Rohrbach Brewing Company, established in 1991, officially opened their doors in 1992 at the German House in Rochester’s South Wedge neighborhood. John laughs as he tells me that the toughest part of starting the brewery was getting his brewers license. But he didn’t have trouble getting approval… it was actually finding the application. “There were so few breweries in NY at that time, no one at the State Liquor Authority could find an application!”

The brewery expanded in 1995, when they opened their brewpub on Buffalo Road, serving great food alongside their award-winning line-up of craft beer. That location, still going strong, was joined by their new production brewery and tasting room in 2008. Located at 97 Railroad Street in Rochester’s historic public market district, the brewery is bustling every Saturday with market shoppers stopping in for tastings, tours, and growler fills. Being near the market is reminiscent of the European markets John remembers from his time in Germany. ”Over there, every town has it’s own brewery.” he explains, “The move to Railroad Street has been great. People come to the market to get fresh, local, quality produce… and now they can get fresh local beer too! The kids that come in enjoy our new root beer and orange cream sodas. The farmers take our spent grain back to feed their livestock. We love being a part of the community here.”

When asked about the evolution of craft beer in Rochester and across the country, Urlaub reflects, “It’s been an incredible revolution. In the beginning, we did all we could just to get people to try a flavorful beer!” Over the years, he’s seen a shift from “micro” to “craft” brewing. “It’s not just about being small, you have to make good beer. These days, it’s all about what’s in the bottle.” John says, “But we’ve always had a great crowd in Rochester. People here have always embraced good beer.”

So what’s next for Rohrbach Brewing Company? Newly planted hops at their Buffalo Road brewpub are part of a plan to start sourcing more locally grown ingredients. The 60 rhizomes, planted in early May, will be used in a wet hopped beer, where fresh hops are added during the brewing process. John says he’s also started looking into getting an on-premise license for the Railroad Street location and will be expanding to add a kitchen. But don’t expect the same fare you find at the brewpub! “We’re going to do it a little different over here.” he says, “I think people will be really surprised with what we come up with.”

The post John Urlaub, Rohrbach Brewing Company first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

The tour begins with a history lesson as our guide points out a display case full of old bottles and cans representing the numerous products and brands produced at the brewery over the years. From the first 1888 Lager made by The West End Brewing Company, founded by F.X. Matt the same year, to the current line-up including Saranac Beer & Soft Drinks, Utica Club, and a number of other specialty products for smaller breweries. Recently ranked the 12th largest* brewery in the United States, and 6th* out of the top 50 US Craft Breweries, the Matt Brewing Company has a lot to be proud of.

As we enter the brew house, we are greeted by two enormous copper brew kettles stretching up from the floor below. Each holding more than 500 barrels of bubbling wort, they are nothing short of beautiful. I am intrigued by the huge mash filter. Having been on a number of brewery tours and never seen one, it was interesting to learn about this piece of brewing equipment. As we toured the brewery, through twisting stairwells and winding hallways, I was amazed at how much of the old brewing technology remains in use. Mid-century control panels filled with dials and switches, needles drawing graphs on paper discs to track temperature control… Amid the same modern machinery and hi-tech gadgets seen in many breweries today, these vintage elements of the past highlight just how long the Matt Brewing Company has been around.

One thing that I was somewhat surprised to see for a facility of this size and age, was just how many steps the brewery is taking to reduce the amount of natural resources used to make beer. In addition to recycling their grains, as many breweries do, by selling it to local farmers as cattle feed, the Matt Brewing Company has been recycling CO₂ for years. They actually recover the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation and reuse it to carbonate their line of Saranac soft drinks! Though, perhaps the most impressive eco-friendly improvement is the newly installed anaerobic digester system that collects all of the breweries waste and turns it into methane gas, which is then used as a source of power for the plant. This alone allows them to reduce their use of electricity by 30-40%.

Once we’ve seen it all, the brew house, the aging cellars, the bottling and canning lines, we head up to the 1888 Tavern where we have the opportunity to sample the line-up of Saranac beers and soft drinks. The crisp mouthfeel and citrus hop kick of the White IPA is a refreshing and welcome treat as I reflect on all I’ve learned throughout the extensive tour. We even had the good fortune of meeting Matt Brewing CEO, Nick Matt, who stopped by and enjoyed a few samples with us.

If you have the chance, I highly recommend touring the Saranac Brewery. Check their website for seasonal hours and tour details.

The post Visiting Saranac Brewery first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

What: 2012 Flour City Brewers Fest – Beer Festival & Tasting Event

When: September, 21, 2012 6-9pm (VIP ticket holders enjoy early admission at 5pm)

Where: Frontier Field, 1 Morrie Silver Way, Rochester, NY, 14608 (map)

Buy Tickets at: http://fcbrewfest.com/tickets.php

A long-standing part of the Rochester, NY beer community, Rohrbach Brewing Company has been hosting the annual Flour City Brewers Fest since 1995. I spoke with brewery owner, John Urlaub, about the growth of the festival and in the local craft beer community. With more than 20 years in business, Rohrbach Brewing is an O.G.^* in the Rochester beer scene. “The craft beer community has exploded in Rochester,” said Urlaub, “we’ve seen more growth in the past 2 years, than we did in the 18 years before that… The local community here really embraces and supports craft beer, and they love to talk about it!  It’s really cool.”

The first brewers fest was held at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua, NY and hosted only a dozen or so breweries.  Since then, the festivities have been moved to Frontier Field in downtown Rochester, and the list of participating breweries has more than tripled in size. Urlaub adds, “Today, people are coming to the Brewers Fest hoping to find their new favorite… Back then, we were just trying to get people to try a flavorful beer!”

This years brewers fest will feature deeper tents than in past years to ensure everybody has a great time — rain or shine (Looking at the 10 day forecast, there’s a 30% chance you’ll appreciate that!), and the band will be moved down to the field to create a more intimate atmosphere. Participating breweries include:

Proceeds from the Brewers Fest will benefit Holiday Outreach, a local not-for-profit organization that works to assist less fortunate families during the holiday season and throughout the year.  Why Holiday Outreach?  John says he wanted to keep the focus on the local community.  Over the years, events like the Flour City Brewers Fest, along with other fund raising efforts, have helped raise nearly $150,000 for the small, grassroots organization run entirely by volunteers.  Such significant fund raising efforts have allowed Holiday Outreach to help many families in need from the city of Rochester, as well as other parts of Western New York.

So what’s next? When I asked John what we could expect from Rohrbach’s in the future, he told me that they’re working on new packaging to make their beer more available to consumers.  For years, the only way to enjoy Rohrbach’s tasty line-up of craft brews has been to find it on draft or grab a growler to-go… Soon, you’ll be able to find Rohrbach beer in 22oz. bottles and eventually in ultra-convenient 6-packs.  They’ll be a welcome sight at summer barbecues to come!

Getting In

Tickets to the 2012 Flour City Brewers Fest are $40 at the gate ($35 advance) or $10 for designated drivers and non-beer samplers. Parking will be available for $5 (cash only!) in the adjacent Kodak lot (map).  Street parking is FREE where available but be sure to check for NO PARKING/NO STANDING signs. (A note about drinking responsibly: Overnight parking is allowed in the Kodak lot as well as in the State Street Garage in High Falls. There will be taxi service available and the Rochester Plaza hotel will run a shuttle bus to and from the event. Contact the Rochester Plaza for details.)

A limited number of VIP tickets are also available for $75 (purchase online at: http://fcbrewfest.com/tickets.php).  VIP ticket holders can look forward to a number of benefits including:

• Early admission — Gain access to the field at 5pm (an hour before general admission)
• FREE parking in the Frontier Field and nearby Kodak Lots
• Access to the covered VIP area (opens at 6PM) where you can mix & mingle with friends
• Catered food from 6 – 8pm in the VIP Area
• Samples of exclusive beers not available to anyone else at Brew Fest!

What to Try

One of the best things about going to beer festivals is trying new beers.  Remember that booming Rochester craft beer scene?  Well you’ll get to experience it first hand at Flour City Brewers Fest.  Along with Rohrbach’s lineup of locally brewed beer, make sure you stop by and sample offerings from the other Rochester craft breweries in attendance. Custom Brewcrafters, ROC Brewing Co, Three Heads Brewing, Naked Dove, and Rogers Beer are all local favorites.  And don’t forget your Grandpa’s beer of choice: Genny Cream Ale! Genesee Brewery has been brewing beer in Rochester since 1878, and is one of the largest and oldest continually operating breweries in the United States. Today, they employ more than 500 employees here in Rochester. And here’s a fun fact… for those of you that remember Genny as the beer you had to drink warm behind the tool shed because you stole it from your dad’s stash in the garage, Genesee Cream Ale actually won the GOLD medal at the World Beer Cup in both 2002 and 2004 for best American Lager/Ale or Cream Ale. So if it’s been a while since you’ve had a taste of this American classic, take this opportunity to sample it side by side with some of your other craft favorites.  You might find that’s not quite the beer you remember it to be!

In between beer tastings, be sure to stop by the Rochester A-List and Rochester Young Professionals tent in the outfield to try a Rohrbachs Vanilla Porter Cupcake created by Dollop, Rochester’s premier gourmet cupcakery and winner of the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars.  While you’re there you can also register for your chance to win some great beer related prizes!

One that I’m looking forward to trying… Brooklyn Brewery will be there with their Brewmaster’s Reserve “Fiat Lux” (“Let There Be Light”), a Belgian witbier inspired ale with lime peel & coriander. Check out this video by Transient Pictures for a more detailed look at what goes into this seasonal release, draft only brew. Cheers!

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