New food and beer ventures highlight old Syracuse

Enjoying Syracuse history doesn't have to come from stuffy museums or books. A couple new ventures show that history can be found in a glass or at a local eatery.

"SyracuseDiners.com" is a multimedia guide to diners in Syracuse. It's interactive, displays menus, and informs readers about diner culture.

Another company is a student start-up called "BrewingHistory." The idea is to dust off old beer recipes from almost a century ago and bring them to life again.

The recipes the students found so far have come from the region's historical association, such as the formula for a lager from the Haberle Brewing Co.

Jason Newton, a co-founder of Brewing History, said Haberle produced beer up until the 1960s, but couldn't compete with macro breweries.

Now that a microbrew culture is in the midst of a renaissance, the spirit of Haberle has a chance to strike back.

These students are trying to put their business model together over at the Student Sandbox, an incubator in Syracuse.

On a side note, look forward to hearing more from student startups in Syracuse (including Brewing History) on Monday.