Craft Beer has finally made its way to Naples, NY thanks to the recent opening of Naples Brewing Company.  This tiny picturesque town, located in the hills of southern Ontario County, has always been a well known wine tourist destination.   A town of just over 1,000 people and home to Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars and Arbor Hill Winery, that draws thousands of people annually to its wineries and popular annual events such as the Naples Grape Festival.    American businessman John Sculley coined the phrase “Timing in life is everything,” and Dan diGiovanna and Trevor Andrews would agree 100%.  After seven-plus years of talk, planning, brainstorming, and a lot of trial and error brewing, these two young entrepreneurs, brewers and engineers, knew it was time to take a leap of faith and make their dream happen in Naples, NY.  Setting up shop in a town with no brewery to call home for locals, and a must stop brewery for beer tourists passing through this well traveled area in the Finger Lakes region between Canandaigua and Keuka Lakes seemed like a no-brainer.    Dan and Trevor’s journey started at Fish Hall on the campus of R.I.T.  where they met as freshmen engineering students, passing a lot of time playing Kan Jam and doing what most college students did at the time.  The two would room together the rest of their college experience and remain close after graduation.   The two headed in opposite directions after R.I.T.  Dan, a native of Cortland, NY and mechanical engineer, headed west to Portland, Oregon for five years.  While Trevor, the industrial engineer from Rushville, NY, remained in the area living in the Rochester area.   The passion for opening their own brewery would keep kindling during visits back and forth between the east and west coasts while on hiking trips or hanging at a mutual friend’s wedding.    The inevitable would eventually take place late in 2017 as Dan decided to return back to his roots here in upstate New York to team up with Trevor to pursue their long-planned dream of opening a brewery.  From here, some considerable trial and error would commence with Dan and Trevor as they began developing a comfort zone on certain styles of beer they wanted to brew.   It wouldn’t take long for these young self-starters with solid technical backgrounds to begin honing their craft.   With the production side of the business finally on solid ground, it was time to take the next step.  Enter significant others Jillian Foster (Dan) to handle merchandising and design and Larkin Ryan (Trevor) to head up social media and communications, all that was left was a location to call home.   Timing in life is everything.  Fortunately, a vacant retail space opened up at 104 North Main St. in downtown Naples, a location that had served as a local print shop for 30 years.  With their dream in sight, Dan and Trevor seized the opportunity.   While waiting on the proper licensing to go through, the foursome worked tirelessly to make the space their own and one welcoming to the public.   On June 18th, Naples Brewing Company officially opened its doors to the public.   The intimate space inside portrays a coffee house vibe with a bright and welcoming feel as you’re greeted by the Naples Brewing Company team behind the counter.   Off the back, you’ll find a comfortable shaded patio where seating continues to expand to accommodate those looking to get a taste of Dan and Trevor’s latest brewed creation.  This muggy Sunday afternoon called for a Caramel Ale to lead off.  Billed as a Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, it was the perfect amount of sweet accentuated by the caramel and not heavy in body at all.  Love the 8 oz. pour offering there, which was perfect for this one.  The wife opted for the Blackberry Seltzer, which she noted as having “well balanced flavor.”  On Dan’s recommendation, I closed with the NY IPA #2.  (Their NY IPA series at time of visit was only up to 2).  A double dry hopped NEIPA with a great blend of citrus to round out the finish.  A licensed New York State Farm Brewery, Naples Brewing Company sources much of their ingredients locally.  According to Dan, their go to malt supplier is Murmuration Malts out of Bloomfield, NY.  For hops, it’s the New York Hop Guild based in Elmira, NY and Cobblestone Hops in Ontario, NY.    On this bustling summer Sunday, with many young families coming and going,  we also noticed many guests bringing in food to go with their flights and pints.   According to owner Dan, they prefer not to work exclusively with a specific food truck to supply food to the brewery.  But instead encourage guests to patronize the local eating establishments in Naples and bring their food back to enjoy at the brewery.  Some local favorite eateries include Roots Cafe, Hollerhorn Distilling, Neapolitan Pizza, Naples Valley BBQ (just a couple doors down from the brewery) and Luigi’s Pizza.   A functioning kitchen would currently be a tight squeeze at Naples Brewing Company, as their on-site 2.5 barrel brewing system consumes its basement square footage. 

Naples Valley BBQ located just a couple doors down from Naples Brewing Company

As the Upstate Beer Tourist, one of the most fulfilling aspects of traveling to breweries throughout the region  is meeting the hard-working people behind them (and their story) who go through the daily grind of trying to place dreams into reality.   The planning, the financing, the production, everything.  Then finding the tools to help you build what you envision. In many cases, the most important tool you need to embark on your dreams is a watch.  Because timing in life IS everything.  For the crew at Naples Brewing Company, it appears they sure know how to tell time, as their upstart business appears poised to be a boon for the Naples, NY community and a great addition to the Finger Lakes region beverage scene by producing some great beer in an underserved area.     Naples Brewing Company 104 N Main St.  Naples, NY 14512 Hours: Monday – Closed Tuesday – Closed Wednesday – Closed Thursday – Closed Friday – 3pm to 8pm Saturday – 12pm to 8pm Sunday – 12pm to 6pm  Website: https://www.naplesbrewco.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naplesbrewco Offers spirits: No Offers wine: No Offers cider:  Yes Offers seltzer: Yes Dog-Friendly:  Outside Food:  None but off-site food allowed Number of taps: 8

Photos by Joe Wright