New hop farm-based brewery to open in Cortland County [Video]

HOMER, NY — A three-year-old, family-owned hop farm may soon be home to a new family-and-friends-owned brewery and tasting room.

Homer Hops Brewing is in development on the site of the Homer Hops farm at 722 State Route 90, just west of the village of Homer in Cortland County. Work is underway, but the actual opening could be delayed by the ongoing shutdown of the federal government.

For now, Jason Kristof and his family are aiming for opening by the spring of 2020. The project was recently cleared by the Homer town board, which had to change some zoning laws to allow for a brewery, winery, distillery or cidery. The brewery is awaiting its state license, which should come within the month. Homer Hops applied for its federal license in November. There is likely to be a backlog in the processing of federal licenses when the shutdown ends.

“Otherwise, we’re …