Grand Cru Beer & Cheese Market: Great Beers. Good Start for Cheese.

By Aaron Estes, Cheese Editor

Having lived in the Hudson Valley, I can attest that it is somewhat difficult to find shops that offer a quality cheese selection. The places that do have carry cheese beyond your normal supermarket variety do not necessarily specialize in promoting local, artisanal cheese. But, a friend sent me an email that mentioned about a New York-focused beer and cheese shop that had just opened up in Rhinebeck, NY.

Rhinebeck, for those of you not familiar, is a beautiful historic area on the banks of the Hudson River in Northern Dutchess County that serves as home to several historic landmarks, restaurants and B&Bs.

With all of this to offer, there was one thing definitely lacking… a place to buy New York-sourced cheese and beer. I've spent a lot time in Rhinebeck, and understand the local feel to the area. So, I was excited to head to the Grand Cru Beer & Cheese Market and check out the offerings.

Upon entering, I could see that this place takes great pride in their beer selection. There were many great and hard-to-find breweries offered that are sometimes difficult to find even in New York City. In addition to the shelves of beer in which to “build your own six-pack,” and refrigerated cases to take and drink right away, they offer growlers and three daily selections from which to choose.  It was pretty impressive to walk into this new shop and decide on having a pint from Victory Prima Pils from PA, Ommegang Zuur from NY, and Avery Maharaja IPA from CO. All in all, this is quite a nice beer selection in an area that desperately needed a specialty shop.

That being said, I wish that their cheese selection was as extensive and varied as their beer selection.

In looking at the cheese selection, I saw a variety of cheeses that were pre-wrapped in a cold case next to the register in the back.  The cheese selection is New York-centric (which is great) with a few European favorites thrown in, but it seemed to favor one particular New York cheese farm above the others. 

Of the 10 local cheeses that were in the case (by my count at the time) 8 of them were from Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie, NY. 

There is nothing necessarily wrong with that, but I would think that a shop with a New York focus would extend beyond the immediate area. 

There were some other cheeses in the case as well -- Coach Farm Chevre and Old Chatham Ewe’s Blue -- but the case looked pretty empty with some pieces wrapped haphazardly in plastic wrap. When I asked about a couple of the Sprout Creek cheeses with which I was not familiar, they didn’t have anything open for me to sample, as everything is pre-weighed, priced and wrapped. 

After buying a couple of pieces (more on the cheeses themselves in an upcoming post), I took a seat in the front of the shop where they have a few tables and chairs. My cheeses were brought to me on a board with a few crackers and shot glass of delicious local honey for me to pair with and enjoy. But like I said, more on that in a future post.

I think it is important for any cheese shop to excite their customers about the cheeses they carry. Bring them into the stories behind the cheese, where it was produced and what the cheese maker is striving for. A great way to do that is by talking over a taste, and talking about it together.

Getting a feel for your inventory can be a difficult thing to do, especially in a brand new shop for a new area. 

Making sure that there is enough cheese to sample as well as sell is a fine line, especially without any prior knowledge or benchmark data. Having been open for only about a month as of July 12, I think the owners have made a great start in bringing artisanal cheese (and beer) to this community.  I am hopeful that as the shop owners get more of a feel for their customer base, and familiarity with the great cheeses that are being produced in New York, they will take the next step in branching out to other regions, offering tastes of what they have selected, cutting to order, and bringing their cheese counter up to the level that their beer selection has already achieved. I think this shop has a lot of potential. 

Give it some time and refinement, and this shop could become a destination spot for cheese and beer lovers making a trip through the Hudson Valley.

Comments

[Mark Rizzolo]

Good article, I've been to grand cru once before and liked it but I wonder how well it will do. There is a reason why there aren't a lot of small beer and cheese shops in non rural areas. They have to compete with grocery stores that can beat them on price. There is also a very large beer store in poughkeepsie that they have to compete with. I have a feeling the same thing will happen to liquor stores when New York lets them sell wine. Not saying its good or bad just I think it'll happen. That said if this store is going to thrive rhinebeck is the town to be in. Great store check it out.

[Aaron Estes]

Thanks for the comment Mark. As I see it, the main differential is that there will typically be more focus and care in a shop selection as opposed to a "little bit of everything" that you would normally find in a grocery store. You might find Coach Farm Chevre in a grocer's case in Rhinebeck, but probably not Rainbeau Ridge or even Lively Run. The grocery store can beat them on price, but I think that quality and customer attention is what sets the specialty shop apart. I agree that Half Time is a big competitor for them in Poughkeepsie, which is why the cheese and other locally-sourced products could be a major draw for them.

[JongS]

it's really necessary to showcase your cheeses in a more interesting and enjoying manner, so that your prospect and first-time customers will eventually go back to you rather than going to the groceries.

[Eric]

Thanks for the review and comments. Going forward, we are really going to put an emphasis on expanding our cheese selection to make it much more varied and interesting. We admit that the cheese aspect of the shop is a work in progress for us. Over the coming weeks, a lot of new additions/changes will be made. Feedback is ALWAYS welcome.

Eric from Grand Cru

[Carol B.]

As a resident of Rhinebeck, and a big fan of Grand Cru, I just wanted to address a couple of Mark's points: the local grocery stores (Stop & Shop and Hanaford) don't have great beer selections. They have the standard fare, but that's about it. And yes, Half-Time in Poughkeepsie is relatively close, but depending on traffic, it can take quite some time to get down there from this area. Plus, it's such a huge store I often find myself overwhelmed if I don't go with a list. Grand Cru is much easier to navigate. I really hope they are successful because I enjoy having a beer shop right in town.