Central New York Brewery Teams Up with Farms to Fight COVID-19

A Central New York brewery is swapping beer for food in this time of need.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, drinking and dining inside eateries and other establishments is out, so Good Nature Farm Brewery, owned and operated by Carrie Blackmore, is changing its game-plan, according to an article in Syracuse.com. The Hamilton business is now teaming up with local farmers to offer grocery items like meat, vegetables, and bread to go along with their signature beers and hard ciders. Plus, the brewery now delivers to your door.

Blackmore had already converted the brewery's popular taproom at 1727 State Route 12B to a to-go only model, following Governor Andrew Cuomo’s shutdown of dining rooms. Under his order, New York's breweries can legally offer beer and food for pick-up or delivery.

Since Good Nature already had bread and ground meat on site for its diners, it was an easy conversion to take the next step and work with area farms to increase the offerings it had for pick-up or delivery.

Additionally, Good Nature was able to fill in for the seasonal farm markets in Madison County, whose traditional openings have been delayed by COVID-19. Here are some of the items Good Nature is now offering:

• Bread and sourdough from Heartstone Artisan Bakery in Cazenovia
• Chicken and turkey from Choose Life Farm Poultry in Smyrna
• Rolls from Rye Berry Bakery in Hamilton
• Meat from Blue Sky Ranch in Waterville
• Hand sanitizer from Old Home Distillers in Lebanon

So, even though Good Nature’s taproom at 8 Broad Street in downtown Hamilton is now permanently closed, their location on Route 12B is open for expanded business and your "shop local" needs.