Latest reviews from Pearl River

“Industrial workspace, with beer serving. Didn't have any food. Beer was okay. The beer and the place were nothing great, but good enough.“

jb 1077 days ago

“Small unassuming brewery and BBQ place in downtown Pearl River just around the block from Defiant Brewing. You order food and beer at the same counter. There is a small seating area and it was quite crowded when we visited (the day after Christmas).They had about six beers on tap when we visited. The three beers we tried were all decent. The food looked good, but we were just there for the beer.“

BeerdedDave 1607 days ago

“Visited on 8/24/19. Taproom with very small brewing area, on the corner of the main street of Pearl River. They had 6 beers on tap, barbecue food, dart board, picnic tables, plastic knives and forks, a couple of large LCD screens showing sports. Neither the food nor the beers were very good. Frankly I wondered why the people inside didn't simply drive for 10 minutes to a much better brewery taproom, the District 96.“

trapped 1679 days ago

“Good brewery located in an industrial warehouse building just off the main drag in Pearl River. A no frills place with good beer. They now do BBQ as well, which I have not tried (the only time I've been back since they started the BBQ was Monday and they don't have food on Mondays). They usually have a good selection of varieties, and they are generally pretty decent. I enjoy stopping in here when visiting my parents who live only about 15 minutes away from here.“

BeerdedDave 2235 days ago

“Strolled in about 45 minutes after noon on an Saturday in late May. Seemed to be more employees inside than customers, though a small gathering was outside in the warm sun. Large open space with dim lighting and the smell of smoked meat filling the air. A number of servers passed me by while I sat at the bar, finally one did talk to me. Saw this same sort of thing a few more times while there, lots of employees walking back and forth behind the bar passing by customers and not really doing much service. Could just have been me though. There were 14 beers on when I went, and it looked like there could be up to 24 based on the taps on the wall, plus a cask. While this sounds lovely, it’s going to be tough to try them all unless you bring a small crowd with you to share. There are no flights offered, and the pours are either 10 ounces, or 25 ounces. They will do samples though, which look a bit silly sitting as the bottom ounce or so in a big handled 10 ounce mug. Additionally, this is a cash only place (with an ATM on premise), which when combined with the smallest pour option being 10 ounces, really limited my desire to spend any significant amount of time here. I didn’t eat here, but the menu looks solid if you’re into barbecue and smoked meat. If you’re a vegetarian you’re going to have a tougher time of it, and are limited to mac and cheese, potato salad, cole slaw, or deviled eggs. Beers were ok, but not great. I can’t personally see a reason to come back, and wouldn’t recommend a visit unless you’re trying to hit all of the NY breweries, or something along those lines. “

j12601 2557 days ago

“Warehouse type atmosphere. Kinda noisy with it being all open and all surfaces brick or concrete. Rock music a bit loud, but it was Friday night, so that’s ok. Staff was attentive and friendly. The beers I had were good and the bbq was very good. If I’m ever in the area again, I’ll come back.“

mcox90 2590 days ago

“Took a Monday off from work to get some winter hiking in and stopped here on return. Industrial warehouse tons of tanks and brewing activities at hand. Just ok ambiance kind of s what it s, they ave a beer hall area with stage. Service was ok but bartender brewing most the time. Although when my cousin asked if they did flights he responded no but what beers do you like and I’ll recommend, coors light? Bud light? Blue moon?; then later I asked what kind of beer one was and he said it’s like blue moon. Seems more indicative of clientel but so many macro comparisons seemed odd. There were an annoying amount of fruit fies to. But overall I can see how this can be fun place when more lively.“

Jow 3018 days ago

“What you see is what you get. I came late and night and the brewing was going on right in front and on the side of me, with spelt grain dust swirling around my head. Fun to discuss beers with the brewer, and the quality was decent enough. Drop in if in the area, but call for GPS instructions, hard to find!“

Sammy 3737 days ago

“Not much in the ambiance department as the space is a long narrow warehouse type building with bright lights. The copper clad brewing equipment behind the long bar is quite striking. They have a nice rotating selection of good to great beers. I like how they keep your tab written on coasters. Fill growlers or enjoy mugs at the bar, or both.“

SYak 3818 days ago

“Defiant is located just off the railroad tracks in an industrial complex around the corner from "Main St" Pearl River. The interior is dark yet adequately lit for conversation and beer enjoyment. The tanks are staring at you from behind the bar with only the servers between you and fresh beer. Good food accompanies the beers, and friendly staff keep your glass filled.“

BeerandBlues2 3854 days ago

“This place is in a large warehouse. Lined with a long bar on your right as you enter, with fermentation and erving vessels behind, and a line of tables to the left. Sadly, they do not offer samplers, just 10 or 25 ounce pours. Interesting range of beers, which were mostly decent. We had cheese and packaged saltine crackers as a snak, but the pulled pork and other meats looked pretty good.“

Travlr 3866 days ago

“Visited May 2012.

Right next to a train station, which is cool if you’re coming from NYC. I remember hearing a lot about these guys when I first got into beer so I was excited to check out the brewery. Sadly they don’t do flight but half glasses are reasonably priced. They had half a dozen beers available and some (expensive) bottles for take away. Service wasn’t overly good when I asked if I could sample everything. Instead I ordered a few small glasses and headed out.

The atmosphere isn’t all that inviting here, at least not when I was there. They pushed some of the brewing equipment aside and put some bar stools in. It was about a hundred degrees and it smelled of spent grain. As mentioned before the bartender wasn’t particularly excited to help me but I got what I ordered. At that time the kitchen wasn’t open but they did have some beef jerky. Prices were a little steep too. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to drive here but if I was heading somewhere on the train I might get out at this stop and see what’s new.“

t0rin0 3917 days ago

“Located across the street from the town train station, this is a very masculine place full of cement blocks, steel, and exposed wooden planks. it’s basically a small production brewery that they’ve turned into a taproom by putting a long bar almost the length of room. They only accept cash but they do have an ATM in the back by the bathrooms. they had 5-6 year-rounders and 4-5 seasonals which were priced at 2 dollars more a glass than the stable product. The bartenders were friendly and attentive. Unfortunately the beers were a big disappointment as the styles I sampled were boring and bland. It’s too bad, it’s such a cool space.“

DiarmaidBHK 4068 days ago

“Really fun place in Pearl River literally across from the train station (great way to visit a brewery!). Bar runs down the length of the beer tanks in an industrial factory setting. The beers are very good and tend towards European very recipes...especially German and English styles. They have their owm BBQ smoker and make great BBQ on Fridays & Saturdays. The beer and BBQ is a "very" nice combo. Try some of their specialty beers...very original and often strong in character (sometimes alcohol too).“

PRBeer 4102 days ago

“I’ve done quite a bit of business at Defiant in the past few years, so it’s time to rate the place. Basically it’s a long bar in the middle of a working brewery. It’s not exactly swank, but there’s a certain charm in that. Staff is busy, but friendly and know their beer quite well. I have drank beers at the bar as well as purchased growlers, bottles and even a keg there and have been pleased by their brews. As far as the food, I have only had their cheese tray (it was good). Overall I’d say that this is a pretty cool place. Would like to check it out on a busy night to really get an idea of the atmosphere.“

HighlanderOne 4540 days ago

“Located across from the train station. The place itself is a brewery that is very long with an equally long bar. They now serve bbq, cheese and have a kitchen, though I didn’t order any when I was there. Great beers, super friendly staff, good prices, growlers, cash only. I’ll definitely be back for more!“

Cletus 4672 days ago

“the brewery is next to the pearl river train station in a squat cinderblock mini industry truck depot. the operation is right up in your face and you can see the day to day activities that go on in there. the people are decent enough like the beers. the brews are served on a long bar and there is information available to the public as well as opportunity to join the select club of imbibers at the cost of $100. a bit worn down and haggard looking the overall vibe is mediocrity which ain’t half bad huh?!“

BREWMUSKCLES 5411 days ago

“I’m giving this place a 5 for ambiance, just because I felt the whole bare bones motif really adds to the whole experience. I dont need flat screens HDTVs and pretty lights. Im here to drink. Pour me a beer. Loved it.“

weezfour 5470 days ago

“This is as close to having fresh beer as you can possibly get. The place isn’t much, just a long bar with some comfortable stools. Service is friendly and great. It is a nice local place that I have grown to love. The beer comes right out of the tankards! I got my growler and will definitely go back the next time I am in town!“

Hawksfan17 5700 days ago

“Stopped here to pick up some growlers. Just a long, narrow room with high ceilings and no decor to speak of. Pretty industrial looking. Service isn’t bad, it just took very long for the guy to fill two growlers. Also, there’s a bottle list, but you can only drink them there. Why? Beers range from boring to decent. As of now (from what I’ve tried so far) some good offerings are the Farmhouse, and the Stout of War. I just wish we could take the bottles to go as well.“

PilsnerPeter 5770 days ago

“Truly one of my very favorite places since moving to NY a year ago. Yes, the decor is bare bones, but the barstools are comfortable, the beer is fresh, and the folks on both sides of the bar are the best people anywhere. Not a massive variety of brews to try at most times, but with the goodness available in the beers, you really don’t care. Very reasonable prices for glasses and growlers, just a nice place to spend an evening. Come by and make a new friend, try a great brew, and have a good time!“

hunter112 5865 days ago

“Walked in at 2 on a Saturday and by 3 there were at least a dozen people in the house. The decor is bare bones, but it seems just right. You get served right out of the conditioning tanks, which is a great touch I think. Service is attentive, intelligent, and just right. Selection was nice with a good variety of different things. It’d be nice if there were smaller bottles available and more tap selections, but it’d also be nice if I was worth $15 million. Whaddya gonna do, ya know? Food is limited to cheese. Overall this is a place to check out. If you want some good beer, you’re a fool to pass it up. I’d go back, and it’s a pain in the ass to get to from Brooklyn.“

RblWthACoz 5869 days ago

“There are cuurently 15 beers that I can recall. Beers are $3.25 per glass and growlers are offered as well. Cheese is currently offered but additional items will be served soon.“

dre9dog99 6023 days ago

“Neil and Ben are ridiculously gracious and knowledgable hosts that spent a solid two hours with my friend and I, just talking beer and whatnot. There’s no question that these two men love beer and Defiant Brewing Co. They welcomed us like old friends, and we’ll be going back again and again. The beers sampled were all well above average, and the pizza place across the tracks makes some of the best pizza you’ll find anywhere. The food rating is for the pizza, and Neil gets a full five points in ambiance for having the Bennington flag hanging prominently! “

HoppityHop 6264 days ago

“Met up here with dickinsonbeer for a homebrew club meeting. Long, somewhat narrow brewery with a bar that runs just about the entire length. Neil was a good host and I enjoyed sampling a couple of his beers. Bought a couple of growlers to go. Don’t trust mapquest for directions to the brewery, as it will leave you about a block and a half away.“

hophead75 6340 days ago

“(Growlers to go only.) Neill is the brewer, bartender, and owner. He has some nice beers on tap. There are about 6 beers that are offered. He fill growlers right from the fermenters. Nice selection of beers. The food is limited. Sometimes he has some cheese and bread. Very friendly person. He is very knowledgable. Nice location. Definitely worth a trip up there.“

mkobes 6368 days ago

“As said before, Neil is owner-brewer ect. Every brew was at the least good, with some being great. Price and size of mugs lets you taste all he has on tap, which is served right from the fermenters. Great beer here, and easy to get to. Just follow directins to the pub across the street.“

Lou18 6411 days ago

“Place is basically a brewery that happens to serve beer. Neil Acer is the owner/brewer/bartender who must be up to his ears in work, but his love of brewing really shows. Every beer sampled was at the very least quite good, with some(especially the pumpkin and Christmas ale) outstanding! All beer served in 10oz. mugs for $2.75, with growlers going for $7.50 plus $2.50 deposit for the bottle. Since he was out of growlers, Neil let Joeec5 and myself use our own 2L swingtop growlers for $7.50. Great place in a convenient location from North Jersey(around 35 minutes from Giants Stadium). I can see myself becoming a regular at this place.“

jimmack 6424 days ago

“11/15/06 NOTE: Growlers to go only. Neill can not serve glasses of beer. ----------------------------------------- Neill Acer, after brewing at serveral area brewpubs has now opened up his own place. The Defiant Brewery is also a tasting room. It is located directly across the tracks from the Pearl RIver Train Station, in the white building. Mapping websites might lead you wrong as there is also Dexter Ave in town, so just find the train station. The beer is served directly from the tanks. Growlers are also filled. 6 beers were offered at the opening, the selection, will only get better, not that there was anything wrong to begin with. No TV’s or loud music. Food is limited, cheese/crackers etc at the opening. There are plans to offer a greater variety of cold foods but there is no kitchen, it is a brewery after all, and not a brew pub.“

ruffian 6454 days ago