Equilibrium Brewery cuts ribbon at Middletown facility

Craft brewer Equilibrium Brewery was joined by the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council to cut the ribbon on its new facility in a former meat-packing facility in Middletown.

The brewery, expected to open to the public in early 2017, will feature a tasting room and a restaurant, though Equilibrium Brewery will focus mainly on producing beers for distribution. Equilibrium beers are available in craft beverage stores and bars in Long Island, New York City, the mid-Hudson region and the Capital District.

The brewery was named a priority project by the economic development council in 2014. To encourage the brewery to launch its manufacturing operations in New York state, the council awarded it a $204,000 capital grant.

Equilibrium Brewery founder and CEO Ricardo Petroni said the council supported the company”™s initiative from its inception and provided the push to make the project a reality.
“Downtown Middletown is a perfect match for us,” Petroni said. “It was clear from the start how the brewery could work synergistically with the ongoing revitalization efforts in a beneficial way.”

Equilibrium will create seven jobs and has invested more than $1 million to acquire, rehabilitate and outfit its building with the necessary brewing and canning equipment.

“The Equilibrium Brewery revived a vacant building to make great local beer in downtown Middletown, bringing economic activity back to this vital urban center,” said council co-chair Dennis Murray, president emeritus at Marist College. “Thanks to Governor Cuomo”™s Regional Council Initiative, local communities are able to steer their economic development in directions that benefit their own goals and aspirations.”