricane Kitty is the undisputed family favorite. We try to make the hop bill read as aggressively as her driver’s record.
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| As the name implies, Mother’s Milk is a dark and creamy milk stout. Hints of oatmeal, chocolate and of course, milk make this brew have a remarkably smooth and silky finish, a classic example of the style. |
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| This beer is named for the Kingston area’s rich historical heritage, is reflective of traditional tastes. Simply put, it’s a golden, crisp and refreshing beer. Whether it’s out on a Saturday night with the gang, or home with dinner midweek, Old Capital’s exceptional smoothness makes a great choice for every occasion. |
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| The sign out front welcoming visitors looking for a great beer. |
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| Black EyePA. Nice dark, hoppy beer. Definitely a new favorite of mine. “Black Eye” is back on tap here at Keegan Ales. This is a black I.P.A (Get it? Black Eye P.A.) that first hits you with a big floral hop aroma that really invites you in. Upon tasting this beer, the chocolate malty flavor overtones take over the forefront of the pallet. It then returns to you and finishes with a traditionally big I.P.A. hop character. |
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| Joe Mama's Milk. INCREDIBLE! Big Brother to our Mother’s Milk. It starts with our Mother’s Milk recipe, we then add copious amounts of brown sugar to add body and increase the alcohol content. Then, after primary fermentation, we infuse a cold coffee extract from our friends down the street, Monkey Joe’s Roasting Co. |
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| This is the seating area near the bar. Artwork from local artists. There is also a stage for live music in the next room. |
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| A quick shot of me next to the Keegan Ales sign on the way out. |
