When most people think of a farm, beer is not the first thing that comes to mind. Cows mowing green pastures and rows of vegetables growing in the sun probably pop up in your mind’s eye. However, Kent Falls Brewing Co. in Kent, Connecticut, is here to change that picture.
Beginning operations in 2015, the company is Connecticut’s first farm brewery, producing brews that reflect the land. The business is part of the Camps Road Farm, a 50-acre diversified farm property focusing on pasture-raised poultry and pork. Its land has been continuously farmed for more than 250 years. The Camp family homesteaded the land in the mid-1700s, and it is still home to family members today.
The first non-Camp family members — since the land was homesteaded — moved onto the property to start a small dairy operation 30 years ago, naming it “Fools Day Farm.” They managed a herd of up to 50 cattle until the family retired around 2012.
The brewery’s founders repurposed the dairy farm with 1 acre of five varieties of hops and 1.5 acres of cider apples for Neversink Spirit, a distillery in Port Chester, New York.
Kent Falls Brewing Co. works with local growers to create unique beers and to re-establish the connection between brewing and agriculture. The brewery achieves this by striving to cultivate a positive environment and promoting better agricultural practices and viable crops.
Photo Courtesy Kent Falls Brewing
“One of the things I am most proud of is how many more reasons we have to work locally now than when we started seven-plus years ago,” Barry Labendz, Kent Falls Brewing Co.’s co-founder, told New Morning Market & Vitality Center in 2022. “The two most important of these reasons being, it makes our beer taste better and the pandemic has shown how fragile our global supply chains are and how important it is to rebuild local economies and food systems together.”
Photo Courtesy Kent Falls Brewing
Kent Falls Brewing Co. also prioritizes sustainability, enacting several eco-friendly methods in its operations.
The brewery has a solar thermal array system supplying pre-heated hot water, and the farm uses a water well system that provides clean water for beer.
The benefits of these methods for processing water are impactful. In the summer, directing the water through the solar thermal system can raise the temperature from 54 degrees up to 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
Photo Courtesy Kent Falls Brewing
A photovoltaic solar panel array was placed on the roof of the old dairy barn in the summer of 2016 — the barn is now the brewery’s tasting room. According to the brewery, the solar panels generate enough renewable electricity “to sequester the same amount of carbon as 40 acres of U.S. forest each year.” The 26-kilowatt-hour system offsets about 60% of the brewery’s electrical usage annually.
The brewery also combats waste by composting all spent grain, hop trub, yeast, and spent fruits with wood chips to create a natural crop fertilizer. It also uses wastewater from the brewing process as a hand-applied fertilizer.
Kent Falls Brewing Co. also ensures a visit to the brewery for one of its craft beers or a family-friendly farm tour can be as green as possible. Do you own an electric car? Don’t worry! The farm provides a solar-powered electric car charging station. Let’s raise a glass to making a tasty craft beer while being environmental stewards.
Photo Courtesy Kent Falls Brewing
