Clemson Brothers Brewery, Middletown NY

29 June 2024

From what I’ve read online, Clemson Brothers has made quite a name for themselves. Now that I’ve visited, I see why — the beer is both interesting and tasty and the surprisingly large food menu definitely satisfies one’s hunger.

I was a bit unsure of things as I drove through less and less inviting areas of Middletown to get here, but their building is intriguing and there’s parking right next to it, just on the other side of bushes from their outdoor Beer Garden. The main area inside isn’t huge, but the ground floor windows in the photo above are in a long room just off the main space that provides plenty of extra dining area. The main room is in the building extension just off the left side of the photo. This next photo is actually taken from the bathroom area looking vaguely back to the main entrance (just beyond what you can see in the far left corner of the inside photo).

The young lady standing behind the bar in the photo above was my server, and she was the best kind of cheerful, much more so than the other server working today. It’s wonderful to be somewhere that the staff is so welcoming and helpful.

I started off with a flight, described left to right, but I’ll start off by saying that even though these four look very similar, they’re very different tastes and all are wonderful:

Cherry Tree Wheat – Wheat Beer, 5% – My first thought was wow, this is great! And that was followed immediately by wow, this is a LOT of cherry flavor. I would have liked about half the amount of cherry, but I’ll admit that it did grow on me and it actually paired really well with the food.

Clemson Pilsner – Pilsner, 5% – They call this one their take on an unfiltered Pilsner. It was refreshing and interesting, not my favorite, but still good.

Tower 22 Double IPA – Imperial IPA, 8.2% – You’ll notice a cross-out on the flight board for this one — it was supposed to be an experimental IPA called Trinity Test TR-3, but that one kicked earlier today and they didn’t have another keg of it. The server was sad about that because she said it was really, really good! But the Tower 22 was an excellent substitute and it was, by a thin margin, my favorite of the flight — it was refreshing and smooth and completely hid the alcohol in the flavors. Perfect!

Walkill River Wheat – Wheat Beer, 5.2% – It’s very seldom that I find a straight-up wheat beer that I really love. This is it! It’s surprisingly light for a wheat beer and would be a great all-day drinker.

Food was a Turkey Melt and it comes standard with Parmesan Truffle Fries (yum!). As you can see, the turkey is the Real Deal, not processed deli meat, and there’s cheese, bacon, tomato, and chipotle mayo with it on sourdough bread. I couldn’t quite finish it all, but it surely was enjoyable. I followed all of this with one final beer:

Brewer’s Mistress – Session IPA, 5.6% – Perfectly balanced and a good match for any food or just by itself, this beer became the crowler beer I took back with me to the hotel for the evening.

There’s one final bit of whimsy I’ll share with you from the visit to Clemson Brothers and that’s the water faucet in the men’s bathroom. Someone has a very active and creative imagination! And yes, it works!

Clemson Brothers will stay on my list for a potential return visit and I’ll definitely watch for their beers in stores.