Iconic House of Guitars celebrated with new Three Heads beer

Blue Nose Guitarman blueberry Belgian waffle cream ale to be released to celebrate the HOG's 60th anniversary

Anyone living in the Rochester region (and probably well beyond — thanks internet) has seen the iconic Christmas commercial.

It shows the clay-animated wild-haired rocker with the piercing blue nose riding a reindeer, leading Santa’s sleigh as it makes it way from the House of Guitars and into space. It’s Armand Schaubroeck, the blue nose guitarman and co-founder of the House of Guitars (along with his brother Bruce). (You know you’re a big deal when you have your own Wikipedia page.)

The clay animation commercial, conceived by Fred Armstrong and Rochester-based Animatus Studio, has become synonymous with the Irondequoit business. And as the store celebrates its 60th anniversary, Armand and the commercial are now the inspiration for a collaborative beer with Rochester-based Three Heads Brewing.

Blue Nose Guitarman, a blueberry Belgian waffle cream ale (because what’s more Rochester than a cream ale), will hit stores next week. It’ll coincide with a HOG birthday party on Friday, Nov. 15, at Three Heads, 186 Atlantic Ave.

You can celebrate “the store that ate your brain” — the one that originally started in the basement of Armand and Bruce’s mom and moved into its current home at 645 Titus Ave. in the early 1970s — with this irreverent beer and a release party at 3HB. The party will feature folks from 3HB, the HOG, and live music from Junkyardfieldtrip and Wajah and the Free People.

It’s super cool to see 3HB collaborating with another Rochester stalwart after teaming up with places and businesses like Seabreeze amusement park, the Rochester International Jazz Fest, the Rochester Knighthawks indoor lacrosse team, and so many others.

Three Heads president Dan Nothnagle said the beer “is a celebration in a glass.” It combines artwork from the holiday commercials, the Schaubroeck’s Belgian heritage, and the quintessential Rochester beer style.

“We wanted to brew something as unique as the House of Guitars,” Nothnagle said in a release. “They are known for their independent style and for playing by their own rules, while always offering great products at a great price. We are honored to help the HOG celebrate this milestone.”

And in a full circle moment (and also because Rochester is the smallest world), Fred Armstrong, the owner/founder of Animatus, is the father of 3HB head brewer Derek Armstrong. Derek designed this recipe and brewed the beer. So it’s wildly cool to see this tribute stay all in the family. Fred will be at the HOG bday party next week and has compiled a video montage with old television ads and rare and unreleased clips from his work with the Schaubroecks.

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.