Courtesy Other One Brewing
By Susan Elise Campbell
With the opening of Other One Brewing, a new craft brewery and tap room at Glennpeter Plaza in Halfmoon, co-founder and president Randy Lewis has checked one more thing off his bucket list.
Lewis has been a home brewer for years, an interest shared by his son. But with a new baby and grandchild on the way, the timing wasn’t right for a father-son enterprise, he said. But it was just right for his three neighbors, Brian Hutchinson, Pete LaPan and Matt Stillitano. During the pandemic the four started making beer and working out of Hutchinson’s garage, splitting all the expenses.
Now they own a business.
“Brewing isn’t cheap,” Lewis said. “We’ve spent well into the six figures.”
The story began when one of the neighbors came over to his home to watch the brewmeister at work “and to drink the stuff,” Lewis said. As interest grew, Lewis said, “I’m not getting any younger. Let’s open a small tap room.”
Lewis is retired but the other three still work full time. Nevertheless, they agreed to run the tap room with no outside staff.
Lewis said he did some market research and analysis to assess what styles and flavors of beer the community would buy.
“If you brew it, they will come,” Lewis said. “That’s one of my mottos. I have put together a lot of recipes over the years. Like a baker, take a little of this and a little of that, a lot of trial and error. We are small enough that we can experiment. Sometimes you have to take a chance.”
It was “just a chance opportunity” that space became available when a restaurant moved out of Glennpeter Plaza on Route 9 at the corner of Grooms Road. Lewis’ wife Tracy is chief operating officer of Glennpeter Jewelers, so he knew the landlord, Jeff Weiss.
“Jeff helped us as we faced our biggest challenge of getting a brewer’s license,” he said. “New York requires that you be an entity with a place ready to come into as soon as you obtain the license.”
“If your license is denied, your time and effort and money may have been wasted,” he said. “We were ready three months in advance with a tap room and no sales, but Jeff worked with us.”
The partners did not apply for any small business loan and paid cash for all expenses, including the build-out, he said.
The partners did the remodeling themselves.
Other One Brewing started up in April offering six styles of beer on tap and two months later has 11, including a red beer, a stout, light American ale, a sour beer, several IPAs and the flagship Sajulus, a New England IPA that Lewis describes as “hazy and fruity.”
Once permitted, wine will be served as well, but not food.
“I can make beer, I can’t cook,” said Lewis. “But customers can bring in their own food or have food delivered.”
The capacity is 45 people in the tap room and production of 6,200 gallons of beer a year, 200 gallons at a time.
“Down the road we would like to acquire a canning mechanism and distribute 16-ounce cans to markets,” Lewis said.
Visit Other One Brewing Wednesday and Thursday from 4 -9 p.m., Fridays from 4-10 p.m., Saturdays noon til 10 p.m. and Sundays noon til 6 p.m.