Tim Reinke knows his craft beer. Co-owner and managing partner of Birdsall House and Gleason’s in Peekskill, NY, Tim got his start in bars in 1996 when, on a whim, he left his job in the California film industry. “I just got kind of tired of the grind and sold all my stuff and moved to New York.”
From there, he got a job bartending at Collins Bar, a now-closed spot in Hell’s Kitchen, and spun that classic dive into a bar focused on craft beer. As Tim notes, “that was back when craft beer was a much smaller community than it’s become now.”
Following the path of artisanal beers, Reinke became a partner in the Blind Tiger Ale House, the seminal craft beer mecca on Bleecker Street that still draws beer geeks from far and wide. In 2008, he decamped from Manhattan, taking his beer expertise to artist-friendly Peekskill. Says Tim, “I don’t miss it too much, to be honest. I like the woods.” Since then, he’s been running Birdsall House for beer lovers and Gleason’s for cocktail hounds.
Here are Tim Reinke’s go-to spots around Peekskill:
Blondery
It’s a production facility here but it’s also a shop that sells little brownies and cake jars and the desserts are out of this world. There’s just a little counter at the front but that’s really it. And the desserts are amazing.
Bruised Apple Books and Music
It’s a great, classic old bookstore with the creaky floors and that smell of old books, a really nice place just to kind of wander around in the afternoon. And Andrew, the guy that runs it, knows where every single book is in the shop.
Whiskey River
Whiskey River has great staff, great food, an awesome cocktail program, and a huge whiskey selection, hence the name. They opened right as the pandemic started and managed to make it through doing to-go orders. Since then, it’s kind of become my office if I’m not at Birdsall or Gleason’s.
RameNesque
RameNesque is our local noodle shop, but it’s expanded a bit—they have sushi now. There’s great food, super easy, and it’s a great go-to.
Kyle’s Pub
Kyle’s Pub is an old-school dive bar; it’s been around for over 20 years. And it’s a great crowd: kind of a mix of everybody: blue collar, gay, straight. It’s a really welcoming place with low key, simple bar food—all around, a good vibe.
