by Bea Peterson
It’s official. The Brown’s Brewing Company in Walloomsac opened with a ceremonial cask tapping, a blessing of the bar by Fr. Tom Zelker and congratulatory words from Hoosick Falls Mayor David Borge and Town Supervisor Mark Surdam on Wednesday afternoon, October 15. [private]Garry and Kelly Brown have been working toward this moment for five years. “We always wanted to be a brewery,” said Kelly,
“not a restaurant.” They started out in Troy with a restaurant and small brewery. “Now we’ve come full circle,” she said. “We have a great management system in Troy, so Garry will spend most of his time here.” Kelly will spend more time locally and she will focus on merchandising the two companies and the on-line business. Working close to her three daughters is her focus. She is also looking forward to hosting many beer festivals at the new brewery. They have hosted two already. For both the ASA and CiviCure fund raisers the 400 tickets were sold out a week before the events happened.
Big Project
Converting an old paper mill and valve factory into a gleaming restored brewery was no easy task. “We’ve done a lot of the work ourselves,” said Kelly. “Otherwise it would have cost more than the three million plus dollars we have spent.” Garry searched on line and across the country for brewing equipment, and he and his brewer, Peter Martin, restored much of it. The tap behind the bar, for example, was formerly a bottler. It was cleaned up and refurbished and makes a beautiful tap with a place to hold the cups while other beers are being poured. The 56 foot long gleaming wood bar in the tap room was made, piece by piece, from reclaimed hardwood factory flooring. They are also utilizing solar panels and hydropower with an eventual goal of using those power sources exclusively. A dowser found their water supply for them.
For the brief ceremony Garry Brown welcomed everyone to the opening. He thanked his family for their continuous support. “We restored 19th century warehouses in Troy, and now we’ve restored a 19th century mill. We want to showcase everything we do here and the products we produce.” Kelly thanked everyone for coming and said, “We love Hoosick Falls. This is our home, the town where we have raised our family.” They have lived in West Hoosick for 21 years. Hoosick Supervisor Mark Surdam commended the couple for the “unlimited vision and hard work” they put in converting the old factory into an awesome place. “We wish you the best, and we are glad you are part of our community.”
Mayor Borge said, “This is a great, great day. We couldn’t be happier for people we truly respect. Garry and Kelly represent all aspects of the community.” He added that seeing “brewed in Hoosick Falls” on the beer bottles is “pretty cool.”
Father Tom Zelker, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, asked for a blessing of the land, the Walloomsac, the Brown family and that all be blessed with this wonderful gift of life and brew.
Hours
Brown’s Brewery will be open Wednesdays through Fridays from 3 to 9 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 9 pm. Brewery tours will be available on Friday evenings and weekends. Visitors will be able to buy pints of Brown’s beer at the bar as well as growlers and bottled beer to go. There is no kitchen at the brewery, thus no restaurant or food service.
Brown’s Brewing Company was founded in 1993 by Garry and Kelly Brown in an abandoned block of warehouses on River Street in Troy. Brown’s popular Troy Taproom is one of the largest brewpubs in New York State and their River Street location is also home to Brown’s Revolution Hall private events venue and Brown’s Malt Room cask conditioned ale and cocktail bar.
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