Battle Hill Brewing Company - Pouring Passion into Community!
Nestled in a historic 1840s building in the heart of Fort Ann, New York, Battle Hill Brewing Company was founded in 2015 by Jim and Darlene Hume, who turned their love of craft brewing into a business centered on fresh, locally sourced ingredients and expertly crafted beer. Today, Matt carries that legacy forward, ensuring that every visitor—whether a longtime local or a first-time traveler—is welcomed like family. From the carefully curated tap list featuring house favorites like the Cocoa Porter to menu staples like Matt’s personal favorite, the ham and brie sandwich, everything at Battle Hill reflects a deep appreciation for quality and tradition. And behind the scenes, Jeanne, a first-grade teacher by day and an integral part of the Battle Hill team by night, keeps things running smoothly—whether it’s lending a hand in the kitchen or giving tired parents a well-deserved break. More than just a brewery, Battle Hill is a community hub, partnering with local farms, distilleries, and wineries to support the rich agricultural heritage of Washington County, NY. In this Delivery Rank’s interview, Matt shares his journey from education to entrepreneurship, his vision for Battle Hill, and why fostering a sense of belonging is at the heart of everything they do.
Transitioning from a career as a school principal to leading Battle Hill Brewing Company is a big leap. What inspired you to embark on this second career, and how does your experience as a principal influence your leadership style at the brewery?
That’s a great question! Jeanne and I have been customers of Battle Hill Brewing Company for about seven or eight years prior to us purchasing the business. We would eat here religiously about every two weeks because we have always loved the food, drink, and people. When the previous owners decided that they were retiring and selling the business, I was at the point when I could retire from being an elementary school principal and we said to ourselves…why not? So that’s what we did! As a school principal, my favorite part of the job has always been the people involved and building relationships with them, and that is exactly what our brewery is: a place for people to gather together and build relationships with each other. For me, this brings great joy. There is of course the administrative, organizational, management, etc. skills that are very similar as both a principal and an owner running a business, but at the end of the day, for me it has always been about the people. Jeanne and I have always loved Battle Hill Brewing Company and want to give it a strong foundation so that it will continue long into the future.
Your vision for Battle Hill is to create a welcoming space where people can gather, connect, and break down barriers. How do you ensure this sense of community is felt by everyone who walks through your doors?
This is a great description of our vision and is completely accurate. I have always been a community builder in all of my jobs, and there is no exception here at Battle Hill Brewing Company. For me, it is all about getting to know the people who walk through our doors. Life is hard right now for so many people, and taking the opportunity to say to all who come in, “We accept you as you are and you are always welcome here as a member of our family,” is everything. This is the approach we take and this is my vision for the brewery. We are a location where the walls come down, and no matter which demographic groups anyone comes from (economic status, political beliefs, the types of jobs people have, family structures, etc.), we are all equals here. We are very family focused and this comes through very clearly. We do not have any TV’s in the brewery, and this communicates the clear message that people come first and that connecting people together is what we are about. And…one of the things I am most grateful for is that our staff is also committed to this vision. They make sure that everyone feels welcome as they walk through our doors.
The brewery embraces the spirit of rebellion and honors history with every pour. How do you weave the themes of history and liberty into your branding, atmosphere, and beer offerings?
The Battle of Fort Anne in 1777 was a critically important battle during the Revolutionary War, but it is not well known in the history books. The short story of this battle is that it slowed the British down as they were heading to Saratoga, and this slowdown helped turn the tide at the Battle of Saratoga and changed the trajectory of the war. The location of Battle Hill Brewing Company is very historical. The main building was built in the 1840’s, it has a stone well on its property that was built before the Revolutionary War, and it is right across the road from where the original Fort Anne (named after Queen Anne) was located. In fact, there used to be an underground tunnel that went from the floor of our basement, under what is now Route 4, and up into the fort property, which is a very cool thing! In addition, we can see the actual Battle Hill right from our front windows. And, the river that borders our property is fed by a brook from which George Washington once drank. Given all of this history, our brewery is decorated with a number of historical and colonial-types of decor, and our beer and menu names often reference the colonial time period. For instance, some of our beer names over the years have been Grains of Liberty, War Whoop, Battle Haze, Liberty Ale, Burgoyne Red and others. And then we’ve had the Rebel Yell Chicken Sandwich, the Battle Burger, the Patriot Burger, and other similarly referenced names for food. On a personal note, since coming to Battle Hill Brewing Company I have joined the local Fort Ann Historical Society, and this has helped me keep the pulse of our local history and find ways to promote it. With the 250-year anniversary of the Revolutionary War nearly upon us, it has been a lot of fun to tie into the historical aspect of it all.
Your passion for dark beer and creating a gathering space is evident. How do you balance being a business owner, innovating in brewing, and fostering a sense of belonging for your customers?
It all comes down to a multi-faceted approach to leadership and it is often analogous to juggling many balls all at the same time. In leadership, it is critically important to have a vision for what you want to accomplish and to know what you are aiming for. For me, Battle Hill has four main components: the brewery, the restaurant, the community outreach, and the business structure itself. Knowing what we want to accomplish in these four areas, as well the prioritization of the components within those four areas, is essential. But even more important is hiring people who can help implement those visions. This is sometimes easier said than done, but we are very fortunate at Battle Hill Brewing Company to have employees who buy into the idea of what Battle Hill Brewing Company is and what it can become as we create a place that is welcoming to all and has very high quality food and drink. It is truly a team approach.
Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals for Battle Hill Brewing Company? Are there any exciting new beers, events, or community initiatives in the pipeline that you’d like to share?
We are very excited about our future! Battle Hill Brewing Company has now existed for ten years, and we have taken over its leadership for just one of those. As we have overseen the transition over the past year, we now get to turn attention to other longer-term goals such as increasing beer distribution to additional area restaurants, creating more opportunities for brewery events for our current customers, growing our customer base, and impacting the community around us at a greater level. For example, we currently support some of our current farmers and local businesses: our honey and maple syrup are both locally sourced, our grass-fed all-natural beef comes from a local farmer, our honey/lavender beer (called Harmony) includes lavender from a local lavender farm, and our Hamilton Spruce beer includes spruce tips harvested from one of our local Christmas tree farmers. We would like to continue expanding on all of this community support. We have a very active Mug Club membership where we hold quarterly parties and gatherings for our local Mug Club members. As for our beers, we continue to move new flavors forward and rotate them through (for example, we have a Midnight Irish Red, Orange Kolsch, and Maple Pecan Stout coming on tap in the coming weeks). For our food, we listen to our customers to see what they would like to see on the menu and for our weekly specials, so they have a direct line to how we operate. And, our employees also continue bringing very creative menu ideas to the table, and we usually use them! Battle Hill Brewing Company is a great brand and has great products. We want to continue making sure that our name is out there so that people can come to our establishment and have an absolutely great experience. If you get a chance, check us out at battlehillbrewing.com!
To read more about Battle Hill Brewing Company, please visit https://battlehillbrewing.com/