USA, NY: Fleur De Lis Brew Works preparing for launch this spring
When Jen Partee moved to Florida in 2009, she left upstate New York a devoted Finger Lakes wine drinker.
But Florida’s climate — and the absence of Finger Lakes wines she had grown to love — steered her drinking tastes to craft beer, Finger Lakes Times reported on December 4.
That appreciation has blossomed into a business plan, and Partee; her husband Craig Partee; and brother- and sister-in-law Jon Paul and Beth Partee are working toward opening their farm craft brewery Fleur De Lis Brew Works this spring.
The brewery will be just south of Seneca Falls, at 3630 Route 414, on the property where Jen and Craig Partee live. Craig Partee, a 1989 Mynderse Academy graduate and contractor who specializes in custom built residential homes (he owns and operates Fleur de Lis Construction and does work locally and in Florida), is overhauling a 1,800-square-foot garage area into separate brewing and tasting areas. He has also created a hop yard where Strisselspalt hops will be planted and is making property upgrades so brewery visitors can enjoy the gardens and lawns when they visit.
His brother, Jon Paul, has been a home brewer for about nine years and will serve in that role at the farm brewery. He is honing his selections and Jen Partee said the brewery will start out with six — including two flagship beers, the French-style biere de garde and biere de mars. Not commonly brewed in the U.S., these beers from northern France pay homage to the family’s French roots, as does the fleur de lis symbol which is part of the Partee’s coat of arms and is featured prominently throughout the property and the brewery’s logo.
Although the brewery is starting out with six taps of different beers, Jen Partee said it will have the capacity for 12 beers once full production is reached. In addition to the two French beers, she said planned brews include an IPA, porter, pale ale, Witbier, Belgian ale, stout, brown ale, bock and Scotch ale. They will use their own hops and source additional hops and other ingredients as locally as possible. Partee said they will use malts from a Batavia farmer and try to support local farmers, including T&K Partee farm across the road, for vegetables and fruits in specialty beers.
Partee said the brewing system is on its way; it is a seven-barrel system with six fermenters and two brite tanks that will be installed in January. Craig Partee has started transforming the garage into both the brewing area and beer parlour. A short wall will separate the two areas, allowing visitors to watch on-site brewing should it be occurring the day they visit. Partee said they are striving for a “farmy, organic” feel and the tasting area (at 700 square feet with room for expansion) reflects that — with planned Edison lights, hand-milled beams from walnut trees on their property and even old barn boards that Craig Partee saved from his high school homecoming float.
But they are paying attention to the exterior as well. Partee said picnic tables and chairs will be arranged throughout the property that has been in the family for three generations so people can sip their beers by a fountain, a nearby creek, near the hop yard or in the rose garden.
“I hope it’s a place for people to come and hang out and enjoy themselves,” she said. “We have such a beautiful property; we want to be able to share that with everyone.”
Jen Partee, a registered nurse who works as a medical event logistics liaison for a Daytona Beach-based sports entertainment company, will oversee the brewery’s daily operations and marketing. In addition to constructing the brewery, Craig Partee will focus on property maintenance, outside distribution and assist the brewer.
Jen Partee thinks it’s a fertile time to start a brewery in the Finger Lakes.
“It feels like a good time and it’s so interesting to be a part of this [brewing] community because everybody is so open,” Partee said. “They’ll share any information except for recipes. I’m very thankful to have that.”
The Partees have been getting the word out about their new venture by visiting area festivals and sharing their progress on social media. Although hours have not yet been established, Partee envisions the brewery’s hours will align with wine trail hours but perhaps stay open later into the evening.
Bringing their vision of a farm brewery to reality has been a lot of hard work with its share of occasional challenges, but Partee said she’s enjoyed the planning ... and taste testing, too.
“I think there’s a lot of interest in the neighborhood,” she said.
06 December, 2016
