USA, NY: Skewed Brewing Co. planning to move production to facility in Lowville

A Watertown brewing company plans to move production to a facility in Lowville developed by the Lewis County Industrial Development Agency.

“They are very enthusiastic, as we are,” IDA board Chairman Roscoe K. “Rocky” Fawcett, also a county legislator from Lyonsdale, said of Skewed Brewing Co.

The IDA board has approved a lease/purchase agreement with Skewed, which operates a restaurant at the Salmon Run Mall in Watertown, on a building containing nearly new brewing equipment at 5501 Trinity Ave.

Co-owner Ryan N. Chaif said the plan is to relocate their brewing equipment here within the next month and operate it as a production facility for their beer and non-alcoholic kombucha tea. The new facility and additional brewing equipment will allow them to effectively double production and “keep up with the demand” for their restaurant in Watertown, he said.

“It’s a good time to increase production,” he said, adding that their American pale ale named the Juice won a silver medal from the 2017 New York State Craft Beer competition.

Mr. Chaif said the brewery was reaching capacity and felt the 1,728-square-foot structure, which was already set up for brewing, about 40 minutes away, would be a good fit. “It seemed like a good opportunity,” he said.

There are no immediate plans for a taproom or other retail operation here, but that may be a future possibility, Mr. Chaif said.

The IDA last year purchased the building at 5501 Trinity Ave. for $98,000 and an additional $162,000 in brewing equipment and entered a lease-to-own agreement with BarkEater Craft Brewery, Lowville, which was looking to expand. That business since its opening in 2014 had made small batches of beer in a room at the rear of its 5411 Shady Ave. taproom.

BarkEater owner Dean T. Richards had made payments on the building since August and the equipment since October but stopped in February, according to IDA officials. Mr. Richards used the building for brewing through May but was then removed because of failure to make the lease payments.

BarkEater has continued to operate from its Shady Avenue location, and Mr. Richards has indicated he is working with another in-state brewery to produce BarkEater beers and hopes to add an additional tap room in the Adirondack region by spring 2018.

While a contract with the Chaifs must still be signed, Mr. Fawcett said they will be getting essentially the same deal as BarkEater, and IDA officials hope to recoup their investment and help foster the local business venture. “This is a win-win situation,” he said.

The IDA board is also seeking a continuance of judgment against Mr. Richards with the intent of negotiating a repayment plan to recoup some funds without financially overwhelming the local brew company.

19 September, 2017