Little Lake Brewing in Lakeville embraces small size

Newest Livingston County brewery offers intimate setting to enjoy coffees and beers.

Note: This newsletter is supported by Donnelly’s Public House, a wonderful canal-side establishment in the village of Fairport.

Livingston County’s newest brewery has roots on tour. Owner/brewer Don Carll worked for a mobile catering company, preparing food on the road for many musical acts such as the Grateful Dead.

So while many Deadheads followed the band religiously, Carll truly toured with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and company between 1989 and 1993. He learned so much about performing under tough and often unpredictable circumstances.

“Don has a background in mobile catering, so he’s really good at working in small places and setting up and tear downs,” said Robbin Carll, Don’s wife.

“When I toured with the Grateful Dead, I used to drive around a thirty five-and-a-half-foot long catering trailer,” Don said.

And after the Conesus Inn closed in 2012, Don, 59, who was head chef at the restaurant known for seafood and prime rib, searched for a new creative outlet. Don, a true beverage nerd, found his outlet at a little property in the hamlet of Lakeville at the northern end of Conesus Lake. It became little Lake Brewing, a combination coffee roaster and brewery,.

When the previous tenant closed up shop in 2017, Carll jumped at the chance to go into business for himself. And little Lake Brewing, 5857 Big Tree Road, was born. (Yes, “little” is stylized with a lower case “l” and is a nod to the brewery’s size, location, and Carll’s late mother and her maiden name).

“Everything about the name ‘little’ is entirely true,” Robbin said. “Our maximum indoor capacity is 25. The brew room is small. The coffee roaster is small.”

“Everything is made in super small batches,” Don added.

“We like the novelty and sentiment of it,” Robbin concluded. “It’s a perfect place for Don to share his hobbies with others. That’s how it all started. When you come here, it’s like you’re hanging out with family and friends.”

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Don started renovating and finally opened little Lake as a coffee roaster and breakfast spot in July 2018. Slowed by the pandemic and licensing, the brewery opened earlier this month.

“I just needed something to keep us going while I waiting for the license,” Carll said. “For years, I’d been roasting my own coffee, so I bought a small commercial coffee roaster and started selling to support ourselves.”

Don, who estimates he has been roasting coffee and brewing beer for 30 years, roasts the beans in-house and focuses on single-origin coffees. He takes a similar approach with the beer, preferring to keep it straightforward and simple. Don loves IPAs the most. He sources hops from all over, but uses malt from New York Craft Malt in Batavia.

“Whatever anybody wants, I can make,” Don said. “I have a huge recipe file and I remake a lot of them.”

“He’s very open to what customers want,” Robbin added.

“I treat my beer a lot like I treat my coffee,” Don concluded. “I don’t add a lot of flavors. I basically just use grains and hops. And specialty yeasts will change the flavor a lot.”

And like the coffee roasting operation, the brewery is small. In fact, it’s Livingston County’s smallest brewery. Don craft beers one barrel (or 31 gallons) at a time.

That size, he said, allows him to be both flexible and nimble. Since he is only filling two half-barrel kegs at a time, he can explore different styles you might not encounter elsewhere. The current draft list includes two IPAs, two lagers, a brown ale, and a hard seltzer. The food menu includes a sesame-seared wrap with ahi tuna, and grilled mahi-mahi and swordfish sandwiches, when supplies allow for it. And then there are the traditional burgers and hot dogs.

The building is the identity

The building itself is only about 10-feet wide. With such a small space, Don said there is no room for storage. So that creates the impetus to keep everything as fresh as possible — whether it be the ingredients for the sandwiches or the pastries.

little Lake offers something new for the community, especially during the warmer months when patrons are invited to sit outside under a tent and enjoy music and the surroundings. Robbin refers to it as the “concession stand,” the tented outdoor area with patio furniture and a roll-up door. They also have live music.

Don purchased a small walk-in cooler for the property that houses both his brewhouse and keg store. While many have asked why he hasn’t expanded, Don said the space is the perfect size to showcase his dual hobbies of roasting coffee and brewing beer.

If you love it, you find a way to make it work. “It’s actually working out pretty good,” Don said. “I’m just worried I am not going to be able to make it fast enough and I’ll have to expand immediately. We want to keep it low-key.”

Wednesday through Friday, LLBC is open 6 to 11 a.m. for breakfast service. The shop then closes for an hour so Don can convert the space from a coffee shop to a brewery tasting room. With the house-brewed beers, LLBC added evening hours on Friday (4 to 9 p.m.), Saturday (1 to 9 p.m.), and Sunday (1 to 6 p.m.).

Don is in the process of building an outdoor bar and kitchen. He hopes it’ll be completed by late fall.

“It’s a little frustrating sometimes, because there aren’t enough hours in the day and sooner or later I have to lay down and sleep for at least three hours,” Don said, admitting he used to get up at 2:30 a.m. some days to bake. At least now, he has an employee who takes care of the baking.

Livingston County is thriving

In 2016, Livingston County didn’t have any craft breweries. Fast forward six years later and the county now features seven breweries (little Lake, Mortalis, Dublin Corners, No BS, Rising Storm, Battle Street, and Strange Design) and a cidery (OSB).

And Livonia is really the epicenter of the Livingston County craft beverage scene. little Lake is a few hundred feet away from OSB Ciderworks, less than a mile away from No BS, and about two miles from Rising Storm. There’s a reason tourism officials have branded it as the Livingston Libation Loop.

“It’s nice to be part of a little hub where people can jump place to place,” Don said.

“We’re not really looking to compete with anyone,” Robbin added. “We’re supportive and collaborative. We’re not trying to outdo anyone else.”

Title sponsor: Donnelly’s Public House

This work is made possible through support from Donnelly’s Public House, 1 Water St. in Fairport. So make sure to get out to Fairport and support one of the best establishments in our area.

I remain open to sponsorships, sponsored content, and advertisements, especially if it’ll keep the newsletter free for readers. And if you have information about upcoming releases, events, or happenings, don’t hesitate to reach out. For more information, feel free to drop me a line at clevelandprost@gmail.com.

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