The event will be held on Monday, June 16, 2014, and will begin with the Womens Industry Beer Dinner at 6pm. The 4 course menu will feature the inspired cuisine Cure is known for, expertly paired with world-class craft beer from across the country. Women participating in all levels of the craft beer industry are encouraged to attend, including those working with breweries, distributors, bars & restaurants, and retail beer stores; as well as beer writers & bloggers. Tickets for the Industry Dinner are $65, and can be purchased online.

After dinner, 8pm – 10pm, Cure will open to the public for a free open house, featuring beer shots, floats and cocktails at the bar. So if you can’t make the dinner, here is your opportunity to come out to meet and mingle with leading female voices in the craft beer world. No tickets are required for the open house.

The goal of the night is to celebrate the increasing contributions women are making to support the craft beer industry, and to provide a space for thoughtful discussion, social connection, and networking. Although women are the focus, men are welcome to attend both the dinner and the open house. So please join me for this very special night, it’s sure to be a treat!

The post Rochester Real Beer Week: The Women & Beer Symposium first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

Every so often I hear someone rag on Rochester; usually they say there’s nothing to do here. It seems to come mostly from people that grew up here, living in the suburbs, outside the vibrant life of the city. If you’re one of those people, I invite you to read the following text and reconsider Rochester, NY. Come to our city, experience it, and come to understand what many of us already know—The “get together” spirit is strong here. It’s in our neighborhoods, like The South Wedge and the Neighborhood of the Arts. It’s at The Public Market on Saturday mornings. It’s in our bars and restaurants, seen in the thoughtfully prepared menu’s full of quality, local ingredients. And it’s in our beer scene, close knit and accepting…. full of variety and quality, creativity and collaboration.

I recently stumbled upon The Book of Industrial Rochester, published for the Allied Trade Commissions of Great Britain, France, Italy and Belgium, on the occasion of their visit to Rochester, NY in November, 1919, under the auspices of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce. In reading the introductory statements, which I’ve copied below, I found myself filled with emotion—an overwhelming sense of pride for the city I’ve come to call my home. Feelings of social contentedness and a sense of community, strengthened by words written nearly 100 years ago.

The Spirit of Rochester

To obtain recognition in these strenuous times one must carry his pedestal with him.
The meek and lowly may inherit the earth—later.

So said a commercial cynic recently. Rochester doesn’t need a pedestal in order to obtain recognition. It is a city that in the eyes of the knowing part of the world is set on a hill. Neither does Rochester desire to inherit the earth. It wants the earth to inherit Rochester.

Rochester is a young city. It was only a hundred years ago that a handful of pioneers settled in this beautiful valley of the Genesee at the brink of a great waterfall, and set up the beginnings of what is now the City of Rochester, the twenty-fifth city of the United States in size. The story of Rochester’s growth is not unlike the story of the growth of many other American cities. It is a story of enterprise and thrift coupled with an intense desire for advancement in education and the things which make life more worth while.

But Rochester is a little more than a typical American city. It is a typical American city—plus. And it is this “plus” which makes Rochester interesting. We feel confident—dear reader and Distinguished Visitor—that you will find it interesting if you catch the spirit of Rochester. The spirit of Rochester is the spirit which brings you from Great Britain, France, Italy and Belgium to our shores—it is the spirit of service. This spirit shows itself—

In the co-operation of our Community Life in peace and war.
In the excellence of the products of our factories.
In the enlightened efforts of employers and public officials to promote the happiness and wellbeing of the people.

The “plus” in our Community Life is a larger degree of co-operation than is found in most communities. Almost anything that it is difficult to do can be done in Rochester. The “get together” spirit is strong. It shows itself in our public organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, whose work is more largely civic than commercial.

This is so because Rochester business men are wise enough to know that sound and wholesome civic conditions are the foundation upon which is built all permanent community progress. Rochester
is showing this spirit of service through co-operation in raising a fund once a year to pay for the operation of all its philanthropies and war relief agencies. While the amount so raised is large — that is not so remarkable as that in 1918-1919 more than one hundred thousand persons subscribed to the fund.

The entire Community is marked by its willingness to work together for a common cause and the practical efficiency with which it accomplishes its purposes.

A manufactured thing bears a stamp of character just as plainly as a man does. Indeed a man stamps his character as well as his name on everything he makes. The spirit of a city, the spirit of its people expresses itself in the products of its factories. Cheap workmen make cheap wares. High grade workmen make high grade wares. High grade workmen will live only in a high grade community. Quality of life writes itself in quality of product. It is all interwoven—life at home, in the school, in the workshop is one. “Keep the Quality Up”—”Rochester Made Means Quality”—”Here Quality Dominates” are only expressions of the community’s aspirations; its effort to express itself and to stamp itself as well as its name upon everything it makes and sends out in our own land or across the seas for the use and service of mankind.

This has not all just happened by chance in Rochester. There have been great leaders, men who were not so much concerned with how much they made as how well they made it. It mattered not if it was a camera or a mouse trap, they would make it so well that “the world would make a beaten pathway to their door.” With such leaders, with such a spirit Rochester grew into a great manufacturing city—not with any desire to inherit the earth, but to enjoy the fullness thereof—the fullness of satisfaction, the fullness of skill—the fullness of service.

The spirit of Rochester is the spirit of fair play. Industrial managers want their employees to be healthy and prosperous and happy. Beautiful factories, with every facility for promoting the health and happiness of the workers, abound in Rochester. They are more than factories—they have shrubs, vines and flowers to make working hours pleasant hours. High wages are paid and so high standards of living may be maintained by the employees. Bonuses, wage dividends and stock dividends have been given to employees to increase their prosperity and contentment. Homeowning has been given practical encouragement. Indeed, Rochester homes are largely owned by the people who live in them.

Employer and employee have kept pretty closely together in Rochester, and great things are being done to promote mutual confidence and to give all an increasing share in the fruits of their labor. Public officials, too, have been alert to promote the general health and happiness of the people. You need only to look at our parks, playgrounds and schools to know that Rochester is deeply concerned about other things than shops and factories. The health of young and old is guarded with every care.

Thus the spirit of Rochester abides in our work and play; in our schools and our homes. It is the spirit of service.

Americans love statistics. Facts and figures about Rochester are interesting to Rochesterians. We could easily burden you with the story of the numbers of pairs of shoes and suits of clothes and the miles of photographic film which we make, but we prefer to have you know something of the spirit of Rochester, to get a glimpse into her heart. It is a heart that beats in unison with yours, in unison with the great heart of the world that is being born again.

Gentlemen of Britain, and France, and Italy, and Belgium: Rochester salutes you and extends to you her most distinguished consideration. She welcomes you with

The Spirit of Rochester

The post The Spirit of Rochester, NY first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

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.

When we stopped in, a little before 7pm, the place was full but not crowded. My first time at Johnny’s, I took a minute to survey the area… A quick assessment of the beer selection told me I was among friends. The bar was inviting, softly lit and surrounded by the smiling faces of patrons out enjoying their Thursday night. A handful of tables surrounding the bar, and more in an adjoining room, sat small groups of people already enjoying the featured menu. Dinner started at 5, and we hadn’t made reservations, so I was a little nervous that we’d miss out on the beer pairing… luckily there was a table free and we were able to sit right down.

The four course meal started with an appetizer of Cajun breaded fried pickles (made with homemade dill pickles!) and served with a Dijon IPA mustard.  They paired it with Victory’s Ranch Double IPA (9%ABV), well balanced with plenty of citrus notes and a dry, hop finish, this is definitely one to keep an eye out for in the future. The Ranch series features a fixed recipe, with the exception of the hops, which Victory changes with each batch in order to highlight different hop varieties. The Ranch name comes from the fact that they’re working with several family-owned hop farms and ranches out of the Pacific Northwest to source traditional and experimental hops for this recipe.  The fried pickles were a good match, and the spicy Cajun flavor provided just enough kick to set off the hops in the beer. Overall, the beer was the star of this pairing. I actually enjoyed it more on its own than with the appetizer.

As we were finishing up our appetizer, Johnny came by to introduce himself and see how were enjoying the pairing. He talked a little about how Chris, their chef, had prepared for the event, and listened eagerly as we shared our first impressions. We talked beer for a bit, homebrewing and local breweries, before our next course arrived and he left us to our meal.

Next up was a sausage and ham Spanakopita served with a side of German potato salad, and paired with Moonglow Weizenbock (8.7% ABV). This dark amber wheat beer, with fruity and spicy aromas, is brewed in the traditions of true Bavarian weizenbocks. The acidic vinegar flavors in German potato salad blended magically with the fruitiness of the weizenbock. This is an instance where food and beer work perfectly together. On its own, this would not be a beer that I would go for.  The spicy fruit notes have an almost rotten sweetness that I can’t get into. Same goes for the potato salad, it was good, but the pairing really takes both to the next level. It’s moments like this that really make me appreciate the complexities of craft beer.

The main course was top round London broil atop smoked bacon, served with a Grand Marnier au-poivre, and again, chef Chris nailed it with the pairing! The creamy richness of the sauce and the fatty bacon, along with the slight toughness of the steak, paired perfectly with Victory’s Scarlet Fire Raunchbier (6.1% ABV).

Last but not least, dessert was served.  A moist double layer chocolate cake with chocolate espresso frosting, served with StormKing Stout (9.1% ABV), a Russian Imperial stout. One of my favorite beer and food pairings, stouts and chocolate cake are a match made in beer heaven! A rich and substantial stout, the Storm King features a pretty substantial hop aroma that’s backed by delicious roasty malt flavors. Roasted malts are a perfect pair with the bittersweet chocolate flavors in the cake. If you’ve never tried a combo like this, you are missing out! Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout (5% ABV) is another fine match for chocolate cake, and a good choice if you’re looking for a stout with a lower alcohol content than a Russian Imperial.

All around, this was a great beer and food pairing. If you’re reading this and thinking, “Man, I’m totally bummed that I missed such a kick ass beer event at a great local bar in Rochester!”, fear not… Johnny’s Irish Pub will be hosting another beer pairing event this month, Thursday, Dec 27, this time with Brooklyn Brewery! Keep an eye out for details on the Johnny’s Pub website or their facebook page. If you’re interested in going, call (585) 224-0990 to make reservations. (They accept walk-ins but only while supplies last!)

PS. Here’s another event, happening this week, at Johnny’s that you may be interested in!

The post Johnny’s Tower Takeover with Victory Brewing Company 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!

The post 2012 Flour City Brewer’s Fest first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

What: Beer Bar featuring Belgian imports and Belgian-style beers.

Where: 120 East Avenue, Rochester NY, 14604 / tel: 585-325-3663

When to go: Open 4:00 pm – 2:00 am. Regular hours start Monday, July 9th: Monday – Friday 11:00 am – 2:00 am

A new addition to the East End district, Victoire (pronounced veek-twahr) offers an impressive selection of authentic Belgian imports along with Belgian style beers from breweries like Ommegang, Victory, Stone, & Unibroue. They feature 20+ taps along with an impressive number of bottle conditioned beers. The Belgian people take their glassware seriously, so it’s also nice to see that Victoire serves much of their beer in the corresponding specialty glassware from the breweries. I ordered a Duchesse De Bourgogne from Brouwerij Verhaeghe (Belgium), and a Liefmans Fruitesse (Belgium)… both of which, I adored. JD started with a Hennepin from Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY) and finished with a Delirium Tremens from Brouwerij Huyghe (Belgium).

The atmosphere at Victoire is great. The dimly lit interior features multiple rooms, plenty of private seating areas as well as a few large wooden tables well-suited to large parties or dining alongside other guests (make new friends!). Perhaps their most endearing feature, is the outdoor seating area. Located a few steps below street-level, the sunken beer garden offers the perfect spot to enjoy a warm summer night in the city… JD and I agreed, we felt like we were in a different city.

When we went, they had yet to release the full menu (available starting July 5th), but we ordered the charcuterie plate, which was huge! A perfect pairing for those looking for something to snack on with drinks and enough to serve as a small appetizer for a table four. For $12 we got 4 cheeses, 4 meats, 4 fruits, tapanade, pepper jelly, mustard, and a sliced baguette… my only critique was that our server didn’t explain what was on the plate so we were left to guess what would pair well with what. (I’m hoping this is one of the “start-up kinks” that will be worked out as the staff gets the hang of what’s on the menu.) The table next to us ordered one of the 8 varieties of moules & frites (mussels & fries) and they said it was delicious, I’ll definitely be back to try those!

*Update!

I stopped back in last night for a quick beer after work and I tried the mussels… I paired a Delirium Nocturnum (Belgian Dubbel) with the Victoire Moules & Frites – white wine, cream, bacon, caramelized onions, scallions, & organic herbs.  It was a great pairing and MAN, those mussels were delicious!  The hand cut fries were also quite good, served with both a pesto and a garlic aioli for dipping.  I gotta hand it to them… they’re doing a great job.  Definitely adding this to our list of favorite beer spots in the city!

The post Local Spotlight: Victoire Belgium Beer Bar first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.