Beech Tree Grill

merc7186

New York

3.18/5  rDev -22.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $$

I came her for dinner while working out in this area on recommedations for other BA users. The atmosphere here is decent, its a nice cozy old building with original exposed architecture and a decent crowd. The quality of their selection is better than your typical place but nothing her makes you say 'WOW, Give Me That'. The service was okay, when the bar area was packed (10 seats), the service was a little slow but as the place cleared out, it never got any better or attentive. I don't want to be waited on hand and foot but when you have 4 patrons (including me), my glass shouldn't be empty for a 10 minute stretch. The selecton was average, they have 8 taps, 1 cask tap, and about 20 bottles to chose from...nothing horrible but nothing special either. The food was decent, had a pull pork dinner, which came with a side of diced onions, peppers, in a orange sauce, it was very interesting and blended well with the meat. Overall, a nice place but not a beer nerds hang out...more like a corner bistro.

08-09-2011 02:02:54 | More by merc7186

aerozeppl

New York

4.58/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Went here after we found out the March Hare is closed Glad we did. We went on Labor Day for lunch. They were serving brunch and nothing sounded good so they said they would open up the regular menu to us. They won me over with that alone. The beer list was nice Prima Pils, Spaten Lager, 60 Min, Blue Point toasted lager,and the best was Oak Aged Imperial IPA from Otter Creek. Not bad 8 taps total and one cask. The bottle list was decent and well priced. The draft beer was very reasonable. We got an order of calamari and some bruschetta. Both were really good. The bill was around $35 for 4 beers and two appetizers. They had a nice outside area as well with some nice views of Vasser. It is in an old brick building with exposed wood beams with some old timey stuff on the wall. Excellent service all around. All in all this is a great place to grab a beer in Po Town.

09-07-2009 22:29:37 | More by aerozeppl

mtullius

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -24.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $$

In the area for a wedding. Read about this place and saw it referred to as the best place for craft beer in the area. I was hopeful. I was excited when I noticed that they had Troeg Hopback Amber on cask. But alas, the list hadn't been updated and the cask was dead (erg). Now I had to look at the rest of the list. It really did not impress me-- maybe my standards are too high, living in the Twin Cities, where super beer bars are easy to come by. But c'mon-- I know enough about New York beer to know that there are some excellent craft beers coming out of the Empire State. Ommegang, Southern Tier, not to mention Brooklyn... and probably several more I'm not familiar with. Do you know how many New York beers were on tap at the Beach Tree? NONE. Not one. The only "regional" beer they had was the Troeg's, which they didn't actually have... After that, I suppose if you want to call DFH "regional," they had 1 of those.

I understand that people enjoy their imports, but they also had a bunch of craft beer from other farther-flung US breweries. Why not some local or regional stuff?

I ordered an Oskar Blues-- described on the menu as a double IPA (Gordon, I believe). Now, Gordon is not actually a double IPA, and what I was served was definitely not a double IPA. I'm not sure it was even Gordon, since the brewery's description of it mentions it having tons of hops. The beer I got (mind you, it was overly cold) had almost no hop aroma, flavor, or bitterness. It was quite toasty and caramelly.

I was given a 20-oz beer (as was my wife) without it being mentioned that they served beer in 12 or 20 oz. sizes. 20 oz was a bit much for both of us, since neither of us were that thrilled with our beer.

The food was good. Service was fine, though our server clearly didn't know anything about beer. Nice atmosphere. Maybe their selection is usually better than it was when we were there.... And like I said, maybe my standards are too high. But I'm used to finding local or at least regional beer available at a good beer bar/restaurant.

08-03-2009 14:24:42 | More by mtullius

Naugled

New York

4.83/5  rDev +17.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$$

THE best beer bar in the mid Hudson Valley.

I go to them all, but this I've been returning to over and over for the last 15 years or so. They consistently have an excellent and hard to find selection of beers on tap. And they take care of their beer. It's not allowed to go bad, and when it does, they remove it, they don't try to pass it off to the customers like I've experienced in some places. One thing that helps is they have a bar tender and cliental who knows beer and what it should taste like.

Great atmosphere, it's not a snooty place. All feel welcome, whether you have a tux on or a tee shirt and jeans.

The food is perfect. They know how to grill meat to your taste. If you like rare burgers this is the place for you.

03-10-2009 14:23:16 | More by Naugled

galttfwo

New Jersey

4.7/5  rDev +14.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

I used to live in Poughkeepsie and pretty much every time I end up going back to visit family I go here.

For craft beer on tap in Poughkeepsie you have pretty slim pickings in general. The Beech is one of the very few exceptions (now that CREW is closed). Has about 8 taps as I can best remember, all pretty unique stuff. I have seen St Bernadus 12 on tap, usually a DHF, some west coast stuff, Fort Collins has made appearances. Once in a while they will have a night with a cask, which is always amazing and goes very fast.

Three choices for beer sizes too: three 3 oz tasting flight, 12 oz glass, or 20 oz Imperial Pint (for real) and the 20 oz are usually only $5! (There are some smaller 1-offs, I think some of the high % rarer belgians are in snifters.)

The food is really as good as the beer too. Great chef. I recommend the pulled pork to go with any of the darker beer. The calamari is amazing too, just make sure you have enough people to share, the plate is huge. Never had a bad meal here. The menu does not change that often, but everything on it is pretty damn tasty, so I will not complain.

- One last thing. The people who work there are completely the best. I took my mother here once when I was visiting, and was completely absentminded when I was leaving, and instead of leaving a $10 bill, I mistakenly left a $100 (not used to having them in my wallet to say the least) , the waitress ran out of the restaurant in the rain to find me on my way to my car to give it back. I was so impressed.

01-16-2009 14:46:25 | More by galttfwo

cdog3

New York

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

If you are in Poughkeepsie New York and want craft brewed beer you have very few choices. Of all of those choices this one is the best. Right across the street from Vassar College, it is a small place with excellent food and 10 taps that always pour pretty decent beer. No macro American Lagers on these taps. They also have a very nice bottle selection and an occasional cask ale. The staff is generally pretty good with two bartenders that stand out. If you are in town it is definitely worth the stop.

06-21-2008 00:20:28 | More by cdog3

plaid75

New York

4/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Located right next to Vassar, in the otherwise shitty area that is Poughkeepsie. Actually, the place is in the middle of a strip of hipster type shops and restaurants. I think gentrification is at work here.

The interior was small and cozy, with high wood beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, brick interior walls and Americana type decor. About a dozen tables.

The bar was of medium size with ample seating. The draft list included 10 taps and one cask. The selections included Winterhook, Sprechter Black Bavarian, ST Chokolate, DFH 90 Minute, Dinkel Acker, Guinness, Fuller's ESB, Hooker Irish Red and a Blue Point cask.

The lunch menu was diverse - I had the burger - which was delicious.

03-12-2008 20:27:56 | More by plaid75

madmanjf

New York

4.43/5  rDev +7.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

One of my two favorite places in the area to spend time at, the Beechtree is an awesome place with great food, good prices, and of course ... Great Beer.

With 10 Taps, rotated regularly, and an elegant selection of bottles, you won't be disappointed if you came for brews. Pints, Imperial 20oz btw, will only cost $4.50. This is an amazing deal.

Addition to the taps changing, the menu changes daily. You'll never know what will be available. Approximately 5 appetizer specials and 5 dinner special every night with suggested beer/wine pairings.

Although not bragged about, it's not uncommon to see celebraties here due to the close proximity to Vassar College. Parents of students, or participants in the summer Powerhouse Theater, has brought in some surprising faces. So pay attention ... but most importantly, be respectful and keep your distance.

UPDATE: Casks offered many Tuesday evenings. Keep up to date via BeerAdvocate Beer Calendar.

UPDATE #2: Beer Engine has been installed. The only real beer engine in Dutchess County. (9/2008)

05-20-2007 15:45:35 | More by madmanjf

belhav0322

New York

4.28/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

In an area devoid of many bars with good beer selections, this place seems to be an overlooked gem. On average, one can count on about 12 taps and 40 bottles, with all selections rotating fairly regularly. Quality, freshness, and proper glassware have never been a problem. Typlical draft selections from the past few months included offerings from DFH, Ithaca, Fullers, Brooklyn (including the always pleasing Brewmasters Reserve), Rogue, North Coast, Harpoon, Southampton, Blue Point, Harpoon, Smuttynose, Magic Hat, Fullers, and Stoudts among others. By the bottle one can find a nice selection of Belgians, including Nostradamus, Chimay, Delerium Tremens. There is also a good selection of domestic and international micros. No, it is not a knockout selection in terms of quantity, but the quality and variety are indeed there. Staff are not particularly knowlegable about the selections, but they will happily offer samples of what's on draft and try to a good job of helping customers who have questions. All drafts are $4.50 for a 20 oz. serving, which tends to be a really good value most of the time.

As for the food, this is one of the best bar menus you will ever find. Creative daily specials complement a great regular menu for a good mix of some typical pub food and sandwiches accompanied by a nice variety of creative and well done entrees. All specials offer a beer or wine pairing suggestion, which may make up for the lack of overall staff knowledge.

Service has always been great, especially while sitting at the bar.

The atmosphere is the definition of cozy, though things can get cramped when the place gets busy. Though it is right near Vassar, the clientele seems to be an older crowd for the most part, and is definately an eclectic mix on most nights.

This is by far one of the best (if not one of the only few) options in the Poughkeepsie area when you are looking for some good beer to go with a nice meal. Highly recommended.

04-19-2007 19:02:55 | More by belhav0322

Loki

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Nearly on the Vasser Campus.

Atmosphere: Nearly equal parts beer bar, neighborohood bar, small restaurant, and local haunt. Friendly feel. Small and quaint. The kind of place you feel instantly at home and comfortable at.

Quality: They beer list is equal parts great beer and equal parts average beer. The great beer makes you forget about the average stuff.

Service: Great.

Selection: 10 drafts and about 10 bottles. Again about half great and half average, but a good variety of styles.

Food: The food was very good and very fresh. Also very fast as you can not only see the kitch, but you could probably tour it, if they could get more than one person in that tiny space.

Value: Another great return on price.

11-18-2005 20:18:56 | More by Loki