USA, NY: Slate Town Brewing Co. under construction in Granville

For the last several years, Susan Knapp and Glenn Wetherell have had their eyes on a micro-brewery, and in recent months, things have finally started to come together, the Glens Falls Post-Star reported on July 18.

"It's something I have wanted to do on and off over the last few years," said Knapp, who previously was involved with Slyboro Cider House, where Wetherell is the head brewer. "Glenn tried it, but it was too hard to do."

Things got easier when Argyle Brewing Co. put out the word that its old brewing system was available because of expansion, and Knapp also found a building for the brewery at 31 Main St. in downtown Granville.

"Glenn was interested, and I said, 'Let's do the thing,' and it just started happening," Knapp said. "Here we are, a year closer in a lot of ways."

The plan got a real boost when the Argyle brewers offered to sell their brewing system because they were getting new equipment.

"They told us the equipment was available, and that was a good surprise," Knapp said.

Slate Town Brewing Co. will be the fourth brewery in Washington County, which had none four years ago. The others are Argyle Brewing Co. in Greenwich, Battle Hill Brewing Co. of Fort Ann and R.S. Taylor & Sons Brewery in Hebron.

"We have gotten help from everyone, and we knew a lot of them before," Knapp said. "They have all been a lot of help."

Knapp said she wanted to locate the business in downtown Granville for a number of reasons.

"Glenn is from here and it committed to the town," she said. "I think Granville is like any other upstate rural town and goes through cycles. We wanted to locate right on Main Street."

Right now, the brewery remains under construction, and Knapp is working her way through the state's licensing process.

"If everything goes the way it is supposed to, we should be able to open before Christmas," she said.