Pottstown Micro-Biz Hopes To ‘Distill’ Formula For Success

POTTSTOWN, PA — Pennsylvania’s fledgling craft distillery industry owes a debt of gratitude to America’s micro-brew movement and nobody knows it better than Max Pfeffer.

The director of operations for the Manatawny Still Works and its chief distiller, Pfeffer didn’t have to go far to find his new job.

It was a short hop to go from craft-brewing to craft-distilling for the chemical engineer.

After being educated in brewing at a special school at the University of California at Davis, Pfeffer “went right into beer,” and spent three years at Victory Brewing, followed by three years as brew master at Sly Fox Brewing Co., located directly across the street from the Circle of Progress location of the new distillery.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140301/pottstown-micro-biz-hopes-to-distill-formula-for-success

Spirits Rising Between The Finger Lakes

New York’s Finger Lakes. Lying below Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes formed in tunnel valleys. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

OVID, NY — For more than 30 years, John Myer has farmed the ridge above Cayuga Lake and has seen the passing traffic from winery to winery grow each year.  His corn, wheat and soybeans wind up as flour, tofu and animal feed, not part of the burgeoning trade in locally made beverages.

No longer.

This fall, John and his brother Joe opened the tasting room of Myer Farm Distillers, where guests — many already undoubtedly cruising the Cayuga and Seneca wine trails — can sample spirits made on the farm from grains grown there.

Selling vodka, gin and clear, unaged whiskey — and with plans for aged spirits, including bourbon — Myer Farm is the second stand-alone artisan distillery to open in the southeastern Finger Lakes in the past five years.  The first was Finger Lakes Distilling in Hector, which opened in 2009 and has since released its first aged whiskies to critical acclaim and built its off-premises sales to account for half its revenue.

Read more:  http://www.stargazette.com/article/20121117/NEWS01/311170034/Spirits-rising-between-Finger-Lakes?odyssey=mod%7Cdnmiss%7Cumbrella%7C1&nclick_check=1