ITHACA, N.Y. – Press Bay Alley and Press Bay Court have been getting a lot of buzz lately, with businesses including a barber shop, hair salon, halal market and dress shop opening their doors. Soon, Lucky Hare Brewing Co. will join the party with a micro tasting room in the 118 W. Green St. building.
Lucky Hare began making beer in 2016 and has a bustling taproom at its Hector location on the shore of Seneca Lake. Ian Conboy, co-owner and head brewer, said Ithaca was a natural choice for a second retail location.
“Ithaca has been super supportive of Lucky Hare,” he said, “so we figured we’d bring it to them instead of folks having to drive out to Hector.”
There is no firm opening date for the downtown spot yet, because permits are pending with the State Liquor Authority, but Conboy said he hopes the taps will be running by early May. A social media post last week showed a team moving equipment into the suite to the right of Sweet Melissa’s Ice Cream.
The tasting room will have four taps, with two featuring Lucky Hare mainstays like the Falcon Punch IPA or London Gentleman ESB, and two reserved for rotating seasonal brews or brewery collaborations. Canned and bottled beer will be available, too.
Conboy said to look out for creative projects with Press Bay neighbors: beer ice cream with Sweet Melissa’s, beer brewed with coffee from Press Cafe, or beer flights with donut pairings from One Ring Donuts.
“You’re exhausted from circus school, riding on a unicycle, come over and buy some ice cream and a beer … Press Bay overall is going to be the spot everyone wants to go to,” he said.
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The taproom, like all the micro-retail spaces in Press Bay Alley and next door Press Bay Court, is small. There will be standing indoor counter space and outdoor tables, with the possibility of a few indoor seats pending ADA compliance.
While the weather is nice, Conboy said he envisions the plaza being a family friendly space to hang out. He’s looking into hosting live music and welcomes folks to bring food from other nearby businesses to enjoy with a beer at the bistro tables.
“We want to help pull in business for all the shops, in one big community collaboration,” he said.
Featured image courtesy of Lucky Hare Facebook.