Up in the Catskill mountains is a small town called Conesville. And if you head just a bit past the main town, down a country road, you’ll find a wooden sign directing you to park your car in a small clearing of grass. If you’re lucky enough to be there in the summer, the expansive blue skies will draw your eyes to a field of tall plants buzzing with bees and other pollinators. Another sign asks you to keep to the path that runs through this garden, and if you do, you’ll come to a farmhouse and outbuilding accompanied by garden furniture and blooming flowers.

This is Weiss Ferments and I believe it’s a gem.

Erica and Brian Weiss are two hospitality veterans with impressive pedigrees. After leaving New York City they decided to create a beer garden in their actual garden. Open during the non-winter months, the beirgarten serves beers made in Erica’s tiny brewhouse. Many of the beers she brews use local rye and some incorporate local honey and ingredients grown in and around the small farm.

Schoharie County, where the brewery is located, was once called the “breadbasket of New York state” and all manner of crops were grown here. If you’re there in the spring or summer, you can’t help but notice how verdant the farm itself is.

We pulled up to Weiss Ferments on a Saturday just around opening. The hand-built shed that houses both Erica’s brewhouse and the point-of-sale serves as a fitting focal point to the garden. With Erica as hostess, I tried most of the beers on tap — it’s a small place, so she normally has only 4 or 5 beers on — and heard the stories and motivations behind them. I felt immediately welcomed to this place.

My tastes don’t typically tend toward farmhouse ales and wheat beers, but there was only one lager on (FMLY Meal, and it was delicious). What I appreciated was that Erica fermented both the Chit Notes (Farmhouse Ale) and Poured Out (Witbier) out super dry. And by using interesting grains and adjuncts — the Chit Notes is primarily spelt and had that signature lightly nutty finish and Poured Out incorporates chamomile — I had reasons to want to go back.

On the food side of things, Brian was running a variety of snacks created by Erica that pair well with beer. The crispy tandoori chicken nuggets were tasty and the pastry on the vegetarian empanadas was delicious and flaky. I could’ve used more salt in everything, but I admittedly have a salty palate. Except for the olives. They were perfect.

The final piece to the magic that is Weiss Ferments is the incredible naturally leavened bread that Brian bakes. As a bread baker myself, the combo of craft beer and craft bread was irresistible and Brian’s bread did not disappoint. Sticking to the local rye theme, he offers a mainstay country rye batard along with baguettes, Einkorn boules, several spelt options, and a seeded whole grain loaf. On our way out we snagged a Kamut + Sesame for the road.

From what I can tell, Brian hasn’t been baking that long. But you wouldn’t know it by the quality of the bread he’s producing out of their farmhouse. It’s a huge draw for those in the area, and I don’t blame them one bit. Our Kamut + Sesame loaf had a rich and custardy crumb with a crisp crust. I wish I had bought a few other varieties.

On top of all of this, the level of care for the people who show up in their back garden is impeccable. From Brian stopping by each group of guests to say hi, to Erica taking the time to learn about the people sipping on her beer, right down to the wayfinding and signage around the grounds, the Weisses know what they’re doing. And they’re doing it so well.

Weiss Ferments is a must-visit and I can’t wait to find my way back to the Catskills to say hello.