Prost Profiles: Aurora Brewing co-founders Mark Grimaldi and Joe Shelton

Launched in 2016, the Cayuga County brewery has been reborn since 2020 after opening a new taproom, embracing hazy IPAs, and constructing a bigger kitchen.

Note: This newsletter is supported by Rohrbach Brewing Co., a pioneering craft brewery in the city of Rochester.

After opening a brewery in 2016, Mark Grimaldi and Joe Shelton admitted they didn’t get really serious about the project until four years later.

Since the start of the pandemic, Aurora Brewing, located in King Ferry, Cayuga County, has been reborn after opening a new taproom, finding a recognizable visual identity through labels designed by artist Tony Walker, embracing hazy IPAs, and constructing a bigger kitchen.

To say Aurora has been transformed during its seven-year run would be a gross understatement. I remember my first visit a number of years back when the tasting room was super small and dark. Now, it takes advantage of its beautiful vineyard views and proximity to Cayuga Lake.

In the latest Prost Profiles, I thought it would be fun and informative to look at some of the breweries participating in the 2023 Rochester Real Beer Expo. Aurora is on board and will assuredly bring some unique stuff that represents the spirit of the Finger Lakes. (Expect something hazy, maybe something crispy, and then something weird, funky, and sour.)

Photo: Aurora Brewing co-founders Joe Shelton, left, and Mark Grimaldi.

Q: Alright, can you give me a brief history of your friendship and a brief history of this brewery?

Joe: Our wives grew up together. They were best friends in high school. We were introduced when Mark and Olivia were dating. Mark came to Ithaca and she was living there. He was working for a wine importer and distributor. He was the marketing manager and I sold commercial printing. So we did work together that way. And then when he would come back around here we would home brew some beers.

Mark: This place opened in 2016.

Joe: No one would’ve known we were here for years.

Mark: It was just a little hole in the wall. I think we like to think of our “opening” as like two years ago basically. It feels like those four or five (first) years were just practice.

Joe: We were only open one or two days a week. We didn’t have food for most of it.

Mark: And we started renovating the taproom and got the 5-barrel (brewing) system before the pandemic. So December 2020, I feel, is our rebirth (when the new taproom opened).

Q: So it seems like this place really took off during COVID.

Mark: It seems that way. We started to really dial in recipes in like 18 or 19. We had some breakthroughs with hazies and some really good recipes. The marketing started to come together.

Joe: We got our new system and that really made a huge difference.

Mark: We launched (our flagship) Fresh to Death (IPA) and got that in cans. That was a big deal. The Syracuse market was a big reason why our beer started getting recognition. Jason (Purdy, owner of Now & Later in Syracuse) was driving down to get beer. And then Branching Out (bottle shop). People were starting to drive here to get our beer.

Joe: We didn’t have any distribution network at all and people started driving down here.

Joe and Mark credit the current brewing team of Bryant Nettleton and Ben Woodard for really pushing the quality of the beer forward, too. They said Aurora, which is known for its vibrant hazy IPAs and burgeoning lineup of lagers, is maxed out and making as much beer as it possibly can. “We’ve got a canning line coming,” Grimaldi said. “It will take us off the schedule of the mobile canner. So if a beer is ready to go, we can package it when it’s ready.” That will allow Aurora to turn over its tanks quicker and up production a bit.

Q: Why do you think this place has gained a loyal following now?

Mark: I think we’re making a bunch of styles really well right now. It’s IPA, it’s double IPA, it’s lagers. I think people equate us with IPAs. And then we’ve got people who are diehards for our fruited sours. Those three styles seem to be doing really well right now.

Joe: I think that the atmosphere that we have, too. There aren’t a lot of places locally that have an atmosphere like this. Coming here is like a whole different story. You get across-the-board styles, good food, and a great atmosphere. Plus, the views.

Mark: We’re a travel destination for the most part. So we want to give people a reason to come here. And that drive down Cayuga is awesome. It’s not a city. You can’t walk here. You can’t take a cab. You can’t Uber here.

Q: What does the future look like for Aurora? I see you recently rolled out in some Wegmans stores.

M: We just increased our distribution. We’re now in like six states, too. We send little bits of beer, whatever is left after our local market. I’m not saying we’re a hype brewery. No one is lining up for beer here. But out of state, in New Hampshire and some of these other places we’re sending beer, we’re the new thing. The distributors are selling out in a day. It’s nice to be reinvented in these other markets. It’s neat. We’re in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, New Hampshire, Massachusetts. It’s not regular shipments, but it’s when we can.

The kitchen (which has since reopened) is the next thing. We had a four-part business plan for our expansion and we’re at the last part with this kitchen. We’re going to redo the outside of the building. We have checked off everything in the last two or three years. And now we’ll start a new list.

Maybe that’s another location. We were looking pretty heavily in Rochester and Syracuse. Rochester seems to be too many. We were pretty close on some things in Syracuse but we decided to pull back.

Joe: We never really both felt at the same time, ‘This is the right spot.’

Mark: We just don’t want to get in over our heads — 2023 is looking like it could be weird. If we do something, it’s gonna be small.

Title sponsor: Rohrbach Brewing Co.

This work is made possible through support from Rohrbach Brewing Co. Rohrbach features two locations — its Beer Hall at 97 Railroad St. in the city of Rochester and its brewpub at 3859 Buffalo Road in the town of Ogden. Since 1991, Rohrbach has been producing classics and influencing the Rochester beer scene, including its iconic Scotch Ale.

The brewery’s support allows this work to remain free for this audience. So make sure to get out to Rohrbach and support one of the best establishments in our area.

I remain open to sponsorships, sponsored content, and advertisements, especially if it’ll keep the newsletter free for readers. And if you have information about upcoming releases, events, or happenings, don’t hesitate to reach out. For more information, feel free to drop me a line at clevelandprost@gmail.com.

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