Genesee Brewery holds grand opening of new brew house

Posted at: 09/08/2012 1:25 PM | Updated at: 09/11/2012 8:55 AM
By: Joangel Concepcion | WHEC.com

The beer should ring a bell to everyone in our area, which is why the Genesee Brewing Company drew hundreds of people to its grand opening.

Now it wants to bring people from all over the nation to try a Rochester made brew.

If you’ve ever traveled down St. Paul Road then you’ve probably seen the big barrels.

Now the Genesee Brewing Company wants you to see what they’ve been brewing up for more than a year.

Beer enthusiasts from all over the region came to experience the brand new brew house. A one of a kind facility for many reasons…

Janine Schoos is the Brand Manager for the company. She says Genny Beers should ring a bell for every Rochestarian.

Schoos says, “We’re so excited to see so many people out enjoying Genesee beers.”

She continues, “We’re American owned and that’s awesome. Like that we can say we’ve been brewing beer here for over one hundred years.”

The company wanted to stay true to the historic nature of the area and the building.

Schoos says, “From the walls to the floors, to the original windows, it was a restoration project to keep as much in tact as possible from the original building.”

But this isn’t your ordinary brew pub. The first floor is more like a mini beer museum, full of historic interactive exhibits.

Jim Samborski a beer enthusiast says, “To walk through here and see how it all started during different years, different types of bottles… you can get quite a variety.”

Not to mention a tasting bar, a 20 barrel-pilot brewing system with beer masters on deck, producing new products that will debut year round.

Upstairs is a full bar and restaurant overlooking the falls.

Pennie Alferi, another beer enthusiast says,  “I’ve heard people walk out here and say I don’t believe I’m in Rochester with this view.”

Their goal is not only to be Rochester’s favorite beer, but to bring thousands to our area.

Schoos says, “One of our goals for the brew house is to attract beer enthusiasts from all over the U.S and bring people to Rochester to experience brewing, not only at Genesee but at other breweries throughout the area. So definitely our goal is to bring other people to Rochester to see this great city and this great brand we have.”

A portion of the proceeds from the beer tasting bar will go to several local charities throughout the area. But, the Genesee Brewing company is not done… back in November it announced plans to renovate the former packaging center in Rochester’s northeast neighborhood. The majority of the development project is complete, but in spring 2013, the outdoor concert and event space will be complete.

Have a story you want our news team to investigate? Call us at 585-232-1010, click here to send us an e-mail or leave us a Facebook post or tweet.

Print Story