BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON - A new brewery in Canton will feature a restaurant following Tuesday’s announcement of a $610,000 award from Restore NY funding.

Gary Hammond, chief financial officer of St. Lawrence Suds LLC, said Wednesday morning the $1.124 million Bent Beam Brewing project is moving along and should be ready to open in July or August.

“I am very happy. Leigh [Rodriguez] did a great job getting the grant money,” said Hammond.

He noted the roof work has been completed. Electrical and heating work and sitting down with the architectural engineers are next on the construction list.

“We've been moving right along but there is a lot of waiting,” said Hammond.

Bent Beam Brewing will be housed in the former McCarthy’s Furniture Barn, a more than 100-year-old building at 41 West Main St.

In September, the Canton Village Board endorsed the project by agreeing to submit an application for Restore NY grant funding.

“We are pleased to have secured financing to assist with this transformative project in Canton's downtown corridor. Not only will it rehabilitate a long vacant building, but it will bring new jobs, increased tax base, and create an exciting new venue for people in and around the region,” stated Leigh Rodriguez, Canton’s Director of Economic Development. “We are excited to work with these local investors to see the Bent Beam Brewery and gastropub come to fruition in Canton.”

Hammond presented the brewery project to the village board in September, informing them without the grant the restaurant will be put on hold.

“Without the grant we can’t fund the entire project,” he said.

The menu will feature upscale pub fare with a farm-to-table theme.

Hammond said they hope to open the restaurant by the winter or spring of 2024.