Kent Falls Brewing Company Led Way for Farm Breweries in CT
By Matt Austin ••
The state is looking to make it easier for people to open a brewery on a farm. That could be a boost for a lot more than the beer business.
The state is looking to make it easier for people to open a brewery on a farm. That could be a boost for a lot more than the beer business.
At the Camps Road Farm in Kent, a former dairy operation was transformed.
While barnyard animals still roam the land, a new crop stretches to the sky. About an acre of hops grows there.
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Kent Falls Brewing Company was born out of the idea of combining a brewery and a farm together on one piece of land.
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They offer a variety of craft beers for sale, on draft and bottled.
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When they started out, there was no farm brewer law, so they had to approach the town of Kent about the idea.
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After difficult year of navigating town and state rules, Kent Falls Brewing Company finally opened in 2015.
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The craft beer business is growing in Connecticut, and in other states farm brewery permit laws had resulted in significant economic growth.
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On July 10, 2017, Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a bill into law creating the new "Farm Brewery" license, which will make it much easier for future businesses to get approval.
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Which means Kent Falls Brewing Company paved the way for future farm breweries in the state.
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They grow their hops on scene at the farm.
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They're both a brewery and an operational farm.
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Like most farms, they are home to a variety of animals, like these chickens.
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Here's a look at some of the pigs.
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This little piggy was ready for his close-up!
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They also house the brewery building and a tasting room on site.
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Here's a look at the bottling operation.
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A look at the barrels.
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The barrels hold a variety of beers.
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Here's a look at some of the machines used for brewing.
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Each beer has a unique label.
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The beers are available on draft, in bottles, or in growlers. It varies depending on what's on hand.
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You can visit their website for a detailed description of each beer. You can also sample them at one of the many events and festivals they visit around the Northeast.
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Or you can just stop by the brewery in person.
“We’ve learned a tremendous amount about farming and doing all this together,” Barry Labendz, founder of Kent Falls Brewing Co., said.
Labendz is a part of group of five which had a big dream about five years ago.
If a successful hop harvest was hard, even more challenging was the idea to build a brewery here.
“We went to the town and we said we want to do this. And they said there’s nothing on the books,” Labendz said.
After difficult year of navigating town and state rules, Connecticut’s likely first farm brewery – Kent Falls Brewing Company - finally opened in 2015.
Now years later, Governor Dan Malloy has signed a bill to make that process easier for future businesses.
The new farm brewery permit lays out more straightforward steps than what Kent Falls had to go through.
It also sets clear rules about sales, ingredient sources, and the use of the title “Connecticut Craft Beer.”
“More people are probably likely to apply and try to open a farm brewery in Connecticut with this permit that without it. I mean I think that’s it. That’s the really exciting part,” Labendz said.
Experts estimate the state’s craft breweries already create a more than a half-billion dollar economic impact each year. And some hope this new law only increases that.
