Photography provided by Foothill Hops
Why WE DO WHAT WE DO:
Why are we involved in the craft alcoholic beverage business? The path that our lives have taken from historic research to hop growing and processing services to home brew shop ownership has ultimately led us to our small brewery and tasting room where we can share all that we have learned and are passionate about. To learn more about that journey - read “Our Story”.
More than a mug Club
Who are our customers? The Foothill Hops “FARMILY” is a community of people who appreciate craft beverages produced from NYS agricultural products in a cozy atmosphere where new friendships flourish.
What image of our craft business do we want to convey? Our customers are our favorite part of what we do. You are valued and appreciated and we want you to be excited to tell others of the welcoming atmosphere and exceptional beers that you enjoyed when visiting us. ‘To build an industry, we must support businesses that are similar to our own. We will often refer you to other small beverage producers in a spirit of “coopetition” as we work together to build trails across our region. Thirdly, in a world that is continuously becoming more global and disconnected, having a personal sense of place is important. That is why we use local products in all our beers and share the sources of those ingredients with customers so that they can relate to our place-based production philosophy.
What is the nature of our products and services? We strive to create great beers in styles for all tastes and are committed to supporting local agriculture and businesses in doing so. As a family impacted by celiac disease, we also produce a rotating selection of gluten free beers for our customers with dietary challenges.
What services do we provide? We provide a personal taproom experience complete with education on Madison County history and hops and beer production. At this time we do not offer food service but you will find plenty of snacks and an immense selection of local wines, ciders and mead in addition to our beers. Feel free to bring in your own food to enjoy with your beverage selection. Members of the Harvest Host community are welcome to stay on our property with identification and reservation. Your controlled leashed dog is welcome.
What roles do we play? We, Larry and Kate, wear all the hats. We grow and process the hops, design the recipes, produce the beer, and serve you at the bar. We built our brewery, designed our logo, handcraft our branded merchandise, produce our food products, develop our website and manage social media. We clean and clean and then clean some more. We enjoy having a beer. We often dress up. We are sometimes tired, but always hoppy to see you.
How do we differ from our competitors? Our business plan may have provided the foundation for the farm brewery legislation but we are not the first, the last, the biggest, the smallest, or probably the best farm brewery in New York. We do, however, feel that we may be the most interesting. We hope you agree.
What is it with Santa and the reindeer antler? Our reindeer Aran and her mate Bandit and son Chinook were prized members of our farm family for 9 1/2 years while we developed and grew our hopyard and hop processing business. Santa took Aran for her final flight as we were planning our brewery. The hop and antler logo are reminders of the wonderful times when we would take the reindeer out to greet the children with Santa at Christmas charity events. When we first opened in the winter of 2017, Santa made an appearance in the tasting room and has never left. As you can see, he likes to dress up, too. We guess he wants to have a brew with you, whatever the season or holiday.