Hyde Park Brewing Company

madmanjf

New York

2.3/5  rDev -34.3%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 1 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$$

I used to enjoy the Hyde Park Brewery years ago when it first opened. Nowadays, I think it's a place searching for an identity while trying to re-invent itself.

The focus seems to have shifted from "beer" to "food". I guess you can say it's now a restaurant that happens to serve their own beer. The venue has changed to a Steak House, which on the surface sounds really interesting, but I think they're trying to be too many things for too many people and have forgotten what made them special.

The beers are OK ... sometimes inconsistent. Unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of specials or creativity when it comes to seasonals.

Since this isn't the only BrewPub/Restaurant in the immediate vicinity, my recommendation is to go elsewhere (New Paltz) ... irregardless of whether it's beer or steak that you seek.

UPDATE:

I went back after a while ... thought it was worth checking out again (Jan 2008). I've heard a lot of horror stories about bad service, and unfortunately it was true.

I had good food, good beer, but was just completely shocked at bartender's attitude. I had a legitimate complaint, and she took it extremely personally. The manager handled it quite well, to her credit, but the bartender continued to be a complete mongrel (I had to use the thesaurus to find a politically correct word for B**&^%)

I waited, without exageration, in excess of 45 minutes for her to acknowledge my money and give me change (and this entire time my glass was empty).

She didn't deserve it, and against all my good judgement, I had her keep the change (approx 18%) to show I was going to be the better person.

Unfortuantely, unless I hear this is under new management or ownership, I'll NEVER return.

So, all the bad things I've heard from beer snobs to restaurant goers alike were all true.

01-22-2008 03:09:24 | More by madmanjf

mackeyse

New York

3.25/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$

I used to be a semi-regular. It served it's purpose in allowing my friends and I to experiment with some different types of beers when we had just been sitting around drinking Coors Lights and Coronas in our youths. Once we got older we realized that there were far better versions of what they had at our local beverage shops. No beer blew me away except the Maibock which if does make an appearance doesn't last long. I used to frequent weekly and after a few months of the "Barrel 9" (the rotating tap) being the same Hefeweizen (in which the bartenders sheepishly apologized each time and told us they were looking to "kick" the Hefeweizen before putting their "fall beer" on tap) we stopped going. Hefeweizen in mid October no less and not even at a discount. Whether it was lack of business or not it got annoying and we stopped going.

The menu is always better than average and changes and updates frequently ---definitely worth a visit if you are passing through Hyde Park and looking for a beer and a burger but the beer is just average.

09-11-2012 17:05:22 | More by mackeyse

merc7186

New York

3.15/5  rDev -10%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$$

I came to Hyde Park while staying in Kingston on business because this was one of the few breweries that I hadnt tQ: ried in or around the capital district.

A: The building has a more upscale brewpub feel, comfortable but not a dump. The bar area seats about 30 along the bar and is surrounded by another 10 tables around it.

Q: I had three beers while here and one was decent, one was mediocre, and one was just bad. The mediocre beer was an okatoberfest...in january.

S: The service was average, the barmaid was mildly attentive but fumbled my order several times throughout the night.

S: They had six in house taps, no outside taps while I was there. They had a blonde, pilsner, Marzen, Red IPA, Porter, and Lager. Not a great mix with 3 light colored beers.

F: I ordered the 96 degrees burger which was perfectly cooked and tasted god with an average side order of pottato salad.

V: A pint of their normal rotation beers was 5.50, which I dont mind paying for a good in house beer..but their in houses were nothing special. Their 'one off' beers were 6 bucks each.

Overall, an average brewpub with slightly subpar beers and if you are in the area, might be worth stopping into, but only if in the area, dont seek out.

01-18-2012 03:18:15 | More by merc7186

Mkfitz

New York

4.05/5  rDev +15.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I stopped into the Hyde Park Brewery in Sept of 2011. I was in Poughkeepsie on business and had heard about this small brew pub. I had a flight of their beers and a sandwich. Both were very good. The atmosphere is very comfortable for a craft beer lover. The vats are right over the bar but they have a separate restaurant for people who don't care to see the machinery that brings them their beer. I spoke to the owners for a little while about their business and wrote up a review on the Tristate Beer Blog : http://tristatebeerblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/hyde-park-brewing-company.html Enjoy!

10-31-2011 03:41:43 | More by Mkfitz

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

When asked how I have tried a large variety of beer, I joke that it often just magically "appears" on trips (after researching several websites). In this case, Hyde Park Brewing did simply appear across the street from the home of FDR. After a morning of tours and contemplation of the New Deal, we headed to Hyde Park Brewing for lunch before heading over to Val Kill down the road.

Very nice stop on a Sunday morning for a brunch menu. Ended up having the pizza, which was a bit better than good. Six beers on tap, more or less German inspired mostly. All were solid beers, clean and well done--no flaws in the lagering. The Von Schtupp's Black Lager was smooth with enough depth in the taste to make it interesting.

Not sure how far out of my way I'd go for Hyde Park Brewing, but it was a great no-brainer stop while visiting a very beautiful and historic area.

07-08-2011 15:16:08 | More by FightingEntropy

IronGiant

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +17.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5 | $$

Although it is located in Hyde Park - a tourist fueled town - Hyde Park Brewery has that home-town, I'd-hang-out-here-if-I-were-a-local feel. They have pint glasses engraved with the names of their regulars behind the bar and a staff that seem to know almost everyone.

The food at Hyde Park is outstanding. I had a cheddar cheese lager soup. Fantastic. Delicious. Unbelievably good. My traveling companion had a burger and a artichoke heart dip. He said the same. Great, great food.

Hyde Park brews it's own beer and we sampled a few. While I don't think their beer stacks up against bigger places, it is certainly nice for a hometown brewery.

I saw Hyde Park offers growlers to go and their staff really seem to know beer.

02-03-2011 01:43:00 | More by IronGiant

rbastone

New York

3.9/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the beer here. The SOB and Rough Rider were quite good; on the lighter side, the Winkle Lager was also a refreshing brew.

Per other reviews - the interior is less-than palatial...but that hasnt generally stopped me from enjoying the overall experience (primarily focused on beer and service - which were both GOOD).

I recommend dropping in for a flight and a pint or two. The soft pretzel and scotch egg were worth ordering as well.

Note: as of this writing the exterior is undergoing major renovation - even looks as if the place is abandoned - fear not, they are open for business.

09-30-2010 10:45:43 | More by rbastone

donniecuffs

New Jersey

2.41/5  rDev -31.1%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | $$

A: The inside of this place looks as if someone took an old sawdust-floor, truck stop-type watering hole and tried converting it into a brewpub. Unfortunately, aside from the rosy-cheeked, friendly patrons..and bartender...this place fell flat. I think I even noticed the silhouette of an old Bud neon sign on the wall, but then again that might've been my over-active imagination playing games on me.

Q: I honestly do feel bad when I pan someone or something in a review, since we can all appreciate how much work goes into making good beer, but these beers were terrible...with the exception of the Von Schtupp's schwarzbier. With the latter exception, all were thin, headless, and bland. The schwarzbier did reveal nice notes of roasted malt, thicker body, and a creamier mouthfeel.

SRV: The bartender was sweet, but came off as, dare I say, airy...even comparing one of the beers in the sampler to a Coors Light. 'Nuff said.

SEL: Schwarzbier, stout, wheat beer, amber ale, etc...it was a decent selection, but two of the 'usual' beers were out, and the bartender substituted them in my sampler by mixing a few of the others. Needless to say, something terrible mixed with something terrible, tastes like something terrible.

F: Didn't bother.

We won't be going back.

01-19-2010 05:04:12 | More by donniecuffs

plaid75

New York

2.93/5  rDev -16.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 1.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Located on the east side of Route 9 in historic Hyde Park, NY. The building appears to be a converted country home of some sort, perhaps dating back to the mid 19th Century.

Upon pulling into the parking lot I was met with the unmistakable odor of raw sewage. Not a good start.

The bar is located to the left upon entering and the very casual looking dining room to the right rear. The bar area was large with a two sided long bar. Plenty of TVs as well.

There were about 6 house beers on tap and a seasonal that was admittedly a mix of two other beers literally done by the bartender at the tap.

The beers were generally shallow and lacking in flavor and body. Very little to no head. With the exception of the pils, all were pretty lackluster.

Would not repeat unless I was in the area and a high gravity seasonal beer was offered.

09-22-2009 14:26:07 | More by plaid75

Homebrew63

New York

3.63/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$$

As many have stated this used to be a great place to get a fresh tasty beer and sit around on a Friday night. A real cheers everyone knows you type of establishment.

Then they opened another location North of here and to pay for it they raised the prices and the quality of the place went down. The beer does not have the same bite it once had and the food quality is not worth the inflated prices one now has to pay.

The beer I usually choose is the Big Easy Blonde which used to have a complex character. Now it tastes like a slightly hopped Coors Light.

Because of it's location across from a national landmark (the FDR Estate) it does a fair amount of business and waiting for a table may be hard during the touristy months.

I wish the management would sit down and re-evaluate this location and maybe change things up a bit from both the food standpoint as well as the beers it brews.

02-09-2008 02:33:41 | More by Homebrew63