USA, NY: Liquid State Brewing now open in Ithaca

It's billed as "Ithaca's New West End Brewery." It's also the only craft production brewery within the Ithaca city limits, the Detroit Metro Times reported on October 26.

Liquid State Brewing opened at 620 West Green St. on Wednesday (Oct. 25), with a grand opening party set for Nov. 4.

While the Ithaca area and the Finger Lakes in general are home to many craft breweries, Liquid State will be alone as a primary beer manufacturer in the city itself. The Bandwagon Brewpub is at 114 N. Cayuga St. downtown, but its main beer production has moved to its larger brewery in Interlaken. Two others - Ithaca Beer Co. and Scale House Pub & Brewery - are just outside the city.

Liquid State Brewing is co-owned by Ben Brotman, a former brewer with Empire Farm Brewery, and Jamey Tielens, who works at the Cornell Lab of Orinthology. James Dean is the general manager.

It will operate a tasting room for its own beers, plus beer, wine and spirits from around the region. It will also serve local food -- mostly German-inspired small plates -- and host local food trucks.

The brewery tasting room is 2,800 square feet, set up in an open beer hall format with a patio.

The brewhouse is a '90s-era set-up from Japan (complete, the owners say, with Japanese operating instructions. Its output is measured in hectoliters, not barrels, as would be typical in most American breweries. It's a 20-hectoliter system (about 17 barrels), making it a decent size for a start-up brewery. (A barrel is 31 gallons).

In its Kickstarter funding post, the owners say Liquid State will produce "everything from the hottest new styles like New England IPAs and Barrel-Aged Sours, to more classic styles like a Belgian White, Czech-Style Pilsner and a German-Style Kolsch." Its beers will use local ingredients, including hops from a nearby farm operated by Tielens.

Liquid State says it aims to be part of the greater Finger Lakes area beer trail and a destination for Ithaca.

"Located in Ithaca's West End District among a growing community of businesses, we plan to make our neighborhood a destination not just for Ithacans, but also for tourists and all visitors alike," the Kickstarter post says. "... Our Beer Hall will also host local events such as live music, podcasts, live radio broadcasts, not-for-profit community fundraising, art openings, talented academic faculty and student speakers and what ever else tickles our fancy."

26 October, 2017