Merchant Profile: Brown's Brewing Company

In 1993, the 150-year-old warehouse that now houses Brown’s Brewing Company stood gutted and empty on a scarce-visited street. But Garry and Kelly Brown had big plans for the structure—they envisioned not only the region’s first brewery restaurant but also a community hub that would become an integral part of the local economy and ecology. Today, Brown’s beers boast several World Beer Cup medalists among their ranks, including the Whiskey Porter aged in oak bourbon barrels and the Oatmeal Stout, which brought home the prestigious gold medal in 2004.

Both the brews and the menu of burgers, pastas, and seafood incorporate locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Brown’s takes their commitment to sustainability even further by composting their kitchen scraps, recycling, and growing the bulk of their own hops in nearby Hoosick Falls, where they often host their annual Hopfest hop-picking celebration. Other community gatherings find a home in Brown’s private-event spaces, with the Trojan Room playing host to smaller get-togethers, and the two-story split-level Revolution Hall, designed in the spirit of a European beer hall, accommodating corporate conferences, wedding receptions, and celebratory Grendel roasts.