Enjoying every last brew at Owego’s Farmhouse Brewery

If you’re looking to try some of the most distinctive and interesting beers in the area, grab a friend or two and head on up to the Farmhouse Brewery. Located at 14 George St in Owego, the building is easy to spot from Route 96, with its distinctive signage and red painted farm exterior.

The Farmhouse Brewery is dedicated to staying as local as possible; no beer on tap is produced with less than 80% New York State ingredients, and most are 90-100%. This leads to an ever-changing lineup of beer, with varied ingredients from gourds to coffee and more. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I grabbed a good friend of mine, hit the road, and tried all 14 brews on tap.

Arriving at the brewery, we sauntered in to the cozy tap room. Modest yet welcoming, local products line the walls, including Fingerlakes soap and lip balm, and Farmhouse’s own brand of dog treats and beer soap. The hardwood floors and rustic decorations enhance the relaxed, down-home feeling of the place. Behind the bar, the wall of beers on tap is impressive. Artisanal soda is also on tap for the child dragged in with their parents, or for a thoroughly responsible designated driver. There are also little trays of pretzels on the bar to cleanse your palate between beers. I used them for general munching.

If you plan on trying all of their beers, I suggest starting with the light beer flight. This will keep your palate from getting too confused. ‘Don’t Miss a Beet’ is, as the title implies, a Saison made with beets. Smooth, yet earthy, with a deep pink color, the beer was delicious. It made a swell first impression on my tongue. ‘The Crazy Daisy,’ a Belgian Triple, was round and delectable, with a light fruity flavor. It clocks in at over 8% ABV, so by the end of the first flight I was laughing a little too hard at my friend’s jokes. While considering that she may indeed be the funniest person in the world, I decided to move from four-ounce to two-ounce pours. It is really amazing that they offer unlimited two-ounce pours, because it makes trying and truly enjoying each brew possible. We finished off our glasses, and moved on to the dark beers.

Oh, the dark beers. They must be involved with black magic to be as delicious as they are. Up first was a delightful Scottish ale, called the ‘Peat and Repeat.’ This is, by almost 10%, the least local beer, but as a Scottish ale, it needs Scottish peat, which (you guessed it) is from Scotland. Ah well. Smokey and flavorful, it is definitely a beer to savor. ‘Con/fla/gra/tion’ is a Coconut Coffee stout, and tastes just as scrumptious as it sounds. The coconut is light and airy, but wonderfully fills in the cracks between coffee and beer. The ‘Barn Burner’ is an oaked Dubbel ale, and with a steeply sweet and rugged flavor; like a lover showing up at your door with flowers after an argument. After a few more pours, we moved on to the sours and the ciders.

Sour beers are for the more adventurous beer drinker, certainly not the faint of heart. They often contain lactic acid, and the ‘Sour Evangelist,’ a gose brewed with tomatillos, is one of them. The extreme sourness sometimes found in goses is balanced by the addition of tomatillos, making the ‘Sour Evangelist’ a good starting point for anyone diving into the world of sour beers. The ‘Smokey MacDaddy’ cider was one of the most interesting brews on tap - you can smell the fireplace coming off the glass, and the usually crisp taste of ciders is coupled with the camaraderie of a roaring campfire. The ‘Trellis’ cider is a perfect mixture of sweet and dry, leaving you aching for more.

One of the coolest things about the brewery is its laid back vibe. As soon as you walk in, you feel like you’re part of a family. The business itself is a family operation, and you can taste the time and effort they put into their craft. They also host a variety of different events, and are extremely dog friendly. On the day of my visit, they had just finished wrapping up a bacon cook-off, with everything from bacon tacos to maple-bacon cupcakes, which I could not resist. Later, a patron showed up with a homemade birthday cake, and made sure everyone in the taproom got a slice.

So mosey on down the Farmhouse Brewery, try everything, and learn a little more about beer and company.

The Farmhouse Brewery is located at 14 George St. in Owego. There is some food available on weekends. More info available online at thefarmhousebrewery.com.