New Skaneateles bar looks to serve both craft beer drinkers and brewers

SKANEATELES — Finger Lakes on Tap, a new bar preparing to open at 35 Fennell St. in Skaneateles, is expected to prominently feature beers made by the state’s growing farm-brewer population.

Owner Thomas Ierardi says Finger Lakes on Tap will have 51 taps for beers produced in the state, and another nine taps for craft beers from out of state. He expects at least half of the 51 New York taps will be devoted to farm brewers, although the lineup is not finalized. 

Farm brewing began after state legislation was enacted in 2013 to foster growth in the state’s craft beer industry. The legislation allows aspiring brewers to attain a “Farm Brewers” license, which requires, through 2017, that 20 percent of the hops and other ingredients be grown or produced in New York, according to a news release from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office.

Those percentages increase to 60 percent in 2018, and 90 percent in 2024. Farm brewers are not required to have an additional license to serve their beer in a glass.

Since the inception of the farm-brewing legislation on Jan. 1, 2013, 89 farm breweries have opened up as of July 1, 2015, according to data from the governor’s office.

“I started talking to some of the farm brewers last summer, just to get an idea of some of the challenges they were facing,” Ierardi says. One of the limitations he noticed is the small radius of distribution for most brewers.

“What I really thought is they needed some kind of showcase to show people what is going on here.”

He began looking for a space to set up his bar in January 2015. He wanted it to be in Skaneateles, where he lives.

Ierardi attained a three-year lease for the space at 35 Fennell St. — the former location of Creekside Books & Coffee — as well as an option for a five-year extension, he says.

The bar, which does not have an opening date yet, is about 1,750 square feet in size. The first floor is about 1,350 square feet, while a mezzanine comprises the other 400 square feet, according to Ierardi. He plans to have a seating capacity of 60 to 65.

The project cost is about $200,000, says Ierardi, about 75 percent of which will be covered through financing from M&T Bank. The rest will come from his personal assets.

Work is still being done on the interior to prepare it for opening. The beer lines were installed on July 20, he says, and the bar top, comprised of two, 12-foot slabs of black walnut, has yet to be installed. Ierardi says no one is allowed to see the bar top until it is finished, including him.

A representative from the state Department of Health is scheduled to inspect the facility the last week of July, says Ierardi, and he is still waiting to receive his license from the state for on-site alcohol consumption. He has no timeline for when that will arrive, or when the bar will open.

“It’s like a bunch of dominoes, and one thing has to happen before everything else, and if one domino is missing, everything else stops,” Ierardi told CNYBJ.

He originally anticipated having three or four employees, but he says feedback he has received indicates he may end up needing five or six. Ierardi will be the manager.

While beer is the focus of the bar, Ierardi says turkey and roast beef sandwiches, and a cheese plate, will be available food options, as well as an occasional soup.

The bar is intended to be a place for conversation, with only one TV inside. The main bar is set off from the nearest wall, according to Ierardi, and will have no beer taps visible. Two back-bars can be found against a wall behind the main bar. Each will have 30 taps. No bottled or canned beers will be sold, nor any Budweiser, Coors or Miller beers, says Ierardi.

A mix of seating options will be available, including several sectionals located on the main floor and on the mezzanine, and stools.

Some work to the building was needed, but the structure was in good shape, he says. The work consisted mainly of painting, various touch-ups, and some plumbing and electrical work. Much of the work was handled by friends and family, with some help from the building’s owners, according to Ierardi. He says he has operated as the general contractor.

Beer prices will be in the $5 to $6 range for 12-16 oz. beers. Ierardi says he is pricing the beers based on the alcohol-by-volume content in the kegs, even though some lower-alcohol beers are more expensive to produce than some higher-alcohol varieties.

“The system is not perfect,” he says. “But it doesn’t make sense to me to make one beer much more expensive based on the brewer or based on my cost.”

 Patrons will also be able to order beer flights, which consist of several small glasses, each with a different beer to sample.

Ierardi says he doesn’t have any target revenue numbers yet, although people have given him projections. “To me, those are numbers on a spreadsheet, and until I see faces in the door, people in the seats, and beers in their hands, that’s all they are is numbers,” he says.

Featuring farm-brewed beer is a double-edged sword, says Ierardi. While it allows him to offer some unique, locally sourced beers, it also means that many varieties will be around for only a few months. Patrons may find a brew they love, and in six months, it will be gone forever.

Ierardi has been interested in opening his own bar for more than 20 years, ever since he first started home brewing, he says. That idea was shelved when he received a promotion at his then-job.

This is Ierardi’s second business venture. His first was a kayak importer and distributor, also based in Skaneateles, called Tomandglo Ltd. He operated that throughout the 2000s as a side project to his main job — working as director of information technology for a contract research organization in the pharmaceutical field, he says.