In the quiet riverside village of Athens, Night School has built a loyal following with an approach that feels both ambitious and deeply local. The large, warmly lit taproom and pizzeria has become a gathering place for residents and visitors alike — a place where regulars drift between tables, conversations stretch across the room, and owner Johnny Osborne serves some of the most daringly hop-forward beers in the world.
That hometown success has increasingly translated into national and international recognition. Last year, USA Today named Night School’s “Deep Fried Beers” line among its 10 Best New Breweries in the U.S., while Hop Culture included the brewery on a list of the best new breweries in the world in 2024. Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine awarded one of Osborne’s double IPAs a 99 out of 100 rating.
Building a Business in Greene County
For Greene County Economic Development, businesses like Night School represent more than a local success story. They illustrate how small-scale food and beverage businesses can grow, attract outside attention, and reach new markets while remaining rooted in the county’s distinct character.
Osborne, who spent a decade working as a craft beer brewmaster before opening Night School, said Greene County immediately felt welcoming to a first-time business owner. “It’s a tight network, and the people at the municipal and county level seem to be woven into the infrastructure,” Osborne said. “They’re very easy to access, and I’ve felt like that’s been huge for me.”
He credits James Hannahs, Director of Economic Development, Tourism, and Planning in Greene County, and his staff with helping connect him to local resources and opportunities early on. “Honestly, it’s the people — the individuals embedded in all of these systems — responding to the needs of a small business like a neighbor that needs help,” Osborne said.
More Than a Brewery
Night School operates as both a brewery and restaurant, serving craft cocktails alongside its house beers and oversized New York-style pizzas known for their thin, lightly charred crusts and sauce-forward slices. Osborne has continued expanding the menu with classic American fare while experimenting with weekend bagels and other specials.
The atmosphere is intentionally informal. Customers order food at the bar and settle wherever they like in the expansive taproom, creating the fluid, communal dynamic Osborne says defines the space.
“I don’t think you can recreate the dynamic we have,” he said. “Our regulars are folks that know each other really well. Not having a hostess station that puts you in a particular spot lets the place become really fluid.”
The “Deep Fried Beers” Philosophy
But it is Osborne’s brewing style that has drawn the widest attention.
Under the “Deep Fried Beers” label, Osborne has become known for intensely “hop-saturated” double IPAs that push beyond conventional brewing assumptions about hop usage and flavor extraction. While much of the industry once viewed that level of experimentation skeptically, Osborne treated brewing as an ongoing sensory experiment.
“When I started doing this, people thought it was either cutting-edge or just completely ridiculous,” he said. “The sensory experience didn’t line up with what the accepted research said was possible, so I kept pushing it.”
The playful “Deep Fried Beers” name reflects the brewery’s over-the-top philosophy. “Drinking our brew is like going to the fair,” Osborne said. “It’s funnel cake, deep-fried Oreos, and turkey legs.”
Reaching an International Audience
That distinctive approach has found a global audience. Roughly 35 percent of production is sold through international exporters, with Deep Fried Beers regularly reaching markets across the United Kingdom, the European Union, South Korea, China, and Japan. Osborne said it remains surreal to see customers posting reviews of his beers in foreign languages on beer-rating platform Untappd.
“Somebody in Sweden is going out on their birthday, drinking one of my beers, and posting about it on social media,” he said. “It’s really cool to see it out in the world.”
Rooted in Community, Driving Regional Momentum
While Athens remains a small-town market, Night School’s growth reflects a broader trend taking shape across Greene County. Restaurants, breweries, cocktail programs, and hospitality businesses are helping establish the region as a destination for experience-driven tourism and food-and-beverage entrepreneurship.
That momentum has been reinforced by regional recognition for businesses including Casa Susanna, Deer Mountain Inn, and Hemlock, as well as events such as TAP New York and the Rip Van Winkle Wine, Brew & Beverage Festival, which continue attracting new visitors to the county.
For Greene County Economic Development, the goal is not simply attracting new businesses, but helping existing businesses scale, expand production, and strengthen the broader ecosystem around them.
For Osborne, who moved to Greene County from New York City, Athens ultimately offered something more personal: the sense of community he remembered growing up in a small town in Mississippi.
“Athens is gorgeous,” Osborne said. “You can see the Hudson from the sidewalk of the bar, and you look the other direction and there’s the mountainscape. You can’t pick a place that’s more beautiful.”
If you want to learn more about how to Make It In Greene, check out our free helpful business guides and contact the Invest In Greene team by email or phone at 518-719-3290.
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Topics: Success Stories
