When Common Roots’ Bert and Christian Weber brewed their first beer together as a nod to their German roots, it’s safe to say that the father-and-son duo couldn’t anticipate what was to come. But since then, their passion for homebrewing has spawned a regional brewing juggernaut that recently opened a brand-new café that starts serving at 7am. This was on the heels of its roll-out of an expansive bierhall, also located across from the original South Glens Falls taproom.
All this hasn’t been easy. In 2014, the Webers opened Common Roots Brewing Company’s taproom doors in South Glens Falls, and quickly became one of the leading craft breweries in the region—only to have their incredible success forced to a screeching halt by a destructive fire just five years later.
“The fire devastated us,” Christian says of the inferno, later ruled accidental, that demolished the brewery. But the expansion had already been underway, and as horrific as the fire was, it didn’t hold a candle to the support of the community. Within hours, local beer lovers began raising money to support employees and assist in the rebuilding effort. The show went on, and the plans got bigger. (The experience inspired the Webers to eventually open their own nonprofit to give back to other small businesses in need.) They re-opened in 2020.
But they wanted more. This fall, they opened the farmhouse-chic Bierhall & Barrel House, and its café. The expansion is set right across the street from the flagship taproom, joining the already existing biergarten-style tasting room. All told, the new space seats 160 with a dance floor and outdoor party space.
The Common Roots Café, though, is a passion project. “A bunch of us went to coffee-roasting school in New York City,” Christian says. “We decided to open the café because there wasn’t a place in the area to get great coffee and good food in the morning.”
Stay tuned for news of the opening of Common Roots’ Albany HQ in the former space of C.H. Evans Brewing Co. “We are excited and humbled to now have a family brewery that dates back to 1786 under the Common Roots ownership,” Bert says, “and be a part of their story moving forward.”