If you like the Empire Brewery, you will soon have a second location to enjoy their food and drinks. Construction crews are hard at work at the site of the Empire Farmstead Brewery in Cazenovia. As Iris St. Meran explains, weather delayed some of their work but they are now back on schedule.
CAZENOVIA, N.Y. -- Construction equipment moving around the 22-acre field in Cazenovia is a good sign for the founder of the Empire Brewing Company -- it shows progress is being made at what will be the Empire Farmstead Brewery.
"Right now we are working on the plumbing. We put in our cellar which is designed for a barrel age program and sour beer program. That is in. All of our plumbing is going in this week and we'll start pouring concrete next week," said David Katleski, Empire Brewing's founder.
The downtown location is best known for its food and of course drinks. This spot in Cazenovia will offer both, but it will also serve to educate patrons.
"They can not only see how beer is grown, but they can see how it is brewed and taste the end result. Also, we're going to be making root beer for the children. So it's not only about the beer, it's about the whole experience," said Katleski.
Katleski said at one point in time Madison County was the hops growing capital of the world. Katleski said a survey revealed that this land in Cazenovia was ideal for growing hops and barley.
"We've been farming throughout Madison County, specifically Cazenovia with vegetables and herbs. So we know the soil would be great. This was the ideal place for this type of facility," said Katleski.
The heavy rain this summer delayed work here, but Katleski said they are back on track and expect to begin brewing beer at this facility by the year's end. The Empire Farmstead Brewery is expected to be open to the public by next spring.