Well, fall is here and if the too-cool-for-school crowds at Brooklyn Brewery are a bit much for you after a long week, you should get familiar with Captain Lawrence Brewery out in Pleasantville, NY. It's just shy of an hour away on Metro North and free! I went there recently on a little day date adventure and have to say I had quite the afternoon.
After the train ride, the Brewery is a nice 10 minute walk from the station (no need to rent a Zip Car or anything for this out-of-the city excursion). I’m not going to oversell the ambiance inside, which is pretty bare bones, but had an honest vibe that reminded me of a high school basement with a bar that someone’s parents put in but never used, and now your guy friends play pretend with the taps. Luckily the taps at Captain Lawrence are real and surrounded by four walls, an old rug, and framed newspaper clippings that chronicle the brewery’s impressive start and young founder Scott Vaccaro. Anywhere from 5-6 of Captain L’s brews are on draft (they can’t serve you more than two of each brew type, but hey, they’re free, and 10-12 samples of these puppies goes a long way).
Personally, I very much enjoyed the Nut Brown Ale available, as well as the Liquid Gold and Pale Ale for something lighter (apparently the taps change frequently). Be prepared: I didn’t happen to see any food on-site, so you might want to stash a snack in your bag to keep you stable and absorb the delicious beer (my three choices averaged about 6% ABV). I think the brewery sells Dipsy Doodles and other chips circa 1993 for a buck a piece in a shoebox across from the bar (but who knows how long they’ve been there, and well, they’re kept in a shoebox).
You’re free to roam around the back room, which is cavernous and filled with massive, steely equipment, vats, tubes and appliances all used to make the drink in hand. Looking around it sort of felt like a boozy museum installation. A few high top tables and stools are also situated back here - if you can snag one don’t let it go since seats are few and far between.
The guys behind the bar range in age and style (from grizzly to hipster), but not in their knowledge about what they’re serving up. At any given time you can eavesdrop on conversations about limited edition bottles, what brewery is cooking up something exciting, and little secrets about where to go back in the city for a good drink. If you drop some knowledge of your own on them, it might grant you access to a few types of beer not available on tap – but I didn’t experience that firsthand. All in all, well worth the trip that included a short train ride, afternoon stroll, a welcoming scene, and new beers to experience or learn about that you can chat over with your date on the train ride back to NYC.
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