If you love fine craft beer amid peaceful, intelligent fun, you owe yourself a visit to this place. Down a winding rural road in Tivoli, Emily and Alex Wenner are brewing up the good times with the finest local ingredients and welcoming guests to a beautiful, purpose-built tasting room flooded with natural light amid 32 gloriously rural acres, and there’s no better way to spend a weekend day than to fill it with Lasting Joy. It works well for the Wenners, high school sweethearts who got to know each other building a umiak (an open-style boat traditionally used by Inuit people) together at the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts. After college, the two got married and lived in Brooklyn. Alex worked in video games for a while, but the home-brewing hobby he’d begun playing with in college—starting with nothing but a one-burner stove—soon began to feel like his true calling.
Brewing equipment takes up space, and so do four children; in 2018, the Wenners pulled up stakes and, with a little help from family, found their piece of paradise in Columbia County among kindred spirits. “Migliorelli’s Farm grows barley and sells it to Hudson Valley Malt, where they do old-school floor malting, and we buy from them, so it’s all-told a journey of about ten miles from the field to the glass,” Emily says. “We love this corner of Dutchess County. It’s vibrant and smart, and we’ve found so many collaborators—from the local crew during construction to the amazing growers producing local ingredients, and the regulars who come in.”
“Migliorelli’s Farm grows barley and sells it to Hudson Valley Malt, where they do old-school floor malting, and we buy from them, so it’s a journey of about ten miles from the field to the glass.” – Co-owner, Emily Wenner
The atmosphere is family friendly. “Our kids have grown up in this by now,” Wenner says. “Our youngest is super-outgoing, and she loves it when the brewery’s open. ‘Are we open yet? Are any of my friends there?’ And oftentimes, they are.” Ticketed drag bingo parties are 21+; so was Trivia Night for a while, but that was switched back to all ages by popular demand. Well-behaved pets are also welcome, indoors and out, and there’s plenty of lovely outdoor space for relaxation and refreshment.
Local organizations—schoolteachers, historians—have taken to hosting their gatherings at Lasting Joy, which Wenner loves. And 7 years in, the brewery has magnetized an exceptional team. Hailey Luce, a sommelier, and her chef husband, Collin, first joined forces during college at the Culinary Institute. Manager Casey Krawczuk polished his hospitality chops at Zeus Brewery. Longtime server Jon Wunder is working the all-important cellar person role.
Lasting Joy offers five core beers: The earthy Heartbeet of the Hudson is served in fall and winter. Three more are available year round: the bittersweet fan favorite Clouds over Clermont; the Two Rivers Pilsner, a traditional Czech pilsner made with local malt; and the malty but light and crisp Ilovit [“Tivoli” spelled backwards] Lager, an homage to the village that was first created for Tivoli’s 150th birthday party.
“I think we’re going to do a berry and a grape this summer,” Wenner says. “And we’ll be serving our new American Light Lager, which is super drinkable—light and easy, low alcohol, the perfect beer for a relaxing summer afternoon.”
Finally, Beekeeper’s Bliss, which was inspired by Nordic honeymoon mead, is fruity with a dry hint of honey, “pairs well with love and marriage,” and is available in spring and summer. You’ll also find some experimental and seasonal offerings, like the Pick-Your-Own series of light, fruity IPAs. “I think we’re going to do a berry and a grape this summer,” Wenner says. “And we’ll be serving our new American Light Lager, which is super drinkable—light and easy, low alcohol, the perfect beer for a relaxing summer afternoon.” You’ll also find cider, wine, house cocktails, and non-alcoholic choices, as well as tea, coffee, and hot cocoa.
This summer marks the debut of Gather at Lasting Joy, a custom full-time food truck with a full menu of savory pub grub.
This summer marks the debut of Gather at Lasting Joy, a custom full-time food truck with a full menu of savory pub grub, and the Wenners are considering adding to the fun with ticketed dinners exploring terrific pairings. (Ingredients, of course, will be fresh and local.) Live music will be happening all summer long, with events both small and large; DJ Sean will be back spinning a vinyl vibe on holidays.
“And the Tom Prettys, an all-women tribute band, is playing our anniversary party again,” Wenner says. “It’s always a blast. We love all of it; we love being Tivoli’s own brewery. I really enjoy seeing people develop that, you know, pride of place; I love seeing them relax and feeling like this is their backyard.”
lasting joy brewery
485 Lasher Road, Tivoli
845-757-2337
lastingjoybrewery.com
