USA, NY: Roe Jan Brewing Company already open in Hillsdale

Roe Jan Brewing Company opened its doors on Wednesday, February 5, unveiling a powerful starting lineup of beer and an inventive, upscale pub menu, Brewbound reported.

The brewery uses a 7-barrel Portland Kettle Works system to produce a well-balanced rotation of beers, including traditional ales and lagers as well as trending styles such as IPAs and sours. “We’ve been hard at work creating the opening roster of beers,” said Brewery Operations Manager Hayley Shine. “Balance is at the heart of our brewing philosophy, both in terms of our range of offerings and the flavor harmony we seek in each beer.”

Ms. Shine is a highly skilled, award-winning brewer with over a decade of brewing experience, primarily in brewpubs. She comes to RJBC from Chicago, where she most recently created and launched a unique beer and cider program for a small startup called Eris. Her previous experience includes a brief stint at Rogue Ales and a long stretch at CraftWorks Restaurants and Breweries.

Executive Chef Charles Kiely heads the restaurant, which features an open kitchen design and a Grillworks wood-fired grill. Mr. Kiely is former chef-owner of The Grocery in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, which was consistently named one of the top 30 restaurants in New York City during its 16-year run. He previously held positions at Sign of the Dove and Arizona 206 in New York; he later spent time cooking under Alfred Portale at Gotham Bar and Grill and Peter Hoffman at Savoy in New York, as well as Michel Bras and Jardin des Sens in the south of France.

At Roe Jan Brewing Mr. Kiely’s menu is made from scratch on premises. “We’re dry-curing sausages for our charcuterie plate, baking sourdough bread to turn into bruschetta, and making small-batch spicy ketchup, malolactic fermented pickles, and hand-rolled buns to serve with our burgers,” he explained. “There will be plenty of meat and fish coming off the wood-fired grill, and vegetables everywhere, all prepared with skill and thoughtful joy.”

Mr. Kiely’s creative twist on traditional pub fare and Ms. Shine’s house-made beers are served in a spacious 79-seat dining room that includes an octagonal bar surrounding a vintage grain hopper and bar-style seating around the open kitchen. Large communal tables, intimate tables with club chairs, and banquette seating provide additional options for diners.

The brewery and brewpub are housed in the Hillsdale Mercantile Building, originally constructed in 1851. The building housed multiple businesses over its lifespan of 150 years— including department stores and agricultural suppliers—but had fallen into disuse and disrepair by the time owners Steve and Kathy Bluestone purchased it in June 2018. The couple spent the following 20 months restoring it to its historic appearance, building out the brewery on the ground floor, the restaurant on the first floor, and seven apartments on the two upper floors.

Mr. Bluestone, a full-time Hillsdale resident, has over 40 years of experience in real estate development, general contracting, and property management in the New York City area. An industry leader in energy efficiency for decades, he designed the restored building to be largely all-electric with the goal of establishing an offsite solar energy field that will result in the building being net-zero energy forever. “With improved efficiencies in the renewable energy and battery storage fields, we have the technology to achieve net-zero energy buildings pretty much anywhere,” said Mr. Bluestone. “Creating solar energy is a viable and clean option to consider for any project.”

The brewery’s name is drawn from the Roeliff Jansen Kill (known to locals as “the Roe Jan”), a river that flows through Hillsdale and continues through numerous towns in Columbia and Dutchess counties before it joins the Hudson and continues south to New York City. The river is a symbol of the spirit of community, connection, and inclusiveness the company strives to create among its guests and employees.

Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 3:00-9:00 PM, Friday 3:00-10:00 pm, Saturday 12:00-10:00 PM, Sunday 12:00-9:00 PM. Reservations recommended for table seating, not necessary for the bar.

Address: 32 Anthony Street, Hillsdale NY 12529

23 February, 2020