Fine Craft Beer and History at its Best
Even after all the years away from her family’s farm, the idea of a crumbling barn still bothered Brenda Schworm. The fourth-generation Duanesburg native left New York to join the United States Air Force, where she served 23 years working in communications and computers before retiring as a lieutenant colonel. For a second career, she worked for a defense contractor in northern Virginia in business development and program direction.
That, along with her love of craft beer and a bout with cancer, launched Schworm into her third career as the owner of Back Barn Brewing Company on Western Turnpike in Delanson. In the process, she breathed new life into two historic barns.
“I got diagnosed with cancer, and I had to go through a full round of chemo and radiation,” Schworm said. “It was now or never to see if I could do this—start my own business and combine it with something I’m really passionate about. I really love the architecture of barns and I really, really appreciate the craftsmanship of old barns and the hand-hewn beams.” The brewery’s “Amber KCA,” a smooth, malty Märzen-style amber lager is a nod to Schworm’s victory over cancer. “KCA” stands for “Kick Cancer’s Ass.”
Schworm purchased the barns in late 2015 and moved back to Duanesburg the following year to begin transforming them into the brewery and taproom. A 1750s Scottish barn houses a seven-barrel brew system from Portland Kettle Works, and the 1800s barn adjacent serves as the taproom.
Even with the allure of the 11 beers on tap awaiting, it’s worth a stop by the exit door near the double doors that lead to the brewhouse. There, Schworm has posted a series of photos that show the restoration of the barn. It’s here that visitors can catch a glimpse of the magnitude of Schworm’s undertaking in giving new life to the 18th- and 19th-century structures that might otherwise have been torn down for scrap.
Then, while sipping a cool pint, beer lovers can allow the atmosphere to flavor the beer. Glancing about, one can see the evidence of the building’s past and how Schworm honored that in her construction. For example, looking up, one can spot the large wooden pegs of the barn’s post and beam construction. Schworm salvaged the wood on the walls from the barns, and she turned horse stanchions into behind-the-bar décor with chalkboard signage and shelving. The bar itself is crafted from a 16-foot hemlock floorboard that she found in a shed on the property. Pairs of industrial light bulbs hang down from pulleys, a classic piece of farm equipment.
The artistic use of the barn’s original features just scratches the surface of the work that went into the restoration, which also included building a frost wall around the foundation, replacing the roof and installing plumbing for modern use and comfort. “I did preserve as much as possible in bringing these two barn structures up to 21st century standards,” Schworm said.
In addition to the interior space, Back Barn features an outside biergarten area with picnic tables where customers enjoy beer and food from a rotating schedule varied food truck cuisine including Cruet Wood Fired Pizza, Buena Comida Tacos, Six Star Melts Grilled Cheese and Cousins Maine Lobster, to name a few.
Making History
While saving a piece of history, Schworm has made history of her own. She just might be the only solely woman-owned brewery in the state. Making the brewery even more unique is the onboarding of head brewer Laura Clough in July this year. Marketing Manager Nicole Pagano rounds out the management team, placing an all-female team in charge, a rarity in the craft beer scene. The trio are having some fun with this. For example, they’re calling the brewery’s dry Irish stout, “She*Nanigans Stout.”
For Clough, Back Barn is a great fit. By the time she completed a course in brewing through the Schenectady Workforce Development Program, Clough realized she was hooked on the craft. She enrolled in Schenectady County Community College and earned her Associate of Applied Sciences degree. She went on to gather experience in the industry building out a small brewery from scratch as well as working in larger production facilities. With Schworm’s offer to become Back Barn’s head brewer, Clough found her niche. “I’m thrilled to be at Back Barn because this is exactly what I pictured when I first decided that I wanted to be a brewer: something smaller, beer-focused, and constantly bustling with a thriving community of beer-loving regulars,” she said.
Schworm admires Clough’s brewing prowess. “Laura’s technically very, very smart,” Schworm said. “She’ll say, ‘I can bring this kind of aroma or flavor out of hope by doing this or that.’ It has been fun to see that.”
Clough has been working diligently to build the beer inventory since she started. Schworm’s focus for the beer menu is on clean, classic styles, and the brewery has produced roughly 35 different kinds since it opened in February 2019. Customers will find classic styles such as the “Cotter Kolsch,” “Skyline Crush” West coast IPA, the NEIPA “Something About the Light” and “Czeched-Out Pils.” However, along with the classics, Back Barn throws some new flavors into the mix, such as “You-Da-Boss,” a sour ale flavored with raspberry and apricot. “We have a few standards, and we try to keep things new and fresh. It’s kind of fun and different to do things like that,” Schworm said.
For Clough, inspiration abounds. She loves to find a new take on a classic style. Currently on tap is the brewery’s award-winning “Peño Pils,” a Czech-style beer dry hopped with jalapenos. “Sometimes you start working through an idea and realize that maybe it won’t work the way you thought, or maybe there is another way that you want to do it,” she said. Some beers might be inspired by a food pairing, or other times, she will work with a certain style of beer as a jumping off point. “Sometimes, something just pops into your head. I have notes about beer ideas written down all over the place.”
History carries over into the beer menu, too. The majority of Back Barn’s hops come from a grower in Cherry Valley. “Some of the hops are really exciting because this individual has taken the hops that used to grow here in New York in the 1920s and early 1930s before the hops got wiped out and cultivated them,” Schworm said. These hops went into the brewery’s “Heritage Pilsner.” She is also looking into preserving the recipes of craft beer pioneer Bill Newman who operated the former Wm. S. Newman Brewing Company in Albany when the craft beer industry was in its infancy.
In addition to imbibing at the brewery, customers can take beer home in growlers, cans and pints to go.
More Than Just Great Beer
Clough’s favorite part of her job is watching Back Barn’s clientele enjoying Back Barn’s fine craft beer. “What I love about brewing is that moment when, after all the planning–the math, the recipe design, the brew day, the fermentation, the lab work, the conditioning, the carbonating, and the packaging–you get to see people really enjoying what you created,” Clough said. She also finds it humbling that the beer is part of special occasions like the weddings and celebrations on site and community events that the brewery hosts.
Schworm views Back Barn Brewing as both a destination brewery and a gathering place. “We’re not just about making excellent beer, but about building community,” she said. That is evident looking around the biergarten on a weekend, seeing families spending time together and friends and colleagues greeting each other warmly preparing to enjoy a beer and perhaps a bite to eat. Dogs are welcome, too, and visitors might catch a glimpse of “Brew Dog” Dallas, a member of the team since the brewery opened.
Two or three times a month, musicians take the stage, and periodically, the brewery hosts special events such as an end of summer bash with a clam bake and an Oktoberfest. Back Barn participates in several charity events for organizations including the Lions Clubs International, the Duane Lions Club, IBI Semper Training that provides service dogs to veterans, the American Cancer Society, the Schenectady County Animal Shelter and other organizations. “They’re fun, but they’re serious causes,” Schworm said.
Come drink in the history and enjoy the craftswomanship of fine beer at Back Barn Brewing Company, 7082 Western Turnpike, Delanson, 518-709-8423, www.backbarnbrewing.com.