You’ve heard the saying when it comes to the local bar: It’s a place where everybody knows your name. Entering a watering hole, you can feel the lifeblood of the town. In some cases, it almost feels like the town was built around them.
The same goes for a large list of breweries around the United States that are not only woven into the fabric of their small town, but are influenced by it in many ways. Sure, large cities have the benefit of a bigger population and a plethora of other breweries to complement each other in a beer tourism sort of way. But small-town breweries can be destinations in themselves, a successful blend of tourists and locals alike, representing Americana at its finest.
What defines a “small” town? For the five breweries featured in this article, we sought out places with fewer than 4,000 people. In the case of two of the breweries, fewer than 1,000 people call their towns home.
Fulton Chain Craft Brewery | Old Forge, N.Y.
Old Forge, N.Y., population 524, is home to Fulton Chain Craft Brewery. Old Forge is a touristy town at the base of the brewery’s namesake, the Fulton Chain of Lakes.
The idea for Fulton Chain was born when co-owners Richard Mathy and Justin Staskiewicz were hanging together in nearby Golden Beach when the proverbial lightbulbs went on: They should open a brewery together. But where?
As Mathy noted, it was already a jammed brewery market in western New York where they were from. They visited the chain of lakes often, and thought that Old Forge, in the north central Adirondack part of the state, was the perfect spot. It’s a tiny town, to be sure, but one where they saw themselves fitting right in, and Mathy said the locals accepted them with open arms.
The town is full of trinket-type shops with an untapped brewery market, the “full Adirondack experience,” as he put it.
They got right to work integrating the town and the area’s spirit into their facility and their beers, with offerings such as Go Fluff Yourself, brewed with a recipe that’s a nod to the area’s rich camping scene, and Lake Hopper, chock full of eight different hop varieties and owing its name to the chain of lakes.
And when the snow falls, tourists descend on the area, especially in their snowmobiles that they ride right into town, stopping off for relaxation time and some hearty food and drink.
When the tourists go home, Mathy says Fulton Chain still has a steady stream of locals to help keep them humming.
Farmers and Bankers Brewing, Woodstown, N.J.
Earning the support of locals is what seems to be the common thread among the breweries featured here, including Farmers and Bankers Brewing in Woodstown, N.J., population 3,680.
Founder and owner Mike Melniczuk grew up in a small town himself, and had been living in Woodstown for about 15 years when he noticed that the tiny downtown was in desperate need of revitalization. He and his wife, Rebecca, wanted to do their part to be a catalyst, so they pursued their dream of opening a brewery.
They purchased a 130-year-old former bank in the heart of downtown Woodstown, a Romanesque Revival building with a large open-arched tower facing the road. Despite an extensive renovation of the facility the spirit of the old bank remains, with the vaults integrated into the brewery’s design.
And there’s no question: Farmers and Bankers is Woodstown through and through, evident with the names of many of the brews being served up here. There’s Wolverine Wheat, named after the high school mascot. There’s Cow Tippin’ Milk Stout, named in honor of Cowtown Rodeo, just outside of town. There’s Reliance Pale Ale, named after the town’s fire department. The list goes on.
Another unique feature here? The local train line, Woodstown Central Railroad, runs a Brew to Brew excursion, a five-and-a-half mile experience linking Farmers and Bankers with Swedesboro Brewing Company.
Swedesboro Brewing Company | Swedesboro, N.J.
When you deboard the train immediately behind Swedesboro Brewing, you are welcomed into a world of experimental brews (think pineapple habanero or apple pie cream ale) and popular standbys such as King’s Whey milk stout and Raccoon IPA.
The former is a nod to the town’s high school (Kingsway), while the latter is the brewery’s mascot, dubbed so because of what Swedesboro was originally known as: Raccoon Town. When owner Marvin Bowe settled on this homey South Jersey town (population 2,711), he immediately fell in love with it.
“Having grown up in Philadelphia, it was a bit of a culture shock moving here,” he admitted. But as Swedesboro and the surrounding area have developed, it has become a blend of lifetime residents, transplants, and commuters.
“We have 70 lifetime members in our Mug Club, many folks who are local, born and raised here with children of their own,” said Bowe.
And while Swedesboro Brewing will retain that small-town feel in its birthplace, they’ve also set their sights on expansion, hoping to bring that local spirit up the road to Collingswood, N.J. in a recently opened second location.
Downpour Brewing | Kingston, Wash.
That hometown feeling is exactly what Dan Williams strives for at Downpour Brewing in Kingston, Washington (population 3,149).
When it comes to immersing Downpour into the heart of Kingston, Williams takes it a step further. He’s an electrician by trade, and also owns Downpour Electric. The name synergy is not lost on the locals and, as a result, he’s known around town as Downpour Dan.
One could argue it doesn’t get more small town than that.
Kingston is mainly vehicle-accessible by ferry from the Seattle metro area so, as a result, it’s likely you either live here or are making a special trip. As Williams explains, this unique scenario results in an authentic tight-knit feel.
“Downpour really feels like the community living room,” he says. “We have a popular open mic night, tons of musicians from around town, you name it.”
Locals and tourists alike flock here for dependable suds that are making a name for themselves in northwest Washington, such as Hop Llama Double IPA and Patty Cassady’s Irish Red.
Williams is no stranger to small towns, having grown up in rural New Jersey, near Farmers & Bankers and Swedesboro. After moving around the country and setting up shop in other small towns, he felt he knew what it would take to open a brewery here in a place the size of Kingston.
With the brewery having just recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, it’s probably safe to say it’s been a success.
Solera Brewery | Parkdale, Ore.
The story is a similar one for John Hitt, owner of Solera Brewery in Parkdale, Oregon, population 197 and the smallest town in this feature.
Originally from much larger Hampton, Va., Hitt was drawn to the slower pace of this rural area of the Pacific Northwest.
After running a credit union for a time, Hitt got together with his business partner Jason Kahler, who had prior experience brewing at another location, and opened Solera in 2012.
Stepping out onto the rear patio of Solera is the full essence of being in Parkdale. The brewery backs up to an orchard and, on a clear day, provides a breathtaking, one-of-a-kind view of Mt. Hood.
Because of Mt. Hood’s presence, Solera also combines a blend of loyal regulars with tourists who have come to town to ski down the majestic mountain they can see from the brewery.
And just as the other breweries featured here, Hitt says the heart of Parkdale is felt throughout everything the brewery does.
“The building was a public house prior to us moving in and we kept that experience going, a place where you feel welcome to come back again and again,” he said. It doesn’t hurt that flagships such as their Hedonist IPA remain popular with the folks who make repeat visits.
John Mellencamp, alluded to in the title of this article, once sang about living and breathing in a small town. And nothing captures the essence of what can help bring a small town to life more than a local brewery.
CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.
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