Like other Hudson Valley towns that are fully committed to putting their Rust Belt years behind them, Newburgh got itself a microbrewery. Headquartered in a beautifully restored steam engine factory on the banks of the Hudson River, it’s straightforwardly called the Newburgh Brewing Company.
With a 20-barrel brewhouse on the first floor and an expansive taproom covering the second floor, Newburgh Brewing was founded in 2012 by Brooklyn Brewery alum Chris Basso, Paul Halayko and Charlie Bennedetti. One of its specialties is a revival of Cream Ale, a style long popular in blue-collar pockets of upstate New York that melds aspects of malt-forward ale and lager, with a distinctive creamy mouthfeel. Also on tap year-round are Brown Ale, East Kolsch, NanoBoss Session IPA, MegaBoss IPA and GigaBoss DIPA. Seasonal offerings include Amaizing, Checkpoint Charlie Berliner Weisse, LiaBoss and Angry Eggbert IPA. Nine different types are also available in 16-ounce cans to go. Scheduled for release by the end of December are ResilienceBoss IPA and BonticouBoss – the latter perhaps a future favorite of Shawangunks hikers?
“People have been brewing beer in Newburgh since before America was America – it’s a tradition we’re proud to be a part of,” its owners say. “We honor the rich history of Newburgh, a tough-minded town that’s still as hardscrabble as it was when General George Washington stationed his army here more than 200 years ago.”
Located at 88 South Colden Street in Newburgh, the taproom is open on Wednesday from 4 to 9 p.m. (with trivia at 7:30), Thursday from 4 to 11 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to midnight (live music at 8 p.m.), Saturday from noon to midnight (live music at 8:30 p.m.) and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Learn more at http://newburghbrewing.com.
Newburgh Brewing Company, Wednesday 4-9 p.m., Thursday 4-11 p.m., Friday 4 p.m.-midnight, Saturday noon-midnight, Sunday noon-5 p.m., 88 South Colden St., Newburgh, (845) 569-2337, info@newburghbrewing.com, http://newburghbrewing.com
Check out Newburgh’s Downing Film Center
The Downing Film Center is a quirky little space with seating for only 55 customers. Located downstairs from the Yellow Bird gallery in the former Burger Furniture warehouse and restored in 2005 by Dick Polich of Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry fame, seeing a movie at this theater is like sitting in the media room in some media-geek friend’s finished basement. The screen is huge and high-quality, the sound terrific, the seats comfortable but absurdly mismatched. To find the bathrooms, you have to scoot out the back door, go up a flight of stairs and through another door into an office corridor. Aside from the lure of being able to catch some obscure foreign or indie flick, or the latest offering from National Theatre Live from London, it’s just a fun place to discover.
The Downing Film Center is located on the revitalized Newburgh waterfront, at 19 Front Street, right across from Billy Joe’s Ribworks. Free parking is just a block away, at the Newburgh/Beacon Ferry landing. Movie tickets for most programs cost $9 general admission, $8 for students and active military with ID, $7 for seniors (62+) and kids under 16) and $6 for members (it’s a not-for-profit). To purchase advance tickets or find out what’s on the schedule, visit http://downingfilmcenter.com.
Downing Film Center
Open Tuesday through Sunday
$9/$8/$7/$6
19 Front St.
Newburgh
(845) 561-3686
Tasty café menu at Newburgh’s Downing Park Shelter House
The Downing Film Center isn’t the only cultural gem in Newburgh named after native son Andrew Jackson Downing, an eminent horticulturist and pioneer of the public park movement who died at the tragically early age of 38, one of 80 victims of the 1852 explosion and fire that sank the Hudson River steamship Henry Clay. Downing Park, a 35-acre landscape park on the waterfront, was designed by Central Park creators Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmstead and named for Vaux’s former architecture partner upon its completion in 1897.
The Shelter House, a round stone building at the edge of Polly Pond in Downing Park, was built in 1934, originally to serve as a shelter for ice skaters to change their skates and get a cup of hot chocolate. After it fell into disrepair, the Downing Park Planning Committee began renovating the building and using the space as a visitor center and to host its events. By 2018 the Shelter House Café was born.
On the very appealing and affordable menu at the Shelter House are plenty of hot drinks evoking its days as a warming shed for skaters, though espresso and chai are probably bigger sellers these days than the cocoa. Cold drinks are available as well, including wine and beer – notably a selection from the local microbrewery, the Newburgh Brewing Company. If you’re not a morning person, you’ll definitely want to check out the brunch menu, which is available seven days a week from 9 a.m. until the divinely late, unheard-of hour of 3 p.m. The fancy egg sandwiches on brioche rolls all come with a side salad, as does the tantalizing Tortilla Española. Pancakes with fruit and yogurt parfaits are also among the breakfast selections. Lunch offerings, served from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., include sandwiches, salads and vegan soups. Fries are an option, but this is definitely not your usual park snack-bar menu.
The Downing Park Shelter House & Visitor Center is located at Carpenter Avenue and Third Street, one block from Route 9W. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Grab lunch here, then take in a movie at the other Downing! They take orders for pickup at (845) 762-5842. To view the full menu and find out more, visit https://shelterhousecafe.com or www.facebook.com/shelterhousecafe.
Downing Park Shelter House Café
Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Friday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Carpenter Avenue/Third Street
Newburgh
(845) 565-5559, (845) 762-5842
https://shelterhousecafe.com
www.facebook.com/shelterhousecafe
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