CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. (WROC) — Beer lovers and brewers will have a special chance to learn about the craft in Rochester at a casual event at Young Lion Brewing in Canandaigua. The event starts at 12 p.m. and runs through 8 p.m. You can check out the event on Facebook here.
Organizers say its a casual way for brewers to unwind, enjoy their product, and talk to customers about the beer, brewing, and the brewing community.
Over a dozen breweries will be participating. At the event, brewers will be tasting Young Lion’s “Oktoberfest,” which Young Lion says “(it has) notes of chocolate and caramel come from its malt base of German Pilsner, Vienna, Caramunich, and chocolate wheat. To round out this beer, Hersbrucker and Tettanger hops are are added to create a moderate bitterness and herbal character.”
Participating breweries include:
- Young Lion Brewing
- ROC Brewing Co.
- Big aLICE Brewing
- Reinvention Brewing Co.
- Prison City Brewing
- Big Ditch Brewing Company
- K2 Bros Brewing
- Frequentem Brewing Co.
- Noble Shepherd Craft Brewery
- Swiftwater
Jennifer Newman from Young Lion and Chris Spinelli sat down at News 8 to discuss this event in studio Thursday.
Chris, I’m told that this idea was your brainchild, why don’t you walk me through the idea?
Chris: Yeah, so it’s great to be working with Jen. And we’re having a lot of fun being a part of this. And it kind of came out of this concept that we do at ROC Brewing, (the) “Celebration of Cream Ale.”Almost five years ago now, we decided that we wanted to really support our local community, the local brewery scene that we have here and focus on a beer that is truly Rochester.
So we did a “Celebration Cream Ale,” and invited local breweries to make a Cream Ale… we put it on tap. And then we have the brewers come in, they don’t have to do anythin; they get to hang out with us enjoy. We spend the day pouring the beers connecting the community showing our love and our excitement. And then Jenn reached out and said, “I want to do this for an Oktoberfest.”
It’s a great way for us as brewers to get together, spend time and then get on to meet you and interact in a more natural (way), not the behind the taps at a festival setting.
Jenn: You know, festivals can be a lot of work, you’ve got tickets and the small glasses and and jockey boxes that you have to pour with. But this is one where the brewers can truly talk sit down and be relaxed and talk with the customers about their beer in a much more relaxed and easier setting. And it’s also much more enjoyable for the brewers as well, (they can discuss) the wonderful creations that they’ve made, instead of instead of hustling around and trying to fulfill a festival requirements.
But when people come to this event, and they do get a chance to chat with these brewers, what do you hope that the customers take away from this experience?
Jenn: I hope they’re going to drink some delicious Oktoberfest. So that’s going to be incredible. And everybody’s going to get the opportunity to put their best beers forward. Even if it’s not an Oktoberfest, we may have a couple of IPAs sprinkled in there as well. That the that the customer will actually be able to sit and learn about Oktoberfest as well as talking to the Brewers directly. That’s the fun part.
This is really about community and bringing together all the different breweries there are a lot here coming. Why was it important to you to get so many breweries that come together?
It’s been kind of the foundation of ROC Brewing… We’ve really focused on the community and what they’ve given to us and what we can give back. It’s such a unique community here, even when we go to Albany for the New York State Beer Association Conference, they talk about “Wow, you guys are so tight knit in the New York State” . And then they’re like, Oh, “watch out for the Rochester, guys. They’re even closer.”
(Things like this) have really helped to bring up the level of craft beer in Rochester, and really create something special that I think is really turning into one of the best craft beer scenes in the country.