As a locally owned and operated business, we are very committed to supporting our local economy and environment. Today more than ever, supporting local business is a critical means of survival in a challenging economic situation. We partner with neighboring businesses that share the common goal of responsible growth and profitability. We use local suppliers as often as possible and are active members of the non-profit Capital District Local First organization. For more information about Capital District Local first, please visit www.capitaldistrictlocalfirst.org.

Brown's Brewing Company also believes in self sustainability. Our support of clean water initiatives in the upper Hudson Valley and Rensselaer County are our effort to maintain one of most precious natural resources - pure drinking water.

We're committed to re-use, re-cycle and conserve where it can. Spent grains from our brewery become feed for a local beef cattle farmer, and our hops are composted along with produce scraps from our kitchen. All glass, plastic, tin and corrugated cardboard is recycled.

And as "brewer farmers", we've begun growing our own hops which are a key ingredient in brewing high quality ales and lagers.

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Our Clean Water Act

Beer is made up of almost 95% water, so having a consistent source of clean water is essential. To help ensure the purity of our water, we created the Brown’s Brewing Company Pure Water Campaign – an initiative that supports programs and efforts to keep our local water resources clean and pure. As a cornerstone of this campaign, we brew our Tomhannock Pilsner in honor of the Tomhannock Reservoir, the source of water for all of our Dependable Ales & Lagers. We donate a portion of the sales of our Tomhannock Pilsner to the Rensselaer Land Trust whose mission is to protect watersheds in Rensse...laer County through education and outreach programs for watershed conservation. Please visit www.rlt.org for more information.

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We Grow Our Own Hops

Hops are a key ingredient in making beer, so maintaining a consistent, high quality supply of the crop is essential. Brown’s Brewing Company has taken a significant step to maintain a supply of hops by planting over 800 rhizomes in Hoosick Falls, New York. We also use locally grown hops from area farmers as often as possible in part to support the resurgent hop production industry that is budding once again in central New York. The use of locally grown and picked hops is a natural extension of Brown’s dedication to helping the local economy. In addition, Brown’s customers reap the greates...t benefit as they can enjoy great tasting beer brewed with fresh, locally grown hops.

As an annual seasonal rite of passage, Brown’s hosts “Hopfest” - a traditional hop picking celebration in the late summer. Last year's event was held at Groveside Natural Farms in Pittstown, New York and was attended by community volunteers who pick the fragrant green hop buds from vines cut down earlier in the day. The harvest yielded a healthy amount of Cascade and Nugget hops which we're used to brew our seasonal Harvest Ale, a very floral and fruity double India Pale Ale that uses fresh, or “wet” hops every fifteen minutes during the brewing process. In addition to hops from Groveside, Brown’s uses hops grown by other New York State farms including Pedersen Farms in Ontario County as well as the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown.

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