USA, NY: Stoneyard Brewing opens huge production brewery in Brockport

Since its inception in 2008, Stoneyard's slogan has been, "We don't do small."

And with the opening of its massive production brewery at 85 Clinton St. in Brockport, Stoneyard has finally fully lived up to that motto. Stoneyard Brewing Co. christened its 30-barrel brewery earlier this month, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported on September 25.

Stoneyard is poised to become one of the largest craft breweries in the Rochester region. The system will allow Stoneyard to pump out 10,000 barrels of beer, putting it in the same neighborhood as Canandaigua's Young Lion and Rochester's Three Heads. (Though neither of those breweries has surpassed the 10,000-barrel threshold yet.)

“All of it, so much blood, sweat and tears,” assistant brewer James Riley III said of what went into making the dream a reality.

After a brief absence, Stoneyard will begin sending beer out into Rochester market in early October. There are also plans to can some offerings and host some releases at the new brewery. (Fingers crossed for cans of SYBC's Toasted Coconut Kareem Ale.)

During an interview with the five men behind Stoneyard, the group consistently echoed the importance of perseverance. “The sacrifices people have made, the work they’ve put into it, it is pretty amazing," co-owner Jay Nichols said. "We’ve made a lot of sacrifices and put a lot of time in. It’s the ultimate teamwork, just getting stuff done.”

“There were a lot of roadblocks along the way that we’ve pushed through, where a lot of other people might’ve said, ‘We’re not going to go any further with this,'" added co-owner Britton Kolb. "To have a core group that’s still intact and still pushing along, I think it says a lot about what we’ve been doing.”

Stoneyard began as a bar and grill in 2008 and then added some beers contract brewed through CB Craft Brewers in Honeoye Falls. Then the establishment graduated to a brewpub in 2014, when head brewer (and now co-owner) Jeffrey "Oz" Osborne came on board.

The brewery continues to operate a bar and restaurant at 48 Merchants St., which is a few hundred feet from the new Clinton Street brewery.

Osborne and Riley began brewing in an old elevator shaft at the brewery's original Brockport location on a 2.5-barrel system. (The brewpub has since moved to another location in the village.) Most batches produced just four or five kegs, meaning that it was nearly impossible to find any Stoneyard beer outside Brockport.

To alleviate that, Osborne began gypsy brewing at Triphammer Bierwerks in Fairport. Triphammer features a 15-barrel brewhouse, so the marriage allowed Stoneyard to send out much more beer and start to build a little bit of equity in the brand.

Between elevator brewing and gypsy brewing, Stoneyard purchased an old warehouse along the Erie Canal. The new brewery occupies 5,000 square feet of the building's total 20,000 square feet. Stoneyard had the ceilings of the building raised to permit larger fermentation tanks. There are plans to add a tasting room.

Stoneyard hasn't brewed regularly at Triphammer since March, as the crew has devoted its attention to getting the production brewery up and and running.

With the new brewery operational, Stoneyard plans to ship beer across New York state and into parts of Pennsylvania.

“We decided on the 30-barrel system, so we could hit the ground running with distribution,” Osborne said. “Even with the changes in craft beer since we started this project, I think it’s still a good move, because it puts on shelves and allows us to get beyond competing with line culture. We can support line culture and we can also support people buying our beer out in the market.”

There is no question the beer industry has shifted and changed dramatically over the past four years. Craft beer sales have slowed significantly (though there is still growth). Competition for shelf space and tap handles has intensified. Some breweries have subverted the traditional model of distribution by packaging and selling out of their own taprooms. And it's even harder to compete outside your home market, to compete on a regional level.

To help combat some of those problems, Stoneyard brought beer industry vet Chirsan Lichtenstein aboard. Lichtenstein previously worked for industry heavyweight Stone Brewing as the market manager for New York and other neighboring states.

"I believe in what these guys wanna do," Lichtenstein said. "I believe in the guys sitting in this room. A lot of people question leaving a global brand for a place that is just building something, but that's how much I believe in us. It's exciting.

"This is an opportunity to get back into selling craft beer, because I love the community and I love beer."

The Stoneyard mentality is typified by the relationship between its two brewers. There is a deep sense of love and trust. Osborne and Riley's partnership began in 2014.

"It's kind of like getting the band back together," Riley said. "We've been brewing in separate locations and now we're together again. Finally we’re working together on this big project and trying desperately not to blow each other up with some stupid mistake."

Osborne needed someone to be his right-hand man, someone who could make beers that fit the Stoneyard brand. He found that partner in Riley, who was working as a bartender and bouncer at the establishment.

"It's awesome, because I taught him how I want things done," Osborne said. "It’s been great watching him grow and growing to be exactly that right-hand man I need him to be."

"Somebody has gotta find where he left the tools, because he can never remember," Riley added with smile.

"James knows where I leave the wrench every time," Osborne finished.

The duo also represents extreme opposites when it comes to the beers they like.

"He loves hops and I have a sweet tooth," Riley said. "We kind of encapsulate two ends of the spectrum. He is a wizard with hops and I love something that tastes like candy."

Stoneyard has built a reputation for its hoppy beers. It was among the first in the area to tackle the New England-style hazy IPA craze. And the first beers that come out of the new brewery will be hop-forward offerings.

The goal is to can and get those cans on area shelves. But you'll see the biggest push in local bars and restaurants, where Stoneyard, working with distributor TJ Sheehan, will look to reclaim and gain tap handles.

"You can't do this without that entrepreneurial mindset and a love to create," Nichols said. "We want this area to become a destination."

"Taking that risk, you get high off of it," Lichtenstein said. "Go big or go home."

26 September, 2018