Drumlins Brewing Co. revives Palmyra's brewing heritage in historic building

The old building on East Main Street has already lived several lives, and Peter and Sarah Wimer are betting that is exactly what makes it right for Drumlins Brewing Co. Once a lawyer’s office, and before that a paint store and a shoe store, the 1840s property is being turned into a brewery that is meant to look as rooted in Palmyra as it tastes.

That balance between preservation and production is the heart of the project. The Wimers want the building’s history visible inside the taproom, with topographical maps tied to the drumlins that give the region its name and wall displays that connect the village to the Erie Canal and its pre-Prohibition brewing past. Sarah Wimer said they wanted to bring back Palmyra’s brewing heritage, and the search for the right building took time because the space had to anchor the concept and still fit the community.

For Peter Wimer, the leap from homebrewer to professional brewer gives the opening its practical credibility. He brewed at home for years, worked professionally in Rochester, and later left a corporate career to pursue brewing full time. That path is familiar to anyone who has graduated from a garage setup or a kitchen stove to a real brewhouse, where the recipes stay personal but the stakes become permit approvals, utility upgrades and a taproom that has to work on a busy night.

The brewery is being built as a modest, repeat-visit place rather than a flashy destination. The taproom is expected to have 10 taps, with five to seven pouring Drumlins beer and the rest likely reserved for local cideries. The planned lineup includes a West Coast pilsner, orange cream ale, New England IPA, blackberry pilsner and blonde ale, with a session beer or two in the mix. Wayne County Tourism has described Drumlins as a small, locally focused brewery, and it says the operation will brew gluten-free beers on separate dedicated equipment, a rare setup that could make the brewery one of only two fully gluten-free breweries in New York State.

The project also carries economic and civic weight. Drumlins Brewing Company LLC was incorporated on May 18, 2023, with public filings listing 331 W Jackson Street in Palmyra. Peter and Sarah Wimer won a $20,000 grand prize in Wayne County’s business pitch competition in November 2024, and local reporting has said Drumlins aims to be the first brewery in Palmyra since Prohibition. Historic Palmyra, which has preserved local history since 1843 and operates five museums, adds another layer of context to the opening, especially as it continues Erie Canal programming that echoes the same transportation network that helped fuel 19th-century brewing growth across upstate New York.

The build-out has already required serious infrastructure work. A contractor post on Jan. 28, 2026 noted installation of 400-amp electric service for the building that will house Drumlins Brewing Co. By the time the taps open toward the end of May, the place is set to be more than a new brewery. It will be a restoration, a neighborhood gathering spot and a quiet argument that Palmyra’s brewing story never really ended.