Aspire Brewing

Checked out Aspire Brewing on a Friday afternoon. When we pulled into the parking lot I will admit to being a little awestruck by the size of the building.

Once inside we were duly impressed by the layout. When I tell you this place is huge it’s not an exaggeration!

We found our way to the bar and settled in, there we found an impressive 34 Taps.

Jenna on the bar was very nice but you could tell she lacked any real knowledge of the beer which is always a little disappointing. I love to hear the bartenders take on which beers they enjoy and why. You can read it on their face if they truly enjoy something or are just busy being a salesperson.  

So, with the tap list as my only information to go on I ordered a flight. I chose Fruiticulture a Blood Orange/Cranberry Sour at 5.1 ABV, Caturra a Baltic Porter at 9.8%ABV, Flamme a Raunchier at 4.8%ABV, and Admire a Munich Dunkel coming in at 4.6%ABV.  

Fruiticulture was tart and light with the blood orange coming through but no cranberry to speak of, an easy drinker for sure but uninspired. I was hoping for more fruit and tartness based on the name and description.

Next up was Caturra Porter named after a variety of coffee beans used in the brew.. This one is a collaboration with Valkyrie Coffee Roasters in Chester, NY. A nice roasty coffee on the nose, with a rich mouthfeel. Big coffee malty flavor, but lacked smoothness. Despite seeming just a bit off somehow this was overall an enjoyable drink.

Flamme was my next taster, a gorgeous rich brown color with a nice smoke on the nose, but so disappointing upon tasting, almost no smoke at all. I’m a huge fan of Rauchbier so I was looking forward to this one, and I’m sad it was so lackluster.

Last in this flight was Admire, notes of toffee on the nose, with a nice roasty maltiness on the backend. An easy drinker but not something I would search out..

So being a bit disappointed and not having finished all the tasters in the first flight I opted to try again with a new beer flight. This time around I went with Ambition IPA at 6.8%ABV, Rebellion Altbier at 5.1% ABV, a Tamarind Lime Seltzer at 5.6%ABV, and Enchant a cordial cherry pastry stout.

The Tamarind Lime Seltzer was first up from this flight and was delicious. I’ve never had a beer/seltzer with Tamarind before so that in itself was exciting! The combination of lime and tamarind made for a light, crisp, refreshing, crushable beverage that tastes just like summer sitting by the pool. This gave me hope for the rest of this flight.

The Ambition IPA is described as Bold citrus, which feels like an overstatement. Hazy and juicy with a hoppy bite but low on citrus flavor. Not a bad IPA, but not a great one either. Rebellion was next up, lacking in the traditional fruitiness of an Altbier, but a nice malty sweetness that makes it an easy-drinking beer nonetheless.

Enchant was a disaster. I hope that it was just well past its prime when I tried it. A mediciny cardboard flavor was so strong I wanted to spit it out. It’s truly one of the worst beers I’ve ever tasted. My companion thought I may have acted a bit dramatically (which is fair if you know me). As soon as they tasted Enchant they had the same reaction. Perhaps the size of this brewery is overwhelming for the staff here at Aspire Brewing and they don’t do taste tests on their taps regularly. I have to believe that to be the case because this beer was definitely not something to be served in any establishment.

Aspire Brewing has a great-looking food menu, unfortunately, we weren’t particularly hungry at this point so opted only for some fries. They were delicious, and I do believe that fries are typically a good indicator of the rest of the menu.

The space at Aspire Brewing is indeed something to aspire to even if the beer isn’t. The seating areas are set up to maximize table space without overcrowding. The couches and swinging chairs make for a cozy atmosphere despite the size of the room.

Games Galore

They offer axe throwing, cornhole, and TruGolf virtual simulation golf on-premise.

Self-Pour Station

Aspire Brewing also has a self-pour wall, my first time seeing one in person. I have to say I think these are a great addition to any of the larger breweries. Patrons are allowed to pour themselves 32 oz of beer, after that they will have to be checked out to make sure they are not overserving themselves.

In the warmer months, Aspire has outdoor seating available in the area in front of the building. They also have a large private party room available to rent for your next special occasion. The brewery dining space feels like it goes on and on without feeling cavernous, which is a testament to their design team. I doubt I’ll be rushing back to Aspire Brewing for their beer, but I may make a return visit to eat and throw some axes!

A Little Bit Extra

Aspire Brewing was opened in the summer of 2023 by owners Sonny Patel, who owns and operates the Home – Beer World stores that can be found across the Hudson Valley, and Alex Kemp. Beer World sells a large variety of beer from local breweries to hard-to-come-by specialty brews from all over the world and has anywhere from 16-24 beers on tap to sample. I hope Aspire Brewing can get their sea legs under them in the next year or two and begin making some of those beers you make a return trip for!