A ranking of Frequentem Brewing lagers

This Canandaigua brewery makes some of my favorite beers in the region. So let's take a look at what makes them special.

Your brain is apt to go to weird places when you’re consistently up before 5:30 a.m. every day with a surly 3-year-old (don’t worry, he rules) and a brand new 1-month-old roommate.

After drinking two wonderful Oktoberfest lagers from Canandaigua’s Frequentem Brewing earlier this week, I cheekily posted on Untappd, “Maybe I’ll rank Frequentem lagers in an upcoming newsletter.” So guess what?! That’s precisely what I am gonna do — I am writing about fresh, local lager before 6 a.m. Fatherhood is wild. But you gotta get out those words when you have a few free minutes. I think Frequentem, along with Steuben Brewing on Keuka Lake, makes the best lagers in this region.

So while Audie eats his turkey sausage and watches Blaze and the Monster Machines, I am feverishly pecking away at a fun list, one I hope will spark a bit of conversation. I also hope it will cause people to appreciate some of the world-class beer we have here. Please let me know how I did or how badly I fucked up. (I can’t wait for Jake Whiting to chime in.)

Before Audie realizes I am not watching this wildly annoying program with him, here’s a quick, quick rundown of Frequentem lagers. Also, these results were a bit unexpected. Happy Saturday! Hope there’s a Frequentem lager in your future!

Make sure to visit either of the brewery’s two taprooms, too — the OG in Canandaigua (254 S. Main St.) and the new one in Buffalo (225 Louisiana St., Suite 107).

1. Italian Pilsner (Contessa): Dave and Meagan D’Allesandro opened Frequentem a little over four years ago. When I first visited for the D&C, I remember how impressed I was with the craftsmanship of the beers and the comfort of the taproom. It’s a beautiful spot to hang out. My eyes were first opened when I tried the brewery’s Cream Ale. While not a lager, it shows the skill of a brewer. I love how Dave makes lagers, because that’s what he most wants to drink. I also love how the brewery is one of the few in the area to ferment in traditional horizontal lagering tanks.

   Frequentem’s Italian Pilsner, dry hopped with a really cool American hop called Contessa, has emerged as my favorite FBC beer (and probably my favorite local lager outside of Genny Light). And it emerged as the surprise winner in this highly unscientific ranking. It’s light, crisp, and aromatic. I love the pronounced zestiness from the hop treatment. This beer is really just a delight to drink.

2. Black Lager (Foeder Aged Black Lager Batch 01): Initially, this beer woulda been in the top spot. It’s the lager that made me fall in love with Frequentem lagers. It’s the one I wish was always in my fridge. But it has been edged out by the Italian Pilsner. I’d guess this beer would be tops for most folks. And I have zero problem with that. I am also shouting out the brewery’s first anniversary wood-aged version of this beer. Frequentem needs to age lagers in oak and I think I have a solution. (Details below.)

3. Munich Festbier: This is definitely a case of recency bias. This is the most recent Frequentem lager I enjoyed, so it’s the one that’s currently occupying most of my non-parenting thoughts. Dave and crew first produced this one last year. They liked it so much, they brought it back this year, along with the brewery’s equally deliciously jazzy Marzen. I love that a local brewery made both a Marzen and a Festbier. Strangebird also did this! The Frequentem Festbier is one of the best domestic examples I’ve had in recent years and I hope to drink a stein of it later today at Swiftwater’s Oktoberfest.

4. Jasmine Rice Lager: Like most Frequentem lagers, the Jasmine Rice Lager showcases restraint and nuance.

5. Australian Pilsner (Ella): Frequentem does exceedingly well with dry-hopped lagers. Plus, when I’m drinking this one, I can’t help but have Rihanna’s incredible “Umbrella” in my head. (I’d argue Umbrella is one of the four best pop songs of the last 30 years.) I’m hoping we get a Frequentem New Zealand Pilsner in the near future.

6. Foeder Aged Black Rice Dark Lager Batch 01: I am thinking about starting a GoFundMe to get a bigger foeder for Frequentem. If we got a few hundred people to donate a few bucks, we could easily afford a 10-barrel oak foeder from Foeder Crafters (MSRP of $11,000). We could call ourselves the “Frequentem Foeder Club” or something and then maybe get first access to successive wood-aged releases. Hey Dave and Meg, lemme know if you want me to set this up!

I was talking to Andy Cook from Swiftwater earlier this week (if isn’t on your agenda, make sure you get to the brewery’s Oktoberfest parking lot party today) and we marveled at the maturation of the local beer scene. Pre-pandemic, you’d be hard-pressed to go to a brewery in this region and find a lager on draft. Now, it’s not uncommon to go into a spot and find multiple lagers. You don’t need me to tell you this — but this absolutely rules.

A word on Pressure Drop Brewers

It’s always really sad when one of your favorite spots closes its door. I don’t need to tell you. When I heard rumblings of the impending closure of Buffalo-based Pressure Drop Brewing, makers of the best West Coast-style IPAs in this region, a few weeks back, I didn't want it to be true. But when you hear about these things from multiple trusted sources, especially in the current craft beer climate, it’s hard not to take it seriously.

(I still fondly remember my first Pressure Drop visit to its production space in Buffalo’s Old First Ward neighborhood. I was very, very confused by the brewer and a little alarmed about how much he enjoyed marijuana. The first Pressure Drop beer I had was called “Death Lettuce” ffs. I quickly shed my confusion and learned to embrace the brewery for its unique, singular approach. Pressure Drop did things the way it wanted to and if you didn’t like that, then too effin’ bad.)

First came news that the brewery would be closing its Elmwood Ave. taproom in Buffalo. So when that dropped, I hoped it only meant the brewery was gonna re-focus its efforts on production and distribution (probably the harder path in the contemporary craft beer world). But I knew that probably wouldn’t be the case. So when news broke earlier this week that Ellicottville Brewing was acquiring Pressure Drop’s brand and recipes, I was sad. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good outcome for those involved. But it makes me sad on a number of different levels, because change often sucks.

I am heartbroken because my buddy Karl Kolbe, one of the most talented brewers in this region and giver of arguably the best hugs ever (he’s one of those people that when he gives you a hug, there is no bullshit, you know he really means it), would no longer be making beer. I hope this Pressure Drop pause gives Karl (and Joe Strummer) a chance to recharge. And I sincerely hope we get more Karl Kolbe beers in the future. In the interim, I really hope Ellicottville doesn’t fuck it up. I hope the brewing team there stays true to Karl’s vision, continues to make kickass West Coast IPAs, and makes it even easier to get Pressure Drop beers in Rochester.

We’ll see. But it’s an important reminder to support what you love and to make sure you tell those you love how you feel. Thanks for making WNY beer weirder and better, Karl!

A final note: It’s pretty wild to think I’ve been working on this independent publication for over two years now. In that time, I’ve published 200 newsletters, highlighted some of my favorite people in the industry, curated two beers festivals (that featured 150 participants and 4,600 attendees), and continued to break all the biggest news in the region (closures, consolidations, openings, etc.).

The Cleveland Prost remains the preeminent source for regional beer news. If you own a brewery, bar, or beer-adjacent business, this is the best place to reach the nerds you wanna be in front of. So I remain open to sponsorships, advertisements, and sponsored content. Feel free to reach out to me at clevelandprost@gmail.com for more. And more than anything, thanks for all the support. None of this would be possible without the devoted (and thirsty) audience.