Fifth Frame Brewing proposes Irondequoit taproom and restaurant

Pending Town Board approval, Fifth Frame plans to open a second location at the former Summerville Grill

Rochester’s Fifth Frame Brewing Co. wants to open a taproom and restaurant in Irondequoit’s Summerville neighborhood, according to a pending application before the Irondequoit Town Board.

The new spot would be located at 5370 St. Paul Blvd., home of the former Summerville Grill restaurant and bar.

The Town Board will meet on Thursday, Feb. 22, to consider a resolution to schedule a hearing. If approved, the Town Board would host a public hearing on Tuesday, March 19.

Prior to the public hearing, the Planning Board will make a recommendation on the special use permit application. Should the permit be approved by the Town Board on March 19, it would then go to Planning and/or Zoning boards.

According to the application, Fifth Frame is seeking change of use and certificate of occupancy approvals. Construction and renovations would begin on March 24 with an expected opening in late spring/early summer. Fifth Frame’s original location at 155 St. Paul St. in downtown Rochester will remain open. And no beer will be brewed at the Summerville Grill spot.

I’ll be sitting down with the Fifth Frame team early next to discuss these plans in greater detail. So stay tuned to this space for a deeper dive.

Photo: The vacant Summerville Grill location on St. Paul Boulevard is the proposed site of Fifth Frame’s Irondequoit location.

Improvements at the 2,357-square-foot Summerville spot, which is within sight of Charlotte, the Genesee River, and Lake Ontario, include the following:

• Modifications of the exterior;

• Replacing the existing awning and exterior signage;

• Installing larger exterior windows;

• Adding a pergola to cover the patio space;

• Cosmetic alterations to the current interior;

• New carpeting;

• Bathroom upgrades;

• Landscaping;

• Carving out space for a conference room;

• Expanding the egress by demolishing the existing vestibule;

• Adding “additional privacy and protection through hardscaping between the patio and pedestrian walkway.”

There is a 15-spot parking lot at the Summerville spot. Renderings show the exterior will be painted black, while the outdoor seating will occupy both the front and side of the property (on the building’s west side).

The property owner and Fifth Frame are already under contract, according to the application. The lease is for 10 years. There is an option for Fifth Frame to have the first chance to buy the property, if the owner decides to sell.

Former Roc Brewing co-founder/head brewer Jon Mervine opened Fifth Frame’s St. Paul Street tasting room in October 2017. Mervine left Roc in 2014. Fifth has always produced its beer off-site on a 10-barrel brewing system at a nearby warehouse on Joseph Avenue. It then began serving its own beers about two months later.

Initially, the brewery combined coffee roasting and beer. It was open for breakfast sandwiches and coffee in the morning and then transitioned into a night-time hangout with a small food menu and beer. Recently, it has only focused on beer and food.

Fifth Frame renderings

Fifth Frame has garnered a strong regional reputation for its rotating series of hazy IPAs, decadently over-the-top fruited sours, and true-to-style lagers poured by the foaming mug from its Lukr side-pull faucets. Many of its beers are available locally at bottle shops like AJ’s Beer Warehouse and One Stop Brew Shop, as well as local Wegmans stores.