What’s Brewing In Jmst.

What’s Brewing In Jmst.
Jamestown Brewing Company in the Works
By Kathleen McCarthy

 

The Jamestown City Planning Commission has approved the site plan for Jamestown Brewing Company at 119 W. Third Street in the Lillian Ney Renaissance Center. The State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Act documents have been approved as well as the state Historical Review. The Historical Review will allow the project to receive Historic Tax Credits. All these approvals give the father and son team of Jon McLellan and Jon McLellan II, along with GPatti Development, the go ahead to renovate the former Lillian V. Ney Renaissance Center into a new brewery and restaurant. The process of permits and approvals have been time consuming for the team but the work behind the scenes has been rapidly progressing.

Sixteen years ago McLellan began to experiment with home brewed beer with his son Jon II. McLellan said, “I was interested and excited about the process and wanted to continue to learn more”. The process of researching a Jamestown location and work with the City to acquire the JRC owned building has been in the works for over three years. Matt Redpath, Chief Brewer has been a professional brewer for 10 years, with beginnings as a home brewer. Redpath is anxious to open the brewery and exploring what beers area residents are most interested in. Redpath said, “We will have a 20 barrel brewing system and plan on offering darks, pilsners and sours.” McLellan II adds, “We are planning to open with a variety of beers which will be brewed in the basement brewing area. The brewing area and tasting room will also be open to the public for tours.”

Brewing is not new to Jamestown, New York. Records documented by www.oldbreweries.com include: Hardinghaus & Smith Brewery (1874-1877), Jamestown Brewing Company (1897-1920), Kuhn’s Beer Company ( 1933-1937), and Chautauqua Brewing Co. Inc. ( 1939-1941). The new Jamestown Brewing Company will add to the resurgence of the city and provide jobs and enrich tourism in the county. With many new venues in town, the beer industry is making a comeback! Perhaps manufacturing and furniture making will not be far behind for Jamestown.

Involvement in the community and support for the City is what the partners are most excited about. Using locally sourced produce, farm products, and hops, as well as local wines is providing the face to face contact that will make this showplace a true part of Chautauqua County and Jamestown. Dave Falkenbach, Executive Chef, has been tasked with making the local connections to work towards the ‘farm to table’ concept of preparing the menu. Jon McLellan Sr. will be moving to the area from Buffalo to allow for the ’hands on’ management of the company.

The restaurant will seat around 300 people, with 168 available on the mezzanine. The third floor banquet room has a capacity of 300 and can be adjusted for smaller events. Observing the brewing process in the basement will be a highlight of the first floor open area. A lounge area, pub and booth seating will complete the first floor restaurant. Families are welcomed and will be seated to allow for a casual but appropriate feel. Lunch and dinner will be served 7 days a week. Soups, salads, appetizers and cheese plates will be featured on the lunch menu. A full bar will be available, with local wines and spirits. The plan is to include 8-12 different beers at a time, with a rotating selection.

“A Tasting in the Alley” event is planned for Saturday May 5^th, noon-5pm. The red brick ‘Founders Alley’ is located adjacent to the Brewery. McLellan II sees this event as an opportunity to meet the community and invite them to taste the beer and learn about the project. 12 Gates Brewing in Williamsville, NY is sponsoring the event, providing the use of their brewery to brew the recipes of Jamestown Brewing Company. Porter, Blonde Ale and Red Rye IPA will be on tap for sampling. Visitors will be ID’d and will be provided with a wristband and 3 drink tickets. The event is free, stickers and T-shirts will be given away as supplies last. The atmosphere will be fun-filled and festive as it gives the community the chance to meet the men behind the project!

More information about the event and the Jamestown Brewing Company can be found on their Facebook page.

With many new venues opening in the city, Jon McLellan hopes to open to coordinate with the influx of tourists and summer residents. Working as quickly as they can, a date for opening has not been set at this time. Stay posted for the progress updates!