While I was in college trying to drown myself in Koch’s Golden Anniversary 30-packs and 25-cent Genny Light drafts, Dan Cleary was in his dorm room concocting delicious homemade craft brews to share with his friends. Maybe that’s why he is running a successful brewing business, and I’m here writing about him.
“When I was going to college there wasn’t a lot of options when it came to beer,” Cleary said. “Beer drinking beer was kind of boring. Making my own was fun – something to kick back and relax. We were a bunch of college guys sitting around with nothing to do, so we made homemade beer. It went fast.”
For several years after college Cleary was working as a property appraiser, but he was still brewing beer at home. After getting burned out on the appraisal business, he turned to his passion as a way to make a living. He teamed up with Chuck Williamson from Butternuts Beer and Ale at the Ithaca Beer Fest about 10 years ago and the first brew, a Kolsh, which “went over pretty well.” With that success Cleary decided to branch out and became the first “documented and legal” brewery in the history of Cortland County.
The Cortland Beer Company now features a tasting room with more than 15 varieties on tap from light pilsners to heavy, full-bodied stouts. They even have a coffee flavored stout, for those of us who want to wake up on the right side of the bed.
With NYS Legislation assisting the brewing industry, many other small brewers are popping up to take advantage of government opportunities, but the Cortland Beer Company has already established itself in the Central New York region. Most bars and restaurants in Cortland feature at least a few of Cleary’s beers, and the Naked Lap Lager, Firehouse Ale, Red Dragon Ale, and Cortland IPA can be found throughout Syracuse, Binghamton and Elmira, in some locations and stores in Utica, Rochester and Hornell.
And the Cortland Beer Company is showing no signs of slowing down. The current focus is on the tasting room – a clean, inviting and comfortable atmosphere, amongst the shops and restaurants of downtown Cortland. Friday nights feature live music performed by local bands and a new outdoor seating area allows patrons to enjoy the historic downtown setting.
Cleary and his brewers are always experimenting and trying new recipes. “I refuse to buy my beer at a bar – I’m not going to pay for something I made, and I like to see what some of the other guys are doing,” Cleary said. “The brewers in this region are doing a good job coming up with some very strange, unique beers. We made a hot-pepper beer a while ago and people loved it.”
If you happen to find yourself travelling along Route 81 or Route 13 through Cortland, stop in to the Cortland Beer Company and say hi to Dan, have a pint, and take home a growler of Industrial IPA or Black Widow Stout. It’s a stop you won’t regret, and it’s proof that Benjamin Franklin was right – “Beer (good beer) is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” You can find a listing of their other beers, specials, and more at www.cortlandbeer.com
