Potown’s One-Stop Location for Beer from Around the World
Half Time Beverage, located on Route 9, stands tall as the distributor with the largest selection of wholesale international beers in the Poughkeepsie area.
The store’s name, though, refers to an age-old tradition that is sure to hit home for most sport-loving Americans.
“Half time is the original name of the beer run that happens in the middle of a football game,” says general manager John Green.
Although Half Time Beverage’s name sparks the interest of American sport-lovers, its selection of beer sparks the interest of many others. The store constantly imports the newest, most popular beers from both international and domestic brewers, providing shoppers with a wide variety to choose from.
People come from far and wide to get just a taste of what other countries have to offer in the beer department. From Stiegl made in Austria, to Andechs Weissbier Hell made in Germany, to Phuket Lager made in Thailand, Half Time Beverage has it all.
“We’ve gained lots of relationships over the years meeting brewers from around the world,” Green says. “We work closely with importers who send shipments overseas just for us.”
With beers being constantly imported from more than 60 countries around the world, customers are often stuck when it comes to deciding which brew to try. In order to give them a small taste of a variety of worldly beers, Half Time Beverage allows customers to “mix and match” their purchases.
Instead of having to buy an entire six-pack of Italy’s Birra Moretti just to taste, customers can take an empty six-pack case from a designated area, then walk around the store and fill it with six different beers from anywhere in the world. This allows them to try more options without having to buy an entire case of one that they may or may not enjoy.
Green explained that each beer on the shelves has a description card underneath that gives customers the name, its country of origin, its color rating on a scale of 1–10 and its hop rating, set on a scale of 1–5.
Despite the large selection of internationally imported beers, Half Time Beverage does not skimp out on its selection of U.S. beers.
There are twelve beers available on tap, eleven of which are native to the United States. The selection ranges from a Black India Pale Ale (IPA) from the Bronx, to a specialty grain beer brewed in Saratoga, NY.
The store also sells more commonly recognized beers, including Blue Moon, Sierra Nevada and Budweiser. Budweiser, Green mentioned, is generally the store’s top-seller, despite the large variety of more unique brews.
Green believes that the store is set apart from other distributors not only by its large selection of both international and domestic beers, but also because of the importance its employees place on customer service.
“There’s not a beer in the store we don’t know the origins of. For most of us who work here, this isn’t just a job, but it’s a hobby, too,” he explains. “So as far as customer service goes, if someone walks in, they’re immediately greeted in a friendly manner and we look to help them with whatever they need.”
