Beer Styles

Flagships

HARLEM VALLEY | Kolsch


Tasting Notes  Easy, delicate, refreshing
Stats  5.5% ABV, 18 IBU

Harlem Valley is our lightest ale, brewed with Lemon Drop and Mandarina Bavaria hops for refreshing citrus notes. It’s named for the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, a paved path covering an abandoned portion of the former New York and Harlem Railroad. Running 26 miles through rural towns in the Taconic Hills, the trail ends right across the street from us—perfect for a walk or bike ride before visiting our brewery.

MORRIS ALE | Extra Special Bitter


Tasting Notes  Balanced, traditional
Stats  5.2% ABV, 24 IBU

Morris dancing is a style of English folk dance dating back to Shakespeare’s time, based on rhythmic stepping by a group of dancers who wear bell pads on their shins and carry sticks or handkerchiefs. Morris events are accompanied by beer as well as music, with the English “Extra Special Bitter” style favored for its balance between malt and hops—what our owner Steve calls “beer that tastes like beer.”

YONDERVIEW | IPA


Tasting Notes  Bright, hoppy, classic
Stats  6.9% ABV, 40 IBU

Yonderview is a classic IPA, generously hopped with Mosaic and Citra for a familiar, inviting aroma that “hops” out of the can. It’s named for Hillsdale’s Yonderview Road, a long and lovely rural street dotted with dairy farms that boast sweeping vistas of the surrounding Taconic Hills.

22.5 | Hazy IPA


Tasting Notes  Hoppy, hazy, tropical
Stats 6.5% ABV, 40 IBU

Our juicy, hazy IPA is hopped unsparingly with Mosaic, Citra and Strata hops for vibrant tropical aroma. The name comes from the intersection of two important roads in Hillsdale: Route 23, the east-west corridor between the Hudson River and the Berkshires, and Route 22, a north-south route from New York City to upstate.

EMMA | Blackberry Sour


Tasting Notes  Tart, blackberry, lavender
Stats  5.4% ABV, 12 IBU

Emma is fruity and floral, with blackberry and lavender consorting against a tart kettle sour backdrop and brightened by a dash of Lemondrop hops. It’s named after owner Steve’s mother, Emma, who adorned her yard with beds of fragrant annuals and filled her house with an abundance of fresh flowers.

rotating beers

PILL HILL | American Pilsner


Tasting Notes  Light, crisp, hoppy
Stats 5.2% ABV, 25 IBU

Pill Hill is the perfect lager, bright and herbal with notes of lemongrass. It is dry hopped with Saphir and Hallertau Blanc hops and brewed with a bit of spelt for malt complexity. It’s named for a road in Hillsdale that was formerly called “Doctor’s Drive” because it was home to a medical clinic as well as the residences of several physicians. Feeling that the name was a bit pompous—and possibly an encouragement to potential burglars—the residents petitioned to change the name to Pill Hill.

BOUWERIE | Light Hop Ale


Tasting Notes  Light, hoppy, citrus
Stats  5.5% ABV, 25 IBU

Named for the Old Dutch word for farm, our Bouwerie Beer is brewed to honor the long, strong farming traditions of the Hudson Valley. Sourcing malt and hops from our local farm partners, we’ve created a beer that is simple but has heart, with a sense of place that can fit in anywhere and an authenticity that remains unassuming. It’s a satisfying way to support your local farms and brewery. 

BASH BISH BELGIAN | Farmhouse Ale


Tasting Notes  Honey, yeast forward
Stats 6.0% ABV, 22 IBU

Bash Bish Belgian features peppery notes that are softened by local Bash Bish honey—a balance of sugar and spice, with a complex farmhouse yeast profile. Next time you visit us, take a gentle hike at Bash Bish Falls, a state park located just down the road from our brewery; it features a scenic walk on a broad path to dramatic, plunging falls.

JANSSEN | Saison


Tasting Notes  Fruity, slightly funky
Stats  6.0% ABV, 30 IBU

Fermented with French Saison yeast and dry hopped with Azacca and Saaz, Janssen is complex yet approachable. It’s named for Roeliff Janssen, the namesake of our brewery. Roeliff came to New Netherland from Amsterdam in service of wealthy Dutch Patroon Killian Van Rensselaer. In 1632 he discovered a major tributary to the Hudson River that still bears his name—the Roeliff Jansen Kill.

THREE SHEETS | Tripel


Tasting Notes  Big, fruity, funky
Stats 8.7% ABV, 37 IBU

Brewed to celebrate the third anniversary of RJBC, this fruity and fun beer has a festive kick. Cantaloupe, mango and pineapple notes jump out of the glass and a slight sweetness gives way to alcohol’s warmth. We dumped the entire bounty of our beer garden’s hop harvest into the kettle—all 3 pounds! We are barrel-aging a portion for release around our fourth birthday.

TACONIC SUNDOWN | Rye Lager


Tasting Notes  Toasty malt, slight rye spice
Stats  6.0% ABV, 19 IBU

Taconic Sundown is a crisp amber lager with a rustic malt profile. Rye lends a hint of spice to the orange notes from Mandarina Bavaria hops. This is a beautiful beerpour it in a glass and experience the color of a sunset in the Taconic Hills in Columbia County, New York, where our brewery is located.

BEST FEST | Oktoberfest


Tasting Notes  Malt-forward, traditional
Stats 6.0% ABV, 24 IBU

Best Fest is a classic Oktoberfest—seasonal and festive, with a toasted and nutty malt character. It’s named after Henry Best, a proprietor of the Pulver & Best general store that was located in our building in the late 1800s.

BAR HOPPER | American Amber Ale


Tasting Notes  Strong, hoppy, molasses
Stats  7.1% ABV, 45 IBU

Named after the antique hopper that is the centerpiece of our bar, Bar Hopper is strong, hoppy, and resinous, with notes of molasses. It’s a delicious, food-friendly quaff for the holidays and beyond. In addition to Galaxy and Chinook, it was brewed with Nugget hops grown right on our property.

COZY FLANNEL | Brown Ale


Tasting Notes  Warm, full, chocolate
Stats 6.5% ABV, 20 IBU

Cozy Flannel is our English-Style Brown Ale, a traditional style that is often overlooked. Brewed with Marris Otter barley malt and other imported specialty grains, it’s a true malt showcase with rich notes of chocolate. Cozy Flannel is that comfortable, familiar brew—a classic rediscovered.

MERCANTILE | Smoked Porter


Tasting Notes  Dark, smoky, earthy
Stats  6.3% ABV, 30 IBU

Our building dates to 1851, when it was built to house the Hillsdale Mercantile Association. After months of restoration to its original appearance, it’s now home to our brewery and brewpub. We named our very first beer, Mercantile, after the building. It’s brewed with smoked malt and earthy hops for a smooth yet complex porter with subtle smoke flavor.

SHUNPIKE | Porter


Tasting Notes  Dark, bold, earthy
Stats 6.3% ABV, 32 IBU

Shunpike is a roasty, toasty porter bursting with bold chocolate malt flavor and undertones of earthy hops. It’s named for a nearby street that was originally used as a detour to avoid paying the toll on the Columbia Turnpike (now NY Route 23). “Shunpiking” now means going out of one’s way to travel scenic byways at a leisurely pace.

JOE SCHWARTZ | Coffee Schwarzbier


Tasting Notes  Dark lager with cold brew coffee
Stats  6.0% ABV, 20 IBU

Joe Schwartz, our coffee lager, is a Schwarzbier that’s dark in color, but refreshingly lighter in body. We blend it with cold brew made with rich “Notes from the Underground” espresso from our friends at No. Six Depot in West Stockbridge, MA. Deep and existential, Joe’s a man of few words, but he’s the perfect companion for a fair afternoon!

ROELIFF | Saison


Tasting Notes  Complex, yeast forward
Stats 7.0% ABV, 22 IBU

Light in color and body, but strong in character (and alcohol!), this classic French-Style Saison is spicy, fruity and distinctive. It is named for Roeliff Janssen, the namesake of our brewery who discovered a major tributary to the Hudson River that still bears his name.

WHIPPOORWILL | Wheat Beer


Tasting Notes  Light, hoppy, grapefruit
Stats  5.3% ABV, 25 IBU

This American-Style Wheat beer has it all—it’s a crisp, refreshing, flavorful beer with a story! Whippoorwill is named for a scenic road just a mile away from us in Hillsdale, which got its name from the first stanza of a poem by Hillsdale native Wallace Bruce: “I hear the notes of the whippoorwill / As of old in the gathering shade; / I sit by the rock on the quiet hill / Where in girlhood my mother played.”

ANTHONY | Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout


Tasting Notes  Rich, dark chocolate, whiskey
Stats 10.5% ABV, 50 IBU

 Anthony features a rich roasted grain profile with notes of coffee, dark chocolate, slightly burnt caramel, and dark fruit; its wonderful whiskey and wood character is the result of patient aging in Hillrock Estate Distillery bourbon barrels for 14 months. Named for Anthony Street, the location of our brewery in Hillsdale, NY. 

MAN OVERBOARD | Barrel-Aged Belgian Golden Strong


Tasting Notes  Fruit punch, boozy
Stats  10.0% ABV, 26 IBU

The raucous Man Overboard was aged in imported Jamaican rum barrels; it’s bold, boozy, brightly fruity, with notes of brown sugar and fruit punch. Named after Everardus Bogardus, the first minister of the Dutch Reformed Church in what is now New York City, who married Anneke Jans after the death of her first husband, Roeliff Jansen. He was en route to Amsterdam aboard the Princess Amelia when it ran aground just off the coast of Wales and perished in the waves.

LANDED LADY | Barrel-Aged Belgian Golden Strong


Tasting Notes  Vanilla, honey, wood
Stats 10.0% ABV, 26 IBU

The refined Landed Lady was aged in rum barrels from our friends at Berkshire Mountain Distillers; it has a deep woody character, with notes of vanilla, honey, and macaroon. Named for Anneke Jans, the wife of Roeliff Jansen. When the couple relocated to the colony of New Amsterdam in 1636, Roeliff was granted a 62-acre farm in what is now lower Manhattan. When he died just a year later, Anneke inherited his farm. She remarried the Reverend Everardus Bogardus, who owned 82 acres in Long Island. When Everardus died in a shipwreck, Anneke inherited his property as well, becoming the most “landed” woman in America.

J.R | Imperial Stout


Tasting Notes  Rich, dark chocolate, strong
Stats  9.5% ABV, 50 IBU

J.R. is dark, opaque, full-bodied, with a roasted grain profile that includes coffee, dark chocolate, and slightly burnt caramel, as well as notes of prune and fig. The name honors J.R. Burlarley, grandson of Ralph Burlarley, who owned our building when it was operating as Hillsdale Farm Supply. J.R. had a hand in the building’s renovation, replacing the large storefront windows at the residential entrance. 

EVERARDUS | Belgian Golden Strong


Tasting Notes  Fruity, funky, strong
Stats 9% ABV, 26 IBU

Everardus is bursting with tropical fruit aromas, complex peppery notes, and a long, funky finish.  Named for Anneke Jannsen’s second husband, Everardus Bogardus, a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam. Although he was a man of the cloth, Bogardus famously opposed a tax on beer imposed by Wilhelm Kieft, governor of the colony. Ironically, Bogardus and Kieft died together in a shipwreck when they were both returning to Holland.