©2022 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Paul Post
A smile crossed Bert Weber’s face when a Cape Cod barkeep urged him to check out a new beer made by Common Roots of South Glens Falls.
“It’s really good, you should try it,” the tavern worker said.
Little did he know that Weber and his son, Christian, own the business, which is one of Saratoga County’s fastest-growing craft breweries. “It never gets old when we go to a spot we’ve never been to, walk in and there’s a Common Roots beer on tap,” Christian said.
The Webers have a $3.2 million expansion plan in the works.
Plans call for acquiring a two-acre parcel adjacent to the brewery, at 55 Saratoga Ave., and building a large facility for warehousing, storage, a separate farm-style brewery that will produce wild-mix fermentation beers, and a large restaurant capable of hosting special events such as weddings.
The owners said the project will free up more space in the existing building for additional brewing capacity. The Webers expect to increase production from 8,000 to 12,000 barrels per year. Several new tanks will be added to the main brewery this summer, allowing Common Roots to introduce more new beers, in smaller batches if needed, adding to its already extensive list of 90 different brews.
“We create an annual calendar,” Christian said. “For the most part we’re scheduled to brew 15 new beers every year, or more than one per month. Some stay in the tap room, some go out for distribution.”
The new tanks will occupy space now used for storage in the main building. Temporary off-site storage will be used while awaiting construction of the new facility. Site work is slated to begin by mid- to late-summer.
The new two-acre parcel is on the same side of Saratoga Avenue (Route 9) as the main Common Roots building, but separated by Marion Avenue.
“It will take time for steel to come in and get slabs poured,” Christian said. “We’d like to have it wrapped up by this time next year.”
Primary financing is by Berkshire Bank, although the Webers have obtained $450,000 from Empire State Development, the state’s economic development agency. Funding was approved by the Regional Economic Development Council and includes a $250,000 grant and $200,000 worth of tax credits under ESD’s Excelsior program.
Common Roots must meet certain benchmarks, such as creating new jobs, to obtain the funding.
The new farm-style brewery will have 12 employees, with the new second restaurant adding even more.
Bert Weber said Common Roots has been quite successful in finding qualified, good help despite a severe labor shortage problem that plagues many businesses. “Our company philosophy is to treat people well and pay them well,” he said. “We have very little turnover. So far, so good.”
“And a craft brewery is still a fun environment to work in,” Christian added. “We have established this community presence, which maybe attracts people to the company, too.”
The Common Roots Foundation, with a 10-member volunteer board, distributed $10,000 last fall to worthy area causes, and a second larger round of funding will be approved this spring.
The Webers launched Common Roots in 2014, with just four beers on tap.
The new expansion is the latest chapter in a comeback story for the brewery, which was completely gutted by fire in late March 2019. The Webers immediately began making plans for a bigger, brighter, more state-of-the-art facility with a restaurant, which the old building didn’t have. They had just laid the foundation for a small kitchen when the blaze occurred.
“It’s always been about creating a certain experience when people come here,” Bert said. “Obviously making a nice, great quality beer is the main goal. But enhancing that with food was always part of the plan, whether it was a food truck or our own little kitchen to create that better experience for customers.”
While cleaning up and rebuilding from the fire, Common Roots operated out of temporary space just down the street.
The Webers encountered another big setback in 2020 when the new building’s planned opening was delayed by COVID-19, which closed restaurants and taverns in major markets such as New York City, and eliminated on-premises taproom sales at the brewery.
Common Roots beer is found in 10 other ▶ states, primarily in the Northeast, but the Webers’ main focus is keeping the local area well-supplied.
The pandemic had at least one silver lining by giving them more time to get new systems up and running. The time of also allowed them to learn how to operate a restaurant, which they’d never done before. A second restaurant in the new facility will have the same menu and beer on draft as the current eatery, but with more space for large parties.
“We want this to be a destination,” Christian said. “We’re fortunate to get tourists from Saratoga and Lake George.”
There’s no mistaking that Common Roots’ main goal is producing high-quality products with a commitment to serving a local customer base. “For us it’s not about volume,” Christian said. “We’ve decided, after these new tanks are put in, that we aren’t growing any more. They’re really to supply our local wholesaler. Most of the beer we produce stays right in our home territory.”
“The brewery is built on community,” he said. “South Glens Falls really accepted us so we want to be that kind of steward back to them.”