So what’s been happening the last few months at Paradox Brewery in North Hudson? We caught up with founder Paul Mrocka on a recent visit to the $5 million enterprise on Route 9, which was hopping (pun intended).

On that fall day, beer was brewing, barrels were filled and tradesmen were applying the finishing touches to the tasting room.

Paul, a former home brewer who co-founded Paradox with his wife Joan, backed by a small group of very enthusiastic investors, was excitedly talking about the first batches of “test” beer produced using the new German brew house.

The first run of Paradox’s signature Pils had the potential to knock the brewing staff off their feet.

“We used the same recipe, (tried and tested at their South Schroon location) same amount of malt and it came out with an alcohol content of 11 per cent,” Paul said.

The reason? “More sugar is extracted from the malt, just one of the many efficiencies provided by the new brew house. And from a business perspective: that means using less ingredients and more profits. (For those wondering about tasting that high-octane beer -- it was tossed).

Head brewer Devon Hamilton says learning the new brew house system involved a “steep” learning curve.

“It’s a paradigm shift in the way you think about beer,” Devon told us. “You are not running around like a chicken with his head cut off anymore trying to throw this valve, by the time the timer goes off.” He was referring to the way the beer was produced in the tiny brew house in their former south Schroon digs.

“Don’t get me wrong, there’s still work to do. It’s a big mental lift now, rather than a physical lift, it allows us to think about the beer we make.”

The new facility will allow for the production of plenty of beer. This month the brewery will produce around 450 barrels, just a fraction of the 18,000 barrels the facility can make.

How happy is Paul about the opening? He’s “relieved” more than anything.

“We’ve had a ton of interest from our customers and we can’t wait to open the doors”.