USA, NY: Crossroads Brewing Company to open for business this summer

The wait is finally over for a new craft brewery along Catskill Creek.

Crossroads Brewing Company will open for business this summer, the Catskill Daily Mail reported on March 18.

Construction has begun on the former Columbia-Greene Media printing-press-turned-brewery, and the owners anticipate taps will be flowing in the new tasting room on the Fourth of July weekend, co-owner Ken Landin said on March 17.

"Dimensions North of Catskill has been overseeing the construction, and they have been fantastic," Landin said. "Construction has been moving along. It is an old building and we gutted the whole thing down to the bones and started from scratch. This week’s weather is not helping much, but we’re battling through it."

Crossroads Brewing Company purchased the building on Water Street from Columbia-Greene Media in June. It was part of an expansion of Landin and co-owner Janine Bennett’s brew house and restaurant 21 2nd St. in Athens, which they opened at the former home of the Brooks Opera House in October 2009.

The building in Catskill, "had all the infrastructure that we needed, and the brewery consumes a lot of water and energy," Landin said.

The expansion will have the capacity to hold 10,000 barrels, a significant increase over its 900-barrel brew house in Athens, and will allow Crossroads to market and sell their brews to states such as Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Vermont, Landin said.

The company sells its ales, stouts and porters as far south as New York City and as far north as Albany, he said.

At their location in Athens, the owners typically have 10 different signature brews on tap at any given time. The brewery’s flagship brew is its Outrage IPA. Other popular beers and ales include the Black Rock Stout and First Pitch Pilsner, which is released at the start of the baseball season in the spring.

"We always have different beers to try, so people will find something that they like," Landin said.

Landin said he anticipates brewing and manufacturing at the Catskill location will start between June and July.

With support from the Catskill Village Board, Crossroads Brewing Company received $322,000 in federal funding administered by the state’s Office of Community Renewal to help expand from Athens to Catskill.

As part of a grant agreement, Crossroads will create 22 jobs at the Catskill site within the next two years. Those positions will predominantly be filled in the manufacturing, production, packaging and sales departments, Landin said.

While the brewery will not include a restaurant like the Athens location, Landin said he is looking into other dining options.

"There will be a small tasting room that will overlook the creek," Landin said. "People can come in, sit at the bar and purchase a beer. We are also looking into partnering with some food trucks."

Landin said he expects visits to the new location will bolstered by traffic along the soon-to-be-repaired Black Bridge. The brewery could serve as a watering hole for passersby along the Catskill Creek Walking Loop, he said.

The half-mile-long pedestrian pathway will connect Water Street, the Black Bridge, West Main Street and the Uncle Sam Bridge, and incorporate various lighting, boardwalks, benches and pocket parks. The walking loop project is expected to break ground on March 20.

"I think they go hand in hand," Landin said about the projects. "The Walking Loop is going to be an attraction. Once the Black Bridge is completed — it will be a historical accomplishment and it will really tie everything together. So I think the timing is really great for us considering what’s happening in Catskill."

On the decision to expand its brewery to Catskill, Landin said: "There is a good vision for the growth of Catskill. We thought it would be a great fit (to expand there). We had a chance to chance to be a part of an up-and-coming area in Catskill and to add to that."

19 March, 2017