Drowned Lands is a farm brewery that opened in late 2020 and is located in Warwick, Hudson Valley's Black Dirt region on a 700-acre park with views of Wawayanda Creek and the Appalachian mountains. The building they are out of is over 100 years old, previously a rehabilitation center for young men from 1914 through the 70s and later becoming a correctional facility. They have completely renovated the space to make it bright, open, and welcoming which aligns with their slogan, "Slow Down, Stay Awhile."
They use their beer as a way to connect agriculture and the consumer. With many different styles of beers, it would be hard to not find one you like. While visiting a few weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to see they have an interesting selection of low ABV beers. Mixed cultures, foeder aging, and attention to detail when it comes to their grains and hops, sets them apart. There's thoughtfulness behind each ingredient they use and I was excited to interview Founder, Mike Kraai and learn more about their production.
HB— What's your background in brewing and what led you to opening Drowned Lands?
MK— We opened the Drowned Lands as a destination brewery to connect people to the agriculture, the season, and the distinct area in which the beer is brewed to the liquid itself.
My personal background was in construction and then business, and finance. I always had a passion for craft beer and was an avid home brewer for many years. I truly enjoy the creative, artistic, and community component’s that come along with owning a brewery, so really it just felt like a natural fit for everything that I know and love.
HB— With opening in late 2020, can you share how business has been and how it's perhaps changed in the last couple of years?
MK— In general, opening the brewery was a massive challenge. Years of planning, fundraising, and extensive construction. We’re family owned, so it wasn’t like we had a big team or a lot of money to help make it happen, the whole thing was very grassroots, brick by brick. We got through all of that, finally ready to open, and then Covid hit which was another big hurdle. But overall it’s been great, and we’ve been super busy since the first day we opened.
We’re fortunate to be located on over 3 acres, which backs up to a 700 acre park. So despite the covid regulations, people we’re still able to enjoy the outdoor and open space.
In terms of how things have changed, this summer is our first summer fully open with out any major restrictions so we get to do a lot more fun events, like music concerts, food pairings, and artist showcases, ect. I’m really excited about our first beer festival on August 20th, called Wild Acres. A celebration of thoughtful and well procured ales & lagers from 30 of the best brewers in the country. Should be a really fun day!
HB— You're one of the few breweries I've seen talking about terroir. Can you share what prompted you to make the connection of land and beer?
MK— We love terroir! I think theirs a nice write up on our website sums it up best, so I will include that below. But I will add, it’s just really fun from a production perspective to be able to offer something truly unique to the consumer. There’s a lot of hazy IPA out there, and a lot taste very similar. For us, it’s fun to continue to be innovative with recipes, and offer something the consumer has probably never tried before. Our Foeder Pilsner for example, Rare Earth is brewed with 100% NY malt, NY Hops, Warwick Valley Water, and then Fermented and aged in an American Oak Foeder. The beer is very crisp and refreshing like other lagers, but there’s this added flavor profile and aromas that make the beer really stand out (toasted marshmallow, oak, and local bread).
It’s also fun that Rare Earth will change slightly throughout the year depending on the ambient temperature, and how our water profile changes. There’s a lot to this topic that is still to be explored which is really exciting for us. All that being said, we don’t shy away from brewing a world class hazy IPA or a more traditional style of beer.
from Drowned Lands Website —
“WE BELIEVE THAT IN A WORLD QUICKLY APPROACHING 10,000 CRAFT BREWERIES, THE NEXT GENERATION OF GREAT BREWERIES WILL BE THE ONES THAT BEST CONNECT THE DRINKER FROM THE AGRICULTURE, THE SEASONS, THE DISTINCT AREA IN WHICH THE BEER IS BREWED - TO THE LIQUID ITSELF.
WE BELIEVE THE NOTION OF TERROIR - THE CHARACTER AND FLAVOR IMPARTED BY THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH IT IS PRODUCED - IS AN UNDER-EXPLORED CONCEPT IN AMERICAN CRAFT BEER AND ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING EXPRESSIONS LEFT TO BE DISCOVERED. “
HB— Given that you are on a large property, do you grow most of your own ingredients or do you work with local farms too?
MK— We don’t grow any grains or fruits, at our brewery size that would take quite a bit of land and farming and is quite an undertaking. But we’re fortunate to be in an extremely fertile region of the world, so we already feel Dirt Rich. And we enjoy partnering with, and supporting local farmers.
Might be adding a little orchard in the future, but we’re still so young and have some other higher priority projects at the moment. Adding a premiere farm to table food program is a big project we’re currently working on.
HB— For those not familiar with Warwick's Black Dirt, can you share that history?
MK— Sure. Long story here, but basically there is a huge concentration of the Warwick Valley that would flood year, after year. It was untillable since the floods would ruin all the crops, so in the mid 1850s Farmers got together and re-routed the Wallkill River to prevent future flooding. What was left behind was Black Dirt which is so dark in color because it’s nearly 90% organic matter, which is a result of thousands of years of flooding and being under water.
HB— How would you say the Black Dirt affects the taste of the beers you're making?
MK— We harvest yeast from our property which is the primary driver of flavor in most beers, that’s a major factor. The native mineral profile of the Warwick valley is on full display in all of our beers, also a very significant factor. And lastly we often ferment in oak, either through foeders (we have 7!) or barrel aging. Oak is porous so that microbes, humidity, and ambient temperatures all affect the flavor of the beer.
HB— Where do you find inspiration when it comes to can designs and beer styles?
MK— Inspiration from nature for sure. The beauty of the Warwick Valley is inspiring, and can be shown on full display throughout the design of our taproom, our cans, and layout of our property. Similarly for developing beer styles, we love beers that represent the land on which they were brewed.
HB— Of the many styles of beer you've made thus far, which has been your favorite?
MK— Gather House is one of my personal favorites, the name represents the idea that our brewery was very much built as a bucolic destination for people to gather, Slow Down, and Stay Awhile. The beer itself is soft and inviting, with a nice wheat forward complex flavor profile followed by Belgian yeast notes, coriander and orange peel. It’s a beer that appeals to both a beer aficionado or a beer novice. Rare Earth, Slow River, and Deep Terra are some other favorites definitely worth mentioning as well.
HB— Where do you see the future of brewing?
MK— For us, we intend to continue exploring the concept of terroir in beer. My hope is that the consumer will come along for the journey. Right now it seems like the ultra hoppy, heavily fruited, 5 adjunct stout, and high ABV beers are very mainstream. We recently brewed a 2.75% foeder table beer and aged it on fresh Lemon. Not exactly a hype style, but I was pretty stoked when I saw it was our best seller the first two weekends after it was released.
If you are looking to visit, Drowned Lands is currently open Thursday through Sunday each week, with food trucks and live music on the weekends. If you can't make it to Warwick, Homespun Foods is happy to have a rotating selection of their brews on our retail shelf and beer list.
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