Mike and Seth Weisel own Galaxy Brewing Company in Binghamton, NY. Mike was a home brewer for nearly 40 years, practicing and experimenting in his spare time.  Seth gained an interest from his dad and then went on to the Master Brewers Program at UC Davis. He got his start as the brewer at Roosterfish in Watkins Glen. They opened Galaxy Brewing Co., a brewery and restaurant, in 2011. We sat down with Mike and Seth at the brewery to chat about hops and grains, buying local and the growing craft beverage industry in NYS.

Taking the leap from home brewing to a micro-brewery and restaurant:
Two of the key factors for Seth and Mike to turn their love of brewing into a viable business were start-up funds and consistency. To be a successful craft brewer, “there’s a lot of science involved, and in order to be consistent and efficient, you have to use that science and understand the process. It’s not the same for a home brewer, who has time and is not trying to make money.”

On buying local:
Mike and Seth’s goal is to buy local whenever they can. In the past, they have worked with Regional Access in Ithaca. “Closer to the Heart Farms and Shared Roots Farm are two farms we’ve worked with who are about as local as you can get.” In addition to NYS hops and grains, local honey from Joel Babcock is used in the Smoked Honey Stout, Honey Lemon Mate, and the Ghost of Christmas beers. They find value in the simplified system of buying from local farmers, and they believe in the higher-quality product associated with local foods. “We can buy local things at competitive prices. It cuts out the middle man, and the cost associated with transporting things a great distance is not there…it’s a ‘pick it, drop it off’ model.”

Coming up at Galaxy:
Galaxy produces three or four beers a year that are made with 100% New York State grain. There are two being released in the coming months. New York Attitude is made with 100% New York State malt and hops that’s aged in rye whiskey barrels from Finger Lakes distillery, which will be out in about two weeks. Far Star is a Belgian-style Saison with 100% New York State malt, hops, and currants. “It’s aged in red wine barrels from Wagner Valley Brewery, with a bunch of funky yeasts we threw in there to make it crazy.” Stay on the lookout for Galaxy beer dinners to talk about beer flavors and how they pair with food.

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From Donalyn Ketchum, Creekside Acres & The Creekside Cook

Creekside Acres in Berkshire, Tioga County is owned and operated by Larry & Donalyn Ketchum.  Long time gardeners, in 2015, they decided to become Farmer’s Market vendors at the Thursday Night Farm to Fork Market in Owego.

Locally grown food is a passion of theirs, reflected in their own lifestyle, as well as in Donalyn’s blog, The Creekside Cook [thecreeksidecook.com], where she encourages people to cook at home, with simple, delicious recipes, garden tips and stories of their life “way out in the country”.
 
The decision to become vendors, was rather a spur-of-the- moment thing, as the Ketchums were looking for a way to utilize all of the produce that they grow, which often exceeded what they could use or give away to family and friends. 

As FaHN sponsors, "We became involved when Nancy Eckstrom [a FaHN Steering Committee member] introduced us to the idea during the market last summer. We like the idea of being a sponsor because we feel FaHN encourages people to seek more local sources when they are shopping for food.  Even before we became vendors ourselves, we believed in local sourcing as much as possible."

You can reach Creekside Acres by phone at (607) 765-8345. Visit Donalyn's blog, The Creekside Cook, for recipes, gardening tips, and more. 

Read the full article here.