USA, NY: Solitude Brewing Co. coming to Lakeville later this month

During a weeklong camping and hiking trip in Utah, Cal Hasler and a good buddy climbed a mountain and took in the spectacular sights.

In the wild, tired, but exhilarated, atop a mountain, a man gets to thinking.

“I really want to share that kind of experience with people because people usually don’t get to experience true wilderness and the beauty of solitude out there,” Hasler said.

Of course, in the wild, going up and down a mountain, and then hiking back to civilization, a man gets hungry and thirsty, too. The first thing you want to do is get a burger and a beer, Hasler said.

“It was like the best thing you’ve ever had,” Hasler said.

And that’s what he and business partner Chris Wegener, both York High School grads although a few years apart, are hoping people find at their Solitude Brewing Co. in the Livingston County hamlet of Lakeville, on Conesus Lake.

When it opens later this month, Solitude will join several other craft beverage makers in the county, including Mortalis, Rising Storm and No BS brewing companies and just down the road, little Lake Brewing, among other cider and wine makers and distillers.

The Solitude owners and crew will reach serenity once they are done with the last-minute touches on the spacious facility. The former gas station can seat 60 to 70 people inside with another 30 to 40 on the rooftop when that section of the job is complete, and that's not counting the burgeoning beer garden behind the building, which backs up to a small wooded area.

Hasler and company will offer several varieties of their craft beer and smash burgers, as well as appetizers such as Bavarian pretzel and charcuterie, salads and other fare. But also expect solitude — the kind that comes while sipping a locally crafted Kolsch, for example, or wine and a cocktail.

“The focus is definitely going to be on our own products,” said Hasler, who is a former tech teacher in the Warsaw school district. “We’re going to have a wide variety, but the market will determine what we make.”

The crafting of beer will also be a focus — it can’t help but not as Solitude’s 10-barrel system is a prominent, although not overwhelming feature of the decor.

“We want people to look at it and understand what goes into a beer,” Hasler said. “I think it gives people a better appreciation of what the product is in the end.”

The property had been vacant for some time. Wegener was holding out for something unique, a start-up operation to move in, “something different than office space,” he said. That’s when Hasler approached with his idea, although he had tried unsuccessfully to find other spots to act on his vision.

“It’s amazing what goes into it,” Wegener said. “It’s fun to watch it.”

Hasler, who cites Rochester-based Rohrback Brewing Co.’s Scotch ale as an inspiration for his foray into home brewing, is concentrating less on beer making these days. That’s up to Eddie Graves, who comes to Solitude with a cider-making background honed at Clarksburg Cider Co. in Lancaster, Erie County. He said his strength is sours, although IPAs, a traditional Kolsch and a super-light corn ale may prove to be crowd favorites.

“I think that’s going to be a beer that sticks around on our tap list,” Graves said of the corn ale.

Hasler is a fan of his work.

“I wouldn’t trust myself to do it at this kind of scale. That’s why we got Eddie,” Hasler said. “He’s our beer expert. He knows the chemistry and science side of it really well.”

While there is no mountain top on the Solitude property, a small rise behind the brewery building on Big Tree Road offers a view of the lake, as does the rooftop.

Solitude comes in many forms at Solitude Brewing Co. in Lakeville, Livingston County.
Solitude can come at any altitude, especially with good food and beer.

Solitude Brewing Co., 5953 Big Tree Road, Lakeville, is expected to open later this month, but you can still sample what the owners have to offer as part of tastings during Oktoberfest Rails & Ales at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, 282 Rush-Scottsville Road, Rush. The event will be noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21.

Solitude Brewing will also be part of Meet the Makers of the LivCo Libation Loop, scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at Camp Stella Maris.

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