Kristen Lyons and her husband, Jason Gardner, love beer. That love, fermented with some brains, some brawn and some good friends, ultimately led to the creation of Binghamton Brewing Co., the fifth and newest addition to Binghamton’s growing number of impressive, independent craft breweries.

Located on 15 Avenue B in Johnson City, Binghamton Brewing Co. stands out from the crowd with its creative brews and sleek-yet-cozy space, which was previously the historic Endicott Johnson Fire Station building. With the help of several beer-loving friends, owners Lyons and Gardner put their degrees in industrial and systems engineering from Binghamton University to work and transformed the old firehouse into a fully functioning brewery, equipped with a two-barrel electric brewing system.

“The engineering degrees basically helped us build everything,” Lyons said. “We customized the brewing system we bought using our engineering brains, allowing us to really experiment and get creative when we brew. You can’t do that with big, mass-production brewing.”

Carrying on that spirit of creativity and ingenuity, Lyons, Gardner and a few friends built almost everything by hand from repurposed material. Binghamton Brewing Co.’s bar is an upcycled bowling lane, the barstools are repurposed tractor seats (which Lyons affectionately calls “universal ass chairs”) and even the three walk-in coolers were custom-constructed to fit the brewery’s needs.

Binghamton Brewing Co. has a wide variety of beers to choose from, from light ‘n’ wheaty ales to dark ‘n’ heavy stouts and everything in between. We recommend the five glass flight, where you get a generous sample of each of the brews on tap for only $7. If you’re a fan of milder brews, go for the Sunshine Wheat or the Citra Pale Ale, which are crisp, light and refreshing.

If you’re looking for something unique, definitely try the Eternal Wit, a creative spin on the witbier loaded with aromatic anise and coriander. Like your beer strong and dark? The Belgian Dark is your brew, strong but smooth with a punchy 10.5 percent ABV (alcohol by volume) to get your night going. Big fan of Guinness? You’ll delight in their Coffee Dry Stout, a delicious, dark and creamy dry Irish stout loaded with coffee and chocolate flavors. As a feel-good bonus, Binghamton Brewing Co. is a farm brewery, which means they source their hops and malts from local producers in New York state.

Even if you’re not a total craft beer geek, Binghamton Brewing Co. is a great place to sit down in front of a cozy fireplace, relax, have a drink with friends and meet new people.

“Everyone here is so welcoming,” said Bob Olcott, a Johnson City resident and regular customer at Binghamton Brewing Co. “I’ve met all different types of people and had some wonderful conversations. It’s a really nice place to be, with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.”

Although Binghamton Brewing Co. doesn’t serve food, they encourage a B.Y.O.F (Bring Your Own Food) policy, and you’re welcome to share with friends. If you don’t have time to sit and sip, you can take home a custom growler of any one of Binghamton Brewing Co.’s beers, which also make great holiday gifts for the craft-beer lovers at home. Beer lovers, rejoice.