Cooperstown Distillery
Longtime restaurateur Eugene Marra focused on food, wine and spirits as part of his profession, a career that’s lasted more than 45 years. A student of his winemaking grandfather, he took his appreciation beyond the glass when he started a vineyard in northern Georgia around 1991.
Eugene’s passion for fine spirits fueled his interest in becoming a distiller in the late 2000s, just as New York state was increasing its support of small-batch producers. Today the New York City native takes pride in the all-New York state ingredients that make up his whiskey, bourbon, gin and vodka.
The names reference Cooperstown’s baseball roots and other historic assets, but Eugene is always looking forward. The former chef continues to craft new recipes that contribute to New York’s growing reputation for high-quality distilleries.
Whether tipping a farm-to-glass beer at a brewpub, sampling some moonshine or enjoying a sip of hard cider or wine, you’ll be a part of something special in Brew Central. Central New York brewers, distillers, publicans and vintners offer the state’s best craft beverages on par with any of the United States’ finest pints. Pack up the car and head to America’s Craft Brew Destination! Craft your brew road trip today at brewcentralny.com
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Cooperstown Brewing Co.
With Central New York’s strong roots in baseball and beer, it only made sense that Cooperstown Brewing Co. would bring the two together when it opened in 1995.
The brewery continues to use recipes crafted by famed brewer Alan Pugsley in its English-style ales and the system developed by Peter Austin, considered by many to be the godfather of microbrewing. CooperstownBrewing makes its ales with Austin’s signature brick-insulated copper kettles, wooden mash tuns and open fermenters.
The brewery uses a 150-year-old strain of Ringwood yeast born in Yorkshire, England, but will soon add some local flavor in the mix.Renowned for hop production in the late 1800s, the Cooperstown area is again filling up with producers that will contribute to the brewery’s recipes soon.
Whether tipping a farm-to-glass beer at a brewpub, sampling some moonshine or enjoying a sip of hard cider or wine, you’ll be a part of something special in Brew Central. Central New York brewers, distillers, publicans and vintners offer the state’s best craft beverages on par with any of the United States’ finest pints. Pack up the car and head to America’s Craft Brew Destination! Craft your brew road trip today at brewcentralny.com
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Central New York: Brew Central – Life of Reilley Distilling & Wine Co.
Despite running around his busy distillery most of his waking hours, flip-flops remain Ben’s footwear of choice. In fact, he wears them with shorts all year round. Such is the Life of Reilley, a company and philosophy rooted in a carefree and comfortable existence.
Ben and Shioban Reilley took a big leap of faith launching the distillery, Madison County’s first since Prohibition.
A former vintner, Ben had never piloted a still. But, his passion for enjoying and making craft beverages pushed him into business producing vodkas that now quickly disappear for distribution after bottling.
In the same way the “little things” make the Reilley way of life worth living, it’s the attention to detail that makes Reilley’s vodka worth drinking. The exclusively New York-grown ingredients give Ben’s spirits a solid, subtle flavor intended to inspire relaxation.
Ben: I was the director of operations for a local winery for 4 years, and quite honestly, my wife and I sat down after 4 years and we said, If you're going to work 80 hours a week for somebody, it might as well be for yourself. We saw a hole in the marketplace for a local, micro-craft distillery. We said, You know what? Beverage chemistry is beverage chemistry. Again, so we sat down and Life of Reilley was born. It was kind of an antiquated term, it basically means the carefree, comfortable life- which as you can see in my flip flops and my shorts- it says right on our bottle, the definition of the life of Reilley is a carefree, comfortable existence.
For us, it's riding down to Cazenovia Lake with the top down on the Jeep, swimming in the lake all day and having campfire with friends, and just having an awesome time. At the same time, being cognizant of where your stuff comes from, enjoying the sunset and enjoying the small things in life, so that's how Life of Reilley was born. For us, it's the story I like to tell is craft spirits are where wine was 20-25 years ago, and craft beer was 10-15 years ago. Now people are turning their attention to the back of the bar. They're saying, Okay, I want to know where my wine comes from. I want to know where my beer comes from. Now I want to know where my spirits come from. We're kind of riding that crest of popularity. I find it just to be a natural extension of people wanting to know where their stuff is, supporting local and know that they're supporting local farmers and families.
I think that's what people don't really understand when it comes to craft beverages. Aren't you worried about 1911, aren't you worried about Adirondack? No, I'd like to have my tasting room right next to them! All we're looking to do is grow the New York pie, and get more people into New York products. In terms of Central New York, I think we're on the forefront. I've always thought we were on the forefront of people trying to understand where their stuff comes from, and then reinvesting back into the community. There is something so cool happening in the Utica/Central New York area that my theory on that is Utica and the Mohawk Valley got such a poor rep for such a long time, that so many young people finally just bubbled up and said, I'm not going anywhere, I'm going to start building something cool right in my backyard.
We use 100 percent New York flaked corn, comes from the Finger Lakes, mostly Skinny Atlas, Auburn, Geneva area. We get it sourced here, it comes by 18-wheeler. 30-foot auger comes swinging out and gets pumped right into those bags over there. Are disco lemonade is raspberry vodka, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and we use about 20-25 mint leaves that we soak overnight. That'll be our disco lemonade product. After that, the sky's the limit when it comes to pre-mixed cocktails. We're taking our business in a completely different direction. We've poured it for people and they've absolutely loved it.
Whether tipping a farm-to-glass beer at a brewpub, sampling some moonshine or enjoying a sip of hard cider or wine, you’ll be a part of something special in Brew Central. Central New York brewers, distillers, publicans and vintners offer the state’s best craft beverages on par with any of the United States’ finest pints. Pack up the car and head to America’s Craft Brew Destination! Craft your brew road trip today at
Central New York: Brew Central – Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard
The unique characteristics of Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard stretch well beyond the 125-year-old, water-powered apple press it uses today. In addition to its beginnings brewing hard ciders, the mill also fueled the growing local beer market through the second half of the 19th century.
The Fly Creek Cider Mill inspired development of otherbrewing-related industries during Central New York’s legendary hop boom that peaked around the turn of the 20th century. Manufacturers made everything from the rakes and buckets used to harvest the hops to the stoves needed to dry them.
The last of eight of those structures to stand, Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard produces lines of hard cider and apple wines today in homage to its prestigious past as a brew producer and integral role in the Central New York hop movement.
Bill: My dad was a carpenter, my mom was a high school art teacher, and they needed a home so they bought the whole facility for just the home up on the corner. The gentleman who sold them the mill still lived next door, so he would come over and get in my dad's ear on how big the place used to be, and tell him about the big lines of people waiting to have their apples pressed. Well, that started my dad's entrepreneurial bug and they started fixing it up. It just grew, slow, slow incremental growth, until eventually it became their full-time business. We're a 32-inch press made in 1889 from the Boomer Mosher company in Syracuse, New York. It's the traditional rack and cloth method. That means we lay your ground apples in cloths between plastic racks that used to be oak, but now they're plastic. Our grinder is powered by a 1924 Waterloo Boy tractor engine. We're almost completely off the grid when we're making our product.
Making cider on the original equipment, showing people how things were done in the late 1800's is what touches me in my heart. What we wanted to do with the farm winery license is reconnect with our roots, use our traditional equipment to make sweet cider and then ferment it. We really wanted to bring the process back, I guess you would say, to what it was historically, but with a new twist with our apple wines, our black currant apple wine. We have apple cherry, we have apple cranberry, also an apple and strawberry. It's a realm of apple-based products that we can sell and serve here and expose customers to products that are new to them, but were common in the past.
Dave: We make the apple frost, and we make some experimental type small volume wines to see what direction we may want to go. The apple frost is what we spend most of our time on because that's a very labor-intensive process. We start out with pressing the apples in the fall, and we through what's referred to as a process of cryo-extraction. We freeze the juice, then thaw the juice, then freeze it, and thaw it for a couple months well into winter. It concentrates the flavors and the sugars. The yield on that is probably about 15 or 20%. It's a very flavorful juice. It takes at least 6 months, if not closer to a year sometimes to be ready to bottle it.
Bill: We welcome about 150,000 visitors here annually. Coming in, they think of us as a historic attraction. Once they pass through the door, they actually see our other side which is a gourmet specialty foods, baked goods, dips, marinades. We offer more than 40 samples. They get a full flavor profile of all the products that we offer, and having a great family fun experience right in the heart of central New York.
Whether tipping a farm-to-glass beer at a brewpub, sampling some moonshine or enjoying a sip of hard cider or wine, you’ll be a part of something special in Brew Central. Central New York brewers, distillers, publicans and vintners offer the state’s best craft beverages on par with any of the United States’ finest pints. Pack up the car and head to America’s Craft Brew Destination! Craft your brew road trip today at brewcentralny.com
Central New York: Brew Central – Empire Brewing Co.
David Katleski was a restaurateur willing to take a chance on a new trend in the 1990s. His Syracuse brewpub became a cornerstone of the budding New York state craft beer movement and David became a leading advocate for growing the industry to national prominence.
Head Brewer Tim Butler also came from a culinary background before becoming an exceptional brewer, getting his professional start at nearby Middle Ages. He used to stop into Empire for a pint after his shifts there and David eventually tapped his talent that has taken the brewpub to the next level.
Tim shares David’s commitment to using nearly all-local ingredients in both the beer and restaurant fare. The rich hop and agricultural history of Central New York gives a unique character to Empire’s beers that no doubt help feed the growth of New York’s craft beer niche.
Tim: People ask me what do I enjoy most about being a brewer. One of the greatest things is when you create something and you see someone come out and they put their hard earned dollars on the bar for it and they take it and they enjoy it, they drink it. You see the smile come across their face. You know, that's really, really rewarding. I don't think that's ever going to change for me. I always enjoy watching people enjoy our product.
I think that we are on track to become one of the best brewing states in the country. There are a lot of new breweries popping up but the quality of the beer is, I think, maintaining a very high standard. I think there's a lot of room for all of us. I think as a whole, as a New York state beer, we have a lot of potential and a lot of room to grow together and become one of the best brewing states in the country.
I think that New York state in general and Central New York in general, has very passionate farmers. I know farmers from dealing with them through here at the restaurant. Be it beef suppliers or vegetables suppliers. They can be as passionate or are as passionate as brewers are. I think there's definitely a common connection there. Their growing something, creating something that then their passing on to us to put in our product. Now that I've been more and more using New York state ingredients, there's definitely a different characteristic to them. As opposed to ingredients that are grown in other parts of the country or other parts of the world for that matter. I do think it's giving us a local flavor, a local character that you're not going to be able to emulate in other parts of the country unless you come to New York state and buy New York state ingredients. They do give us a unique flavor and give us a unique style of beer.
David: The thing different hat you will know about a New York state beer is, you know the French liken the term to terroir. You can actually taste the ingredients from Central New York. It's kind of odd but the hops tend to be slightly different citrus flavor. The barley tends to be a little, bolder in flavor. There is a character, a central New York characteristic that you get definitely out of this.
So far, we've done really well with our brand. Notably we do the flagship beer for the Waldorf Astoria. It's a honey brown with honey that they cultivate off of the twentieth floor apiary area that they have at the hotel. We also make the exclusive beer called Empire Green for Tavern on the Green in Central Park. We have the flagship moniker brew for them. The brand has done really well on the high end scale. It's also in a lot of dive bars too. In fact, one of my favorite places in New York to go have this beer is a place called The Dive Bar, so go figure.
To be able to go to your local mom and pop bar in a corner, to very high end restaurants and be able to fill within that, shows the versatility of our brand. We do things with a lot of passion, with a lot of love. That's how we make our beer. That how we make our food and that's how we try to run our business.
Tim: The craft beer drinker now is very savvy, very understanding. They know what they want, they know what's good and they know what's not good. You can't pull wool over anybody's eyes anymore. You got to brew quality if you want maintain. I think Empire had always done it. They've always had quality beer, quality food, quality atmosphere. It's just a brand that people, once they latch on to, they don't let it go.
Whether tipping a farm-to-glass beer at a brewpub, sampling some moonshine or enjoying a sip of hard cider or wine, you’ll be a part of something special in Brew Central. Central New York brewers, distillers, publicans and vintners offer the state’s best craft beverages on par with any of the United States’ finest pints. Pack up the car and head to America’s Craft Brew Destination! Craft your brew road trip today at
Central New York: Brew Central – Harvest Moon Cidery
In many ways, Harvest Moon hard cider took more than a century to get here. Matthew and Juanita Critz use an antique apple press, name the ciders in tribute to their farm’s 200-year history and use hops with roots in the 1800s.
It’s all about taking time at Harvest Moon. Matthew spent five years perfecting his award-winning ciders made from carefully selected and locally sourced apples – many from their own orchard at Critz Farms.
The evolution of Critz Farms in Cazenovia began 30 years ago, when Matthew and Juanita purchased the 325-acre former dairy operation and became farmers for the first time. For Matthew and Juanita, it’s about taste, tradition and the farm-to-table philosophy that drives their business.
Matthew: We started with Christmas trees and then people started wondering, Well, what are you doing to do in the Fall? And so we started picking pumpkins, and once we started picking pumpkins then we started adding rides and a petting zoo and all this other stuff, and then everybody said, Well, why don't you have apples? We said, OK, we'll have apples. We planted the orchard and bought the cider press at the same time and we started pressing cider when we first started picking apples. It couldn't have been the first week we were pressing cider and everybody started saying, When are you doing to make hard cider?
I start thinking about that and say, Well, that's not a bad idea. People are asking for it, so we actually started trialing. We trialed for three or four years, different yeast, different apples plans and stuff, before Nita and I were confident that we had a quality product and one that we could duplicate. Then we took the big plunge and built a winery and here we are in the hard cider business.
Juanita: We make nine ciders besides the seasonal ciders that we make, and the first one that we came up with is called Rippleton Original. This is a champagne style cider that does its secondary fermentation in the bottle. We do something sort of different; we use maple syrup as the charge in the cider to cause that secondary fermentation. Because we're maple syrup producers and we make the syrup right here on the farm, we thought that was a nice touch, and we think it adds a complexity so the cider.
Next in the line is Blissful Moon, and Blissful Moon is named after Solomon Bliss, who was the original owner of the farm. He purchased the farm in 1793 for $1.50 an acre, or something amazing like that, so we wanted to salute Solomon. The next cider is what I guess we would consider our flag ship cider. It's called Four Screw. We named this one after our four screw cider press, which is a 120 year old antique press that we press all the apples on, it's a rack and cloth style press. Four Screw is real popular, it's a crisp cider that has a lot of depth of character, I would say. It's probably one of our most popular and widely distributed ciders.
Matthew: Standing behind the counter and having a bunch of smiling people in front of you that are actually drinking a product that you've created is very, incredibly satisfying. Everybody's on the patio and there are bands playing and everybody's having a great time, it's great. I have to tell you there's a little more feedback. The feedback loop is much better than in the Christmas tree business.
Whether tipping a farm-to-glass beer at a brewpub, sampling some moonshine or enjoying a sip of hard cider or wine, you’ll be a part of something special in Brew Central. Central New York brewers, distillers, publicans and vintners offer the state’s best craft beverages on par with any of the United States’ finest pints. Pack up the car and head to America’s Craft Brew Destination! Craft your brew road trip today at
Brewed in New York - Best of Fest Full Episode
Each individual brewery featured in Brewed in New York is unique in its own way; but what do they all have in common? Surprisingly, it’s a dedication to working together. In this episode we’ll visit numerous festivals across the State and learn how these brewers are strengthening the craft beer industry statewide through cooperation and community.
Produced by MagicWig Productions, Inc.