When Bert, Christian, and Robin Weber began envisioning a community brewery built on beer, they established some core values: healthy living, environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and inclusiveness.
That was the ethos the Common Roots Brewing Company was founded on, and along with great beer, it was the reason the company thrived locally in South Glens Falls, N.Y., and amongst the larger craft-beer community as well.
While a formalized nonprofit was always part of Common Roots’ master plan, it came to life after a fire burned the original brewery in March 2019. Before the fire was out and the ashes had settled, the community immediately began to rally, organizing fundraisers to support the Common Roots employees and offering brewing space so the business could continue operating. Common Roots continued to operate at a temporary taproom just up the road while the Webers rebuilt a highly energy- and production-efficient brewery and taproom at the original site at 58 Saratoga Avenue in South Glens Falls.
The Webers vowed to repay the community, and in 2020, amid the global pandemic, they founded the Common Roots Foundation.
