E-Malt.com News article: USA, NY: Sloop Brewing Co. opens one largest craft breweries in the state of New York

Sloop Brewing Co. started in a garage in Poughkeepsie seven years ago. For the first few years, it sold all its beers at Hudson Valley-area farmers markets, NewYorkUpstate.com reported on September 19.

Later, after moving to a small production facility in Elizaville, Columbia County, it won acclaim across the state and elsewhere for its beers. Its best known is Juice Bomb, a take on the popular hazy, juicy style of India Pale Ale (IPA).

Last weekend, Sloop capitalized on that success by opening one of the largest craft breweries in the state. The new 25,000-square-foot brewery, tasting room and kitchen is housed in part of the former IBM campus in East Fishkill, southeast of Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County.

The new brewery, called The Factory, will boost Sloop's brewing capacity from 4,000 to 28,000 barrels per year, according to brewery marketing director Joe Turco. (A barrel is 31 gallons).

Sloop owners Adam Watson and Justin Taylor hope to make the new brewery, located just off Interstate 84's Exit 15, a beer-lovers destination and use it to expand their distribution across the Northeast. Much of their current distribution is in the Hudson Valley and New York City metro area, though Juice Bomb and other have occasionally made their way across Upstate.

But they also plan to maintain the Elizaville brewery and tap room (The Barn) and keep experimenting with new beers. For its grand opening last weekend, Sloop offered a can release of IPArk - a small batch, hazy IPA brewed just for the occasion.

"The new brewery will allow us to increase production and still focus on our beer with the same love and care as always," Taylor, who is also head brewer, said in a news release. "With our new tanks we'll brew enough beer to be throughout the Northeast - but we'll keep making small batches, honing our craft, and trying new things like we've always been proud to do."

The kitchen at the new brewery will focus on pizza and burgers and other "street food."

"We're trying to do a few things," Adam Slamon, executive chef, said in a news release. "A take on street food from around the world complementing our beer at the brewery, pizza that feels right at home in New York, and burgers that we've put together just for Sloop. We're sourcing many of our ingredients locally, and trying to stay as environmentally conscious as possible with our packaging and presentation."

The new Sloop tap room initially will be open Thursday to Sunday, but will expand hours soon.

The Sloop brewery is just one part of the $300 million redevelopment of the former IBM facility into a project called i.Park City, dubbed the "workspace of the future." The project received a $565,000 economic development grant from New York state.


20 September, 2018