Hoptember Festival in Lagrange, NY, Showcases Local Breweries, Cideries, Distilleries
Carmine Istvan
Dutchess Hops, in Lagrange, will hold its seventh annual Hoptember festival on September 7. It will feature more than 20 local breweries, cideries and distilleries, plus music by the bluegrass band Tilly Foster and alternative country music by Gold Hope Duo.
VIP admission includes early entrance to the event, a commemorative glass and T-shirt, and preferred parking. VIPs can also participate in a rare beer and specialty food tasting.
Dutchess Hops is about supporting local farms and businesses to benefit the area’s economy, and the Hoptember festival shows that, says Carmine Istvan, who owns Eastern View Nursery, the farm that’s home to Dutchess Hops. “This is a true farm-to-pint experience. It features local beer, local food and local music all day. We encourage everyone to come meet our Hudson Valley brewers, distillers, cidery owners and farmers.”
Dutchess Hops, which uses organic practices, is the first commercial hop farm in the Hudson Valley. Istvan says he started it in 2013, to fill a void in the fast-growing local craft beer industry. What began as a four-acre project has rapidly expanded, and now Istvan hopes it will become the largest commercial hop farm in New York State.
Meanwhile, Istvan has begun growing organic hemp along with the hops. “Right now the state is regulating hemp. We would like to brew with it, but it’s still in the process of legalization. Hemp is legal, but brewing with it is still in the works,” he says.
Cost: $55 general admission or $80 VIP. Location: Dutchess Hops at Eastern View Nursery, 1167 Noxon Rd., Lagrange, NY. For tickets, visit BrownPaperTickets.com. For info, visit DutchessHops.com.
VIP admission includes early entrance to the event, a commemorative glass and T-shirt, and preferred parking. VIPs can also participate in a rare beer and specialty food tasting.
Dutchess Hops is about supporting local farms and businesses to benefit the area’s economy, and the Hoptember festival shows that, says Carmine Istvan, who owns Eastern View Nursery, the farm that’s home to Dutchess Hops. “This is a true farm-to-pint experience. It features local beer, local food and local music all day. We encourage everyone to come meet our Hudson Valley brewers, distillers, cidery owners and farmers.”
Dutchess Hops, which uses organic practices, is the first commercial hop farm in the Hudson Valley. Istvan says he started it in 2013, to fill a void in the fast-growing local craft beer industry. What began as a four-acre project has rapidly expanded, and now Istvan hopes it will become the largest commercial hop farm in New York State.
Meanwhile, Istvan has begun growing organic hemp along with the hops. “Right now the state is regulating hemp. We would like to brew with it, but it’s still in the process of legalization. Hemp is legal, but brewing with it is still in the works,” he says.
Cost: $55 general admission or $80 VIP. Location: Dutchess Hops at Eastern View Nursery, 1167 Noxon Rd., Lagrange, NY. For tickets, visit BrownPaperTickets.com. For info, visit DutchessHops.com.
