Genesee Brew House celebrates 10th birthday with big bash

Destination brewery/restaurant for the state's oldest brewery will release some all-time favorites to commemorate the anniversary

Note: This newsletter is supported by Donnelly’s Public House, a wonderful canal-side establishment in the village of Fairport.

When asked if he expected to be with the Genesee Brewery for the last 10 years, the usually gregarious Dean Jones offered a more restrained and introspective response.

Jones, the Genesee Brew House brewmaster, has been brewing professionally for more than 30 years. But it is at the Brew House where Jones, a native of Erie, Penn., has found a home and become the unofficial mayor of Rochester beer.

Have a technical brewing question? Jones will undoubtedly have an answer. Need someone to serve as the de facto emcee at a beer event? Jones is the person you call.

So it’s fitting that as the Brew House celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend, Jones is expressing his gratitude for a job he loves and a community that has embraced him and the Genny brand.

“I think is the longest tenure I’ve had. I usually bail by (year) six or eight,” Jones said, jokingly. “After six or eight years, things tend to change, owners change, whatever. It has been nice to have that rock to sit on. This place is near and dear to my heart. You know Genny Cream was my first beer I ever drank in my life when I was eight. To me, it’s one of those jobs you just can’t leave.”

Jones has not only been an ambassador for Genny, but he has also been the Rochester beer scene’s biggest cheerleader. He often talks about the scene collectively and speaks fondly of the hard-working folks making it special for so many. Jones has collaborated with an incredible amount of breweries over the past decade. Not only has he teamed with this breweries to release collaborative beers, but he has also provided technical and material support whenever asked.

(And how could we ever forget one of the most surreal moments in Rochester beer — when more than 500 people lined up across the Pont du Rennes walking bridge on a frigid March morning to score cans of the Genesee Brew House x Other Half Genny Dream Ale. Helping facilitate that collab is still one of the coolest and proudest moments of my journalistic career.)

And following in Jones’ path, the Brew House is really the gateway to Rochester beer. Every time people are visiting our city for the first time, I encourage them to start their explorations at the Brew House. There are few more truly Rochester activities than grabbing a fresh pint of red eye, Cream Ale, or Light, sitting on the Brew House rooftop deck, and enjoying the spectacular view of High Falls.

The Brew House has also become a gateway into the Genesee brand. With a labyrinthine layout in the main brewery, it’s nearly impossible to offer tours there. So the Brew House gives patrons an opportunity to learn and interact with the brewery’s history.

“People have come in and said, ‘This is the (Genesee) mirror from my grandfather’s man cave,’ and it’s a mirror we didn’t have,” Jones said. “And now it’s actually up on the wall next to the elevator. All the incredibly personal stories make Genesee special. The Brew House has just been a great avenue for people to connect.”

Jones is a technically skilled and gifted brewer. He completed a German apprenticeship and has always excelled with classic styles. But he has unquestionably garnered the most attention for his non-traditional offerings over the past few years and some of those will be returning for Saturday’s party. That includes the Salted Caramel Chocolate Porter, which Jones joked is going to get him in trouble, because he blew the budget and “bought all the vanilla.”

He also pointed to the gold medal he won at the 2018 World Beer Cup for his Chocolate Scotch Ale as one of his proudest moments.

For the first time in three years, the Genny Brew House is hosting an in-person party. This one, to celebrate the establishment’s 10th anniversary, will take place from 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, both inside and outside the Brew House. The event is free and will include live music, food trucks, and some special release beers from Jones and assistant brewer Joel Johnson. The Tommy Brunett Band and Claudia Hoyser will headline the musical acts.

Two Genesee beer trucks will be parked in the Brew House parking lot and serving up a wide range of Genny beers. Jones said the event will be almost like a greatest hits showcase as some of the Brew House’s most beloved beers will return for the first time in eons. The Salted Caramel Chocolate Porter is returning Saturday, as is a new Watermelon Pilsner and a re-brew of the Grungeist IPA.

“The way Rochester accepted the Brew House from the get-go, it was really a never-ending roll, even with the COVID hiccup,” Jones said. “And now, we’re coming back. It seems everyone is just as excited as they were when we opened. I didn’t have a crystal ball and I just hoped it would work. But people in Rochester support our local beer community. It’s awesome.”

Genesee brand director Jamie Polisoto noted millions of people have visited the Brew House, including visitors from abroad and all 50 states. Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said Genny is “part of Rochester’s living history,” noting that the brewery has been committed to “making Rochester a vibrant, growing, and economically empowered city.”

Just recently, there have been increased effort to revitalize neighboring High Falls Park and work has begun on the Rochester Brewery Line Trail as part of the city’s larger Roc the Riverway campaign.

In total, Genesee’s parent company FIFCO USA has invested $100 million in modernizing the Rochester brewery campus.

For more information, check out the Brew House on Facebook.

Title sponsor: Donnelly’s Public House

This work is made possible through support from Donnelly’s Public House, 1 Water St. in Fairport. So make sure to get out to Fairport and support one of the best establishments in our area.

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