Hudson Valley's Tin Barn opens palatial FLX location

The Orange County brewery known for its bombastic triple IPAs and fruited sours opens its Seneca Lake location this weekend.

Will Cleveland

May 26, 2022

Six months after purchasing a Yates County property overlooking Seneca Lake for $1.3 million, Dale and Lauren Van Pamelen, the father-daughter team behind Orange County’s Tin Barn Brewing, are ready to welcome guests to the new Finger Lakes spot.

Tin Barn FLX, site of the old Starkey’s Lookout winery/brewery in Dundee, celebrates its soft opening this weekend, just in time for Memorial Day. A grander grand opening is planned for June or July. Plus, the property’s kitchen, which will serve artisan tacos, will be up-and-running in the coming weeks.

Until then, Lauren, who is Tin Barn’s head brewer, said patrons are encouraged to come hang out at the 22-acre property, 5428 State Route 14, along the western edge of Seneca Lake and neighboring Glenora Wine Cellars.

Tin Barn FLX will be open noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday. There will also be live music and a can release.

In our previous interview for the Democrat and Chronicle, Dale, a Webster native, called for a site “rebranding” when they closed on the property last December. And that’s largely what the Van Pamelens did.

The 11,000-square-foot tasting room was refreshed. The three outdoor seating areas were connected. They’ve added an army of Adirondack chairs and picnic tables to encourage patrons to take in the beautiful scenery while enjoying a Tin Barn beer.

“I think this location is all about the outside area,” Lauren said in an interview earlier week. “But inside, it used to be very closed off. So we opened it up and just made it much more inviting. Painted it, so it’s brighter, too. The first room now has a walk-in cooler with a full tap system. It’s definitely brighter, more open, and more welcoming inside.”

Lauren said the most exciting changes and updates were made outside. There were originally three separate patios, one of which Lauren called “the main event space patio.”

“We don’t want to appeal to events,” Lauren said. “We want to be a craft brewery with an awesome outside space like we have in the Hudson Valley. So we made a big wraparound patio. They actually measured it yesterday and it’s over 160 feet. And then we connected the event area, where they would set up tents, to the building. It also gave us this very nice flow-through. So instead of certain areas being closed off, you have this awesome flow out of the beer room.

“We have all these Adirondack chairs looking straight at the lake. So you chill, drink a beer, stare at Glenora’s vineyards and the lake right in front of you.”

Why triple IPAs?

Tin Barn is known for hazy New England-style India pale ales and vibrant fruited sours. Specifically, Lauren has developed quite a following for her higher octane hazy IPAs, particularly those above 9 percent alcohol. Many breweries strive to make single IPAs and pale ales.

“I love to be above nine percent,” Lauren chuckled. “I think the flavor and hop characteristics, they just shine better above nine percent. So we are definitely known for triple New England IPAs.”

How did Tin Barn decide to fill this niche?

“It came from being biased and brewing what I like to drink,” Lauren offered. “There are good session IPAs out there, but I think it’s just a little too light for me. I think the depth of flavor and that real citrus out of Citra hops, which are in pretty much every beer we make, it just shines at that higher octane.”

In a twist, Lauren did just brew Tin Barn’s first lager as the brewery approaches its second birthday. “For the hot weather, it’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s hopped with Hallertau, so you get a little bit of that white grape (flavor).”

Lauren envisions a steady stream of delivery trucks between Chester and Dundee. The two locations are separated by just over 200 miles. The goal is to have new releases available at each location concurrently. There is no brewing system in Dundee, but Lauren said she just ordered some new fermenters to fulfill demand at each spot.

“It just seems like where we’re supposed to go,” Lauren said. “It definitely fits our brand. But it fits who we are as people, too. We love that area. We always have. There is definitely something about sitting at the lake and drinking an ice-cold beer. We definitely have evolved our business around what we like to do and what we like to drink. And it seems like our customers agree with us.”