Copper Leaf lives! Pittsford brewery to reopen

With a new owner and the same brewer, canal-adjacent brewery plans to reopen later this summer

There will soon be new life for a Pittsford brewery that closed earlier this year. And it’ll keep the same name and the same beloved brewer (with his huge assortment of beloved beers).

Copper Leaf Brewing, 50 State St., will reopen (hopefully) later this summer with the same name, the same ambiance, and the same brewer. New owner Jorge Chavez, 53, a Pittsford resident, purchased the brand and beers from the original owners, and will rehire original brewery co-owner Clay Killian as head brewer. That means you’ll be able to visit the Erie Canal-adjacent tasting room and still enjoy one of the Clay’s signature beers, whether it be the Rochester Staple cream ale or his divine Flanders Red ale.

It’s not the outcome anyone expected, but Killian said it is a wonderful new chapter for the brand they labored many years to finally open. If you remember, and as I highlighted for the Democrat and Chronicle, brewery founders Killian and Jason and Bryan Meyer had to overcome draconian village zoning guidelines to open a brewery in an existing, empty building. But they got there. And now they’re gonna get there again.

Copper Leaf, which is literally constructed out of one of the village’s most famous trees, a majestic a 200-year-old copper beech, finally opened its doors in April 2021 after more than four years of planning (and fighting). But that’s one thing I always admired about Killian and the Meyers, they had an indominable fighting spirit and a quiet resolve. That’s what made the brewery closing earlier this year quite sad, knowing how hard they fought to open and how diligently they worked to build a brand and a community.

“This is great,” Killian said. “We built the brand to be lasting, hopefully. That was the intent, to build something that would be around (for the long haul). To find somebody who was interested in carrying that on is pretty cool. Jorge seems like a good fella. We’ve had a number of meetings with him and he seems like he’s got a good vision for the project. It’s an interesting time in beer… to a market that’s not necessarily moving toward growth at this point. But the food options he’s shooting for and the general vibe of the project, I think it’ll work well.”

Chavez, who moved to Pittsford from Virginia in the last few years with his wife and children, said he admired that and was also a big fan of the brewery’s cream ale. He said they moved her to help his kids obtain a good education. The project received village board approval earlier this month. (Basically to continue running the business as it is.) And Chavez said they hope to reopen soon (pending approval from the State Liquor Authority) and will eventually add some food items to the menu. He said he’s done quite a bit of research about the industry and discovered that a food menu is vital to drawing in people (and then keeping them there). It’s also a personal preference, he added.

“The beer was excellent,” Chavez said. “So why not follow up with this? So I reached out to them and we’ve been in conversation for the past six months. We made an agreement to buy the business from them and I like the concept. The concept is pretty neat. It has some history to it. And it’s in a location that’s very close to my home. It’s not so shiny. It’s a unique place. It has some character and the ability to make all these different kinds of beers. It just appealed to me.”

So the plan is to reopen with Killian’s beers, learn the business ropes a bit more, and add a kitchen operation (somehow, somewhere to the 1,400-square-foot property with the 3.5-barrel brewing system). When asked about the decision to keep Killian on board, Chavez offered, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would not continue this endeavor on my own, because I am not a beer maker, but I do like the beer. His beers are pretty cool and pretty tasty and innovative.”

The kitchen could be through a building expansion (remember the current space is landlocked and surrounded by the rest of the Northfield Common development) or it could be elsewhere (this is me speculating btw). That’ll be sorted out once the business is up and running again, however. (There are some exciting plans for the future of the brand, stay tuned.)

Before purchasing the business, Chavez said he conducted a lot of research and tried to learn more about why many breweries have closed in the current climate.

“I wanted to know what happened, why did it fail,” he said, speaking about the industry in general terms. “Why did it not continue. It seems, to me, that food is a big component. …It’s a little bit risky to do it all over again. I came up with the idea of adding some kind of food in the place to sustain it.

“At this point, it all depends on the vendors (kitchen equipment vendors and other service providers, specifically). I have the plan. And then the second part is the other people. ‘Is it possible? When is it possible? Do they have the time to do this at this time that I want?’”

Chavez said he has a background in construction and project management. He also enjoys beer and wine. But he imagined his future might be in wine as he holds a two certifications, including one in the viticulture trade from the esteemed program at the University of California-Davis (also home to one of the most prestigious beer-brewing programs in the country). As he admits, life has a funny way of working out.

When asked if he ever expected to own a brewery, he chuckled and offered, “Not really. My plan toward retirement was to make wine. …but the opportunity came and I love beer. I decided to go for it.”

Killian, for his part, sounds relieved. He’ll get to do what he loves most — make beer. And he won’t have to worry about the many tasks associated with owning and running a business. That’s what makes Chavez such a great and ideal partner, Killian added. Chavez has a wealth of outside business experience and a curiosity and passion for fermented beverages. Chavez approached the Copper Leaf owners after the brewery closed and presented a new vision for a new life for the brand.

“I still like making beer,” Killian said. “It’s always nice seeing people enjoy the work I put out there. It’ll be nice to see that carry forward.”

He continued, “This should be a good next step.”

(On a personal front, it’s so nice to be sharing some good news after repeatedly publishing stories about closures and consolidations.)