This week we caught up with John Reed! He shares the circuitous route he took to his current career in the brewing industry (Common Roots, to be exact), his go-to walking route with his pups, a super fun idea for a city bar crawl, and more…
Tell us about yourself!
Hello! My name is John Reed - hiker, avid sports fan, dog lover and Quality Control & Operations Manager at Common Roots Brewing Company. My role at the brewery focuses on day to day operations in the brewery, as well as conducting all the chemical and microbiological testing we do to make sure our liquid is consistent and delicious every time. I also work Sundays at (g)row for kids, telling stories and selling awesome kids gear (and buying some to spoil my nieces and nephews!) As a former teacher and the third oldest of 25 cousins, conducting story time at 11:00 is always a riot!
I studied biology at Boston College and took a circuitous route to the brewing industry. I've worked in clinical research at Dana Farber in Boston, taught biology to students from 6th-12th grade in Connecticut and South Carolina and wound up back in upstate New York as a chance to be closer to family and pursue my interests.
On Life In and Around Glens Falls
Glens Falls is the perfect balance of what I want in my life.
I love hiking in the mountains and staying active - it's perfect that I can be hiking in Lake George or Moreau in minutes and less than an hour and a half from the high peaks regions. And with rock climbing gyms, driving ranges, bike paths and Crandall Park minutes away from my home, I can easily meet up with friends for active hang outs (literally - rock climbing!) or take my dogs (a 10yr old Dalmatian named Perdi, and a 12 yr old Australian Shepherd mix named Harvey) for a walk through the park and the trails at Cole Woods.
I love food and beverages! I was a member of Real Food Boston College as an undergraduate and spent a lot of time talking about the importance of meals both through the lens of it being a social necessity for people to bond over and as a means to practice local environmental responsibility and sustainability. And it's awesome to be around so many restaurants, the brewery included, that bring people together over locally, responsibly sourced, delicious food.
I love my family and friends! I looked for new experiences in different areas of the country in my twenties and the experiences have helped shape me. But, living in South Carolina, I was much too far away from my nieces and nephews and core group of friends. Here, I can see cousins, grandparents, aunt and uncles, siblings, friends from the brewery, friends from home, friends from college - and all within a few hours. It means a lot to me to be able to be present in their lives and share experiences, not just over FaceTime, but in person.
On Homeownership
I own a house in Glens Falls just a couple blocks from Crandall Park. I love being able to walk there, being able to walk downtown, to walk to friends houses. It was definitely a fixer upper, but had some of the key things I was looking for - particularly a big fenced in backyard for the pups and updated electrical and heating. It has been a process though. I have replaced every floor and subfloor in the house, ripped several rooms down to the studs to run new electrical and put up new drywall, replaced appliances, redid countertops, added a cement patio - you name it! It's nice to have a job that has taught me a few handy skills, as well as being lucky enough to have friends and family with skills and generosity to pitch in whenever I have needed it.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
As a relatively new resident of three years, I'm still discovering what Glens Falls has to offer while it continues to grow. I love Crandall Park and having access to trails, a disc golf course, basketball courts, concert series, ice skating in the winter - all a two minute walk from my house. I love having an amazing library right downtown and the fact that the Wood Theater brought the Banff Film Festival to my city. I love seeing new restaurants pop up and draw crowds and be successful. I love that we have unique shopping like (g)row, Fountain Square Outfitters, Sweet Side Records - there's something for everyone.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
A perfect day in Glens Falls starts by brewing a few cups of pour over Kru Kona coffee at home for me and my girlfriend to enjoy in the morning sun on the patio while the dogs run around in the backyard. It is very likely that we head into town to grab a cheese danish from Kru in person and a bacon egg and cheese on an everything bagel from Glens Falls Bagels to snack on before making moves for the day.
We leash up all three dogs (my two, and her mini labradoodle Kingsley) and head towards Crandall Park and Cole Woods to get our steps in. I like to cut across the bridges over the pond first, through the field by the playground before making a loop through the woods and coming back by the basketball courts. My dogs love to walk, but a couple miles at their age is great exercise and a perfect recipe for an afternoon full of napping.
While the dogs snooze, we head across the bridge to meet up with friends and family at Common Roots to sample some of my work and grab a quick bite, especially if Dustin has a taco special running. We'd park downtown to pop into Fountain Square and see if anything calls to us for our quest for all 46 High Peaks this year and over to Sweet Side to grab a Wood Brother's album to throw on the record player.
After a nap of our own (I might love a good power nap as much as my dogs), it's time to have the debate about what type of food we're feeling for dinner. Sushi, Mexican, Wood-Fired, Italian? Oyster apps and perfectly filling handmade pasta at Radici is calling to me. If we're feeling motivated, we'll walk back to burn some of the calories from the food-filled day behind us and text Christian & Mel to see if the kids are asleep and they're awake for a cocktail and a whiskey on their back porch to close the night. So much accomplished, so much food eaten, so much company enjoyed. A great day in Glens Falls.
On the Past
Something friends and family have done in the past and that I would love to make a tradition is a house based bar crawl. With so many people within walking distance of each other in Glens Falls, getting a group of people to share an experience in town - walking, talking, eating, laughing, drinking together - brings together a lot of my favorite things in one!
On the Future
Every time I tried to think of something I would like in town, I realized that it already exists - there are golf courses and driving ranges within 10 minutes, rock climbing/bike trails/hiking within 10 minutes, great food and drink within walking distance... That said, I am very excited to check out Go Play With Your Food on Glen Street! Game nights have always been a part of my life - I think the idea of location where we can grab a table, something to eat and drink and pick from a huge variety of board games instead of just our go to options from our collections sounds awesome.