Kingston was home to several breweries a hundred years ago. Kingston Ales is keeping the tradition going at 20 St. James. Since 2003, Tommy Keegan and his 14 employees have been making award-winning specialty brews, sold to distributors from  Saratoga to New York City and Long Island and New Jersey.  Volume is 3,500 barrels, with a barrel equaling 31 gallons, that's a lot of beer. Volume is likely to increase to 5,000 to 6,000 barrels this year, according to owner Tommy Keegan, who holds a BS in biochemistry and a masters in brewery science.

Keegan’s produces Old Capital, Mother’s Milk, and Hurricane Kitty, along with seasonal and specialty brews, such as Jo Mama’s Milk, which is flavored with coffee from Monkey Joe Roasting Company. From the get-go, the beers have been lauded for their superior quality: Old Capital won the Best of show and People’s Choice awards at the Hudson Valley Micro-Brew Festival in fall 2003, and in 2009, Jo Mama’s Milk won Best Beer of New York State at the TAP NY competition (Keegan’s also snared the award for Best Brewery).

Locals have the special privilege of being able to stop by the bar and sample a new crafted beer every Tuesday. Keegan’s also is one of the favorite places around town for hearing top musicians, be they jazz, rock or folk, who perform five days a week—and there’s no cover, just lots of free peanuts to snack on.