About Us
 Ithaca
is a city with a strong sense of community and a passion for locally produced
products. There are many local wineries, however people always questioned
why there was no local brewery. Dan Mitchell, the founder of the Ithaca
Beer Company, set out to answer that question by creating a brewery that
would exemplify "The Spirit of the Finger Lakes".
The original concept for the brewery began in 1995, but it wasn't until
December of 1997 that the brewing system was purchased. It was
discovered by chance after investigating another system in Texas that looked
great on paper, but wasn't adequate for the needs of the brewery. After
passing on that system Dan had some time to kill and decided to travel around.
During a visit to a brewpub in Austin, TX he discovered what would become
our brewing system. He went in and asked them what kind of beers they
made. They told him that they had stopped making beer and were actually
preparing to sell their system. After checking it out the purchase was made
and a month later the system was shipped up to Ithaca.
Five months of renovation took place at our 606 Elmira Rd. location to
turn it in to a functional brewery. After all the hard work renovating
and setting up the equipment we were ready to begin the actual process
of creating beer! The operation started small with only a couple of
people (Dan and our brewmaster Jeff) doing everything that needed to be
done to get the business off the ground. From the making of the beer, the packaging, the selling, and the mountains of of paperwork necessary to operate
a brewery they did it all. In December of '98 the brewery officially
opened.
We've come a long way in a short time through lots of tireless work by
a very dedicated staff. Ithaca Beer Company now sells beer throughout
New York State, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Other
states are in the works as we continue to expand our capacity. Even while
growing we haven't forgotten our commitment to crafting quality beers and
being a part of the community that has supported us. As always we strive to
capture the spirit of the Fingerlakes and share it with you.
Cheers!
Dan Mitchell
Founder of The Ithaca Beer Company
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