Roe Jan Brewing Shows How To Open — And Stay Open — In These Times
In Hillsdale, a new brewery dishes up craft beer and wood-fired pub fare with all protocols in place.
The centerpiece of the bar is a grain hopper, formerly used in the building’s incarnation as a feed store. All photos courtesy Roe Jan Brewing Co.
Roe Jan Brewing Company in Hillsdale, New York had been open six short weeks when the statewide COVID-19 shutdown order came in March. “We’d just poured 18 months into planning and renovation to get the business open, and then we had to shut the doors and tell 30 employees to go home,” said co-owner Steve Bluestone.
Roe Jan Brewing Company, a contemporary craft brewery and pub, is posted along the intersection of Anthony Street and White Hill Lane in Hillsdale's historic hamlet. The brewhouse boasts a rotating lineup of beers—including traditional ales, lagers, IPAs, and sours—along with an inventive and palatable pub menu that features wood-fired food made from scratch. The brewpub is the brainchild of developer Steve Bluestone and his wife Kathy, Hillsdale residents. Aiming to incite a spirit of community and connection, the brewery takes its name from the Roeliff Jansen Kill—which winds its way through Hillsdale.
When the shutdown hit, food inventory was distributed to the staff, but there were still tanks full of beer. To keep it flowing, RJBC began offering “Growlers to Go” takeout seven days a week, staffed by a single employee. With the help of a Payroll Protection Program loan, they hired back several more employees and expanded takeout to include a menu of “heat-and-eat” food. When Columbia County entered Phase 3 of the statewide reopening plan in late June, RJBC brought back a full staff and opened once again for on-site dining, indoors and out, offering new beers and a casual summer menu.
The beer garden
Housed in a three-story structure that is steeped in Hillsdale history, Roe Jan Brewing Company holds the former address of the Hillsdale Mercantile Association, dating back to 1851. The building has been home to a host of other businesses over the years, including a shirt factory, a beer bottling operation, a farm and feed supply store, an art gallery, and numerous general stores.
The Bluestones purchased the building in June of 2018, tackling a 20-month renovation project that would bring it back to life. Historic photos from the 19th century provided the driving design inspiration for the adaptive-reuse remodeling, informing both the internal and external aesthetic of Roe Jan Brewing Company. Totaling approximately 12,500 square feet of space, the three-story structure features a restaurant, bar, and open kitchen space at ground level, with seven modern apartments available to rent overhead and brewing tanks and storage space housed down below. The design of the space was spearheaded by local resident and interior designer Carrie Herrington, whose combined studio and retail space, C. Herrington Home + Design, is a prominent Hillsdale haunt
Although the pre-COVID RJBC dining room was already spacious, the number of indoor seats has been reduced to accommodate new social distancing requirements. Steve Bluestone repurposed brackets from the old roof of the building to create new glass partitions around the bar, providing an attractive and safe barrier between guests and bartenders. The dining room is ventilated by a state-of-the-art Ventacity VS1000RT system fitted with a MERV-13 filter, which removes moist and dirty air from the inside and replaces it with clean, fresh air from the outside.
Guests may also dine at safe distances outdoors in the newly opened beer garden and deck, at tables handcrafted by Steve Bluestone during the long spring lockdown period. The outdoor areas are dog-friendly and have been a big draw for canine visitors.
Summer’s new beer releases have included Harlem Valley (Kölsch), Bogardus (hazy IPA), Taconic Sundown (rye lager), and Anneke (gose sour); upcoming releases include Bash Bish Belgian (made with Bash Bish honey) and Yonderview IPA (hopped generously with Citra and Mosaic hops). A first run of cans of Anneke, Taconic Sundown, and the popular Hillsner (lager) sold out in a few weeks; a second canning run is planned for early autumn. “With our bar seating now reduced, and many people still wary of venturing to restaurants, we’re looking for more ways to allow our guests to enjoy our beer at home,” said Hayley Shine, who heads the brewery operations. Shine is a skilled and celebrated brewer with over a decade of experience in brewpubs.
Eggplant-tomato caponata, goat chesse and arugula top grilled housemade pita bread
Equipped with an innovative kitchen, Roe Jan's menu has been conceived with a personal touch under the charge of Executive Chef Charles Kiely, who sources from conscientious farm neighbors. The summer menu features warm-weather comfort food like lobster rolls, double-dipped fried chicken, smoked pulled pork sliders, wood-fired burgers, Block Island clam chowder, and steamed PEI mussels. “We’re fortunate to work with local farms who produce incredible vegetables and fruits, and they’re featured throughout the menu,” said Mr. Kiely. “And we produce as much as possible in house, including our ketchup, pickles, potato chips, and hamburger buns.”
The journey of opening in mid-winter, abruptly shutting down, pivoting to takeout, then pivoting again to operate under new COVID-19 rules “felt like opening a brand-new restaurant three times,” said co-owner Kathy Bluestone. “Opening a restaurant is one of the most stressful experiences anyone can go through. Going to takeout required throwing out everything we’d just created and re-thinking our entire menu, staffing, and procedures. Moving back to on-site dining meant another menu redesign, learning to work in our new outdoor areas, and incorporating 13 pages of COVID-19 procedures mandated by NY State.”
Despite the overwhelming challenges presented to restaurants operating in the pandemic, RJBC is finding ways to give back to the community. All tips and profits received from the “Growlers to Go” program in April were distributed to staff that had been laid off. Proceeds from sales of RJBC-branded masks (made by Robina Ward, Hillsdale councilperson) are donated to the Hillsdale Fire Company. And $1 from every pint sold of Harlem Valley Kölsch is donated to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail (over 500 pints sold to date).
Roe Jan Brewing Company
32 Anthony Street, Hillsdale, NY
(518) 303-8080
Open Monday, Thursday, Friday, 5-9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon-9 p.m.
