Genesee Brewery releasing Hazy IPA to celebrate the contributions of its union-led workforce

New Genny IPA features Mosaic and Wai-iti hops. It trumpets the contributions of the brewery's 300 union employees.

Officials at the Genesee Brewery Tuesday announced the forthcoming release a very unexpected beer, one designed to celebrate its largely union-led workforce.

The 6.5-percent Union-Made Hazy IPA will become the third beer in the brewery’s Brewers Series series when it’s released in early November. Flanked by elected officials and union leaders, the brewery leaders said the new beer “brings to life the careers available in skilled trades and manufacturing.”

Currently, Genny employs 550 people across the state and at its St. Paul Street campus, 300 of whom belong to the five unions represented there. That includes the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 118, United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 13, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 86, Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local 46, and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 158S. Workers at Genny first unionized in 1943.

The upcoming Hazy IPA follows an Imperial Stout and Helles lager in the Brewers Series. The label features images of workers painting on a scaffold, hammering, and pouring hops into a brew kettle atop a mosaic backdrop. It’s fitting since the heart of the IPA is Mosaic hops from the Pacific Northwest and also indicative of the craftsmanship in each can, brewery officials said.

Alongside Mosaic hops, the Hazy IPA also features Wai-iti hops from New Zealand. That hop combo promises to deliver all the expected tropical fruit characteristics consumers expect from New England-style IPAs. Hops were added to the beer in the later stages of production to produce more vibrancy. The malt bill is designed to create a softer mouthfeel that is foundational to hazy IPAs. It includes two-row malt from western Canada, German-produced Carapils, and American wheat.

In partnership with this newsletter last year, the brewery launched its Made for the Trade campaign to highlight the variety of careers available at Genny. Or as a member of the Genny brand team put it, “It takes an entire brewery to make great beer.”

“There is a shortage of skilled workers. More people should consider the trades, as well as manufacturing. Both can provide rewarding careers with opportunities for advancement,” said Tim Barbeto, president, Teamsters Local 118. “It doesn’t get much better than having a great union job at a great local brewery.”

Local elected officials termed the beer a “celebration of skill and craftsmanship.”

The beer will see limited distribution and launches at the same time as the publicly supported Citrus Pils, the brewery’s next seasonal offering.