Beer, cornhole, trivia and music: it’s officially summer at Apex Brewery

Locals flock to Apex Brewery in Monroe, N.Y. for its wide selection of brews, and the welcoming atmosphere – led by owner David Holm’s belief that beer is for everyone.

“Someone walked up to me in the brewery and said ‘It’s really nice coming here because you built this sense of community within your tap room... It almost feels like we’re being invited into your living room to hang out at a house party,’” said Holm.

Holm opened Apex in October 2019, but his beer-brewing journey began in his home over 15 years ago.

“I actually built my own three vessel homebrew house, basically around a ten gallon batch size,” said Holm. “I built my own equipment... and got a much more precise setup as opposed to throwing it in the cooler and hoping for the best.”

Today, Holm has expanded greatly upon the ten gallon batches that he was making at home. Apex – described as “halfway into a microbrewery from a nanobrewery” – prides itself on its variety, from “Quadrobeania,” a Belgian quad brewed with coffee, to “Star Pass Pale Ale,” which features Monroe Hops and hints of raspberry, orange, pineapple and passionfruit.

Holm’s current favorite draught is “Brewstachestrong,” a citrusy IPA created in collaboration with Stache Strong, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for brain cancer research.

Summer cheers

This summer, the brewery is hosting bi-weekly cornhole tournaments, music performances on Saturdays, and trivia nights on Sundays. In time, Holm also hopes to hold various charity events.

Here are just a few of the brewery’s upcoming July events:

● Saturday, July 2, 6-9 p.m.: Live music from Nina and the Blender Brothers

● Sunday, July 3, 3-5 p.m.: Trivia night hosted by Half Pint, featuring four rounds with individual prizes for each. The overall winning team gets a round of beer. Plus, the Cousins Maine Lobster food truck will be on site.

● Friday, July 8, 7-9 p.m.: Live music from Nerd on Guitar

● Saturday, July 9, 2-6 p.m.: Cornhole tournament

● Sunday, July 10, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Yoga and Brews – a yoga class for all-levels, followed by a round of beer.

Endless variety, endless samples

Apex is one of many local breweries that will be pouring up unlimited beer samples at the Black Dirt Beer Bash Saturday, Sept. 10 at Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center. Discounted early bird tickets are available through July 4 at blackdirtbeer.eventbrite.com.