Exclusive: All You Need To Know About Paradox Brewery’s Big Expansion

Founder Paul Mrocka

Paradox Brewery, the award winning craft brewer based in Schroon Lake, was today named as an anchor business to be part of a New York State development of the old Frontier Town Theme Park.

The brewery’s new purpose built building will be located near a trial head. It will increase their production capacity by thousands of barrels, allowing PDX to expand to new markets.

Paradox Founders Paul and Joan Mrocka, are "beyond excited" being part of the redevelopment of the site.

Co-Founder Joan Mrocka, in a sticky situation at the Brewery

“We have been working on this for about six months,” Paul told Schroon Laker today. “We’ve had the support of the state and local government, here in Essex County and the town of North Hudson, where we worked closely with Ron Moore.

Paul said he had been looking to expand in Schroon Lake, but was having trouble locating just the right property, until this opportunity came along.

"To be part of the new hub for outdoor adventures, the trails and campgrounds, the equestrian element, it was a perfect fit”.

Paul said there were no immediate plans to close the original brewery and tasting room in Schroon Lake on Route 9.

Devon Hamilton (middle) Thomas Formicola,  and James DeWaard. Missing is Dalton Wilson.

The new facility will feature a new brew house, restaurant and a bar, with sweeping views of the High Peaks.

“We want visitors to experience the high peaks from a great vantage point, while enjoying our fine hand crafted beer.

“We see this this as a tremendous opportunity to be part of the growing business community in Essex County and bringing new jobs to the area. We see Schroon and surrounding times directly benefiting from this move.”

The new brewery will have the capacity to produce 30,000 barrels of beer. Their current output is around 2,300 barrels.

The expansion now means new markets for Paradox products.

“We are at capacity now. Our new facility will allow us to have our beers in New York City, Long Island and all over New Jersey,” Paul said. 

Paul says the brewery will have its own canning and bottling line, as well as the ability to keg beer in wooden barrels.

"We hope to be in bars and restaurants on tap, as well as stores with our line of packaged beer in bottles and cans."

“These are very exciting times for us.”

Paul says the brewery will cost about $2.8 million. He hopes it will open sometime in 2018.

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Multi-Million Dollar Redevelopment for Old Frontier Town Site

Schroon laker Collection

Our area is about to benefit with a potential huge economic boost that will create jobs and bring a cash infusion to local businesses, as New York State sets out re-invigorate our local  tourism industry, under extraordinary proposals announced today by Governor Cuomo, in his 2017 State of the State Blue print for the future.

North Hudson appears to be the big winner, with Cuomo’s proposal to create a Master Plan for “Gateway to the Adirondacks” at Northway Exit 29.

Plans for the Frontier Town site include an expanded Paradox Brewery, (see story here), a campground near the Schroon River and an equestrian center, and trail riding area.

There will also be an Event Center with tourist accommodations and facilities for hosting shows and festivals and areas designated for commercial business development, including providers of food, lodging and amenities for visitors and businesses which can grow along the Northway corridor.

From The official release:

"For more than four decades, this entertainment destination was a boon to the local economy, drawing visitors from across the country to the Town of North Hudson. But since 1998 when the theme park was closed, this site at Exit 29 of the Northway has sat dormant. As a result, local jobs, restaurants and lodging have all but disappeared from this once thriving Adirondack community. In 2016, recognizing a critical need to invigorate the economies of these Adirondack communities, Governor Cuomo challenged the Open Space Institute and five neighboring Adirondack towns to collaborate with the State to design a blueprint for a new recreation hub at this location. In 2017, that challenge will be met and a new world-class recreational experience will be 103 realized through the establishment of state, local and private partnerships led by Governor Cuomo to invest up to $32 million to create the Gateway to the Adirondacks. The new hub will include:

A DEC campground and day use area along the Schroon River  - An equestrian camping and trail riding area, similar to DEC equestrian camping and riding facilities at Otter Creek and Brookfield, which are draw visitors from throughout the eastern United States - A Visitor Information Center to introduce visitors to the world class recreational opportunities in the Adirondack Park; - An Event Center with tourist accommodations and facilities for hosting shows and festivals; · Interactive exhibits in historic structures highlighting the past, present, and future of the Adirondack forest products and local food industries; and -  Areas designated for commercial business development including those which provide food, lodging and amenities for visitors and those which can grow at this strategic location along the Northway corridor.

As a first step, the Department of Environmental Conservation will acquire a conservation easement on approximately 300 acres of land with support from the Environmental Protection Fund.

This will allow construction of the public and equestrian camping and 104 day use areas. Paradox Brewery will also be investing $2.8 million to expand its operations at the site thanks in part to $200,000 in incentives from the Empire State Development Corporation. Governor Cuomo’s goal is to promote and increase the economic vitality of the towns connected to this North Hudson location. Transforming this site into an attractive destination will link local and regional resources and provide year round recreation opportunities and services for multiple uses, users and businesses.

The Gateway site will welcome, orient and connect visitors to trail networks, recreation destinations and businesses in the Adirondack Park. Drawing visitors to North Hudson to connect with premier opportunities for hiking, biking, horseback riding, snowmobiling and boating. This, coupled with commercial business development, will revitalize communities and help transform this region". 

Breaking: Paradox Brewery's Massive Expansion to North Hudson Under New Cuomo Plan

Schroon Lake’s Paradox Brewery, which has called our hamlet home since 2012, will be uprooting and moving to North Hudson to become one of the jewels in the crown of a multi-million repurposing of the Old Frontier Property.

Paradox Brewery will invest $2.8 million to expand its operations at the site, in part thanks to a $200,000 incentive grant from the Empire State Development Corporation, according to a press release.

It’s an initiative to re-invent the former Frontier Town theme park, part of a New York state proposal to Create a Master Plan for  a “Gateway to the Adirondacks at Northway Exit 29 in North Hudson”.

Brewery Founder Paul Mrocka was not immediately available for comment.

Built in the Adirondacks in 1952 and finally shuttered in 1998, the Frontier Town site has previously been the subject of lawsuits and litigation.

Cuomo – long a fan of the North Country, helping to promote our area as a tourism destination, has wanted to promote and increase the economic vitality of the towns connected to this underutilized and dilapidated North Hudson location.

We will have more on this story later.