I went to the Shrewd Fox Brewery on Route 55 in Eldred to find out how the business is fairing during the virus pandemic. I spoke with Bill Lenczuk the Brew Master and I had to ask him about how he started to brew beer. He said it's a bit of a strange story!

Bill told me that he graduated from Rutgers with degrees in radiation science, engineering and public health. Because of his multi-disciplined background, Bill spent a total of five years cleaning and decontaminating the site at Ground Zero and as “a veteran I felt it was my duty to help anyway I could,” he told me.

Previously Bill had worked cleaning up several sites involved in the Manhattan Project a research and development undertaking during WWII that developed the first atomic bomb.

In 1997 because of his training and experience cleaning up other nuclear sites and his ability to speak Ukrainian, he was sent by the US Department of Energy to Chernobyl in Ukraine after the nuclear disaster to decontaminate the building and ended up working for two years on stabilizing the roof and stack at the site. “It was while I was in the Ukraine that I learned to brew beer as they are known throughout Europe for the excellent quality of their hops.” To this day, he told me we use Ukrainian hops for our beer as they are considered the gold standard for good European style beer- and no he laughed they are not contaminated.

Bill and his wife Cindy came to the Delaware River watershed forty-five years ago and lived in Pond Eddy. By 2014, Bill and Cindy were looking in our area known for its pure water for a site where they could set up light manufacturing which is what a brewery is. Finally, in 2015 when Bill had gotten his Brew Masters license, they bought an abandoned post office building on Route 55 across from the Eldred Diner and the Shrewd Fox Brewery was on its way to becoming the very popular venue it is today.

Bill told me that the name Shrewd Fox comes from a Ukrainian folk tale about a very clever fox who was able to outwit all his predators. The brewery buys spent 53-gallon wooden barrels from the Hebrides archipelago in Scotland and the famous Kentucky distilleries that were used for making malt scotch, bourbon, rye, brandy and tequila which infuse their beer and ciders with some remarkably interesting flavors.

With a hat tip to their Ukrainian roots the Shrewd Fox was the first brewery to make Kozak Porter with coffee and chocolate roast in the porter and Kutya Osela buckwheat farmhouse ale which is traditional in the Ukraine in the fall and at the holidays. With over thirteen offerings many named after local spots in four different categories of beers and ciders, with many seasonal offerings, the Shrewd Fox buys over 60% of the barley and hops they use from our local New York State farms.

After five years of some hard work establishing this five-star rated business the brewery is expanding to accommodate the increase in demand. “It's been a very interesting ride” Bill told me, but their products are now in local stores and bars. Bill and Cindy are in the process of buying the old Town Highway garage complex behind the Sunshine Hall Library. Bill explained this will allow them to move their cider production and the over 40 huge wooden barrels they use over to the 10,000 square ft garage space. “We will keep the brewery and tap room on Route 55 and open another tap and tasting room with a new bar menu in the new space which they hope to have open by the summer which is extremely exciting.”

“The Highland community has been so wonderful to us,” Cindy Lenczuk told me. “After having issues with getting our permit, after that it has been great dealing with the community and we are very grateful for their support of our business and other small businesses in the area, she said. We look forward to welcoming everyone into our new tap room during the summer.”

Speaking of the summer, I asked Bill what he thought would be happening this summer? He said, “the Catskills have been a tried and true destination for decades. After the trauma of 9/11 we had a lot of visitors come here and I think very optimistically the same thing will happen this summer as well.”

The Shrewd Fox Brewery and Tap Room is open for take outs Wednesday and Thursdays 3:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. Fridays 4 p.m.-8 p.m., Saturdays 12 - 8 p.m. and Sundays 12 - 6 p.m. Visits them at shrewedfoxbrewery.

com or call (845) 557-8255

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