Revisiting 2021 beer wishes and predictions

On NYE 2021, I confidently asked for a number of my favorite beers to return in 2022. Most didn't. Some did. But it's fun to revisit and apply more pressure for a 2025 re-release.

I revisited my Facebook memories this morning and found something that was a little extra saucy. Apparently I was wearing my sassypants on New Year’s Eve 2021. I compiled a list of beers I wanted to see return in 2022 and I even tagged the breweries.

I figured it couldn’t hurt to throw these wishes out into the universe. So as we close down 2024, I thought it would be fun and informative to look at my 2021 post and see how wrong (or right) I was.

1. “Genesee Brewery should resurrect its Northern German Pilsner and the Dundee Pale Bock,” I wrote back in 2021. And this still rings true as we head into 2025. These are the two Genny beers I’ve consistently and constantly asked to return. You know I am a complete homer and unabashedly love Genny. So I’ll continue to shout it — there is no reason a brewery outfitted to brew kickass German lagers isn’t brewing those beers more often. People are increasingly thirsty for fresh local lager and this is a golden opportunity for Genny to pounce.

The Northern German Pilsner hasn’t resurfaced (as a scaled-up batch from the big Genny brewery) since 2016. Following the re-release of 12 Horse Ale, we’re getting another entry in Vault series early next year. (I’ve received some inside information and y’all should be stoked for this one. It hasn’t been since in over 10 years.) I still stand by the assertion that this was the best lager we’ve gotten from Genny in the past decade. And I would love to see it brought back to life.

The Dundee lineup was quietly phased out in 2017. I’ve advocated for some of the beers to return. And I think it would be genius for Genny to resurrect a few of them under a “greatest hits” or “Genny rewind” variety pack.

2. “Three Heads Brewing needs to bring back its Cobbs Hill black lager,” I implored. This one, along with Skunk black IPA and Sprucifer spruce tip IPA, remains one of my all-time 3HB favorites. It was part of 3HB’s early, pre-expansion lineup. And it was last seen in 2017 (as far as Untappd is showing me). 3HB four packs stand as one of the best value in our local craft beer market and the brewery has a whole series of excellent seasonal lager releases. I would love to see this one sneak into the picture in 2025.

3. “Fifth Frame Brewing’s Fix dark cream ale should return,” I demanded. This one last saw the light of day in November 2018. It’s long overdue for a return. Rochester is a cream ale town. And this one was a really fun take on the traditional cold-fermented ale. As I wrote in a 2022 Untappd check-in (while enjoying the last can from my 2018 stash): “Canned 11.2.18! Don’t be a coward, Merv! Bring this one back!”

4. “Big Ditch Brewing’s Galaxy Red ale, too,” I asked politely. Good news, this one has returned to store shelves in the past few years. It last saw the light of day in the spring of 2023. So it’s clearly overdue to be back in my fridge.

5. “Stoneyard should bring back McBane’s WIPA,” I said. The original 2015 batch of this beer was done in collaboration with Joe McBane and the iconic Tap and Mallet pub. (I miss that place so goddamn much.) It was a 7.4-percent wonder. It was a cross between a hazy IPA and a witbier. It featured wheat, coriander, orange peel, and Citra and Galaxy hops. It could be argued it was the first New England-style IPA from the Rochester area. It was also delicious and the time is right for a return.

6. “Stoneyard’s coconut cream ale needs to exist again,” I whispered into the universe. This one has come back on a few occasions in the last few years. But it’s never a bad idea or the wrong time to enjoy a cream ale with a literal fuck ton of toasted coconut. This next year promises to be extra weird and debaucherous, so give us something comforting, Oz.

7. “Naked Dove Z’Higgi Pils,” I inquired. Could 2025 be the year of the craft Pilsner? We’ll never know if we don’t try. Naked Dove has long produced the best dark, malty, and German style beers (long before places like Frequentem opened). It’s goofy that we don’t see a Pilsner more often from brewer/owner Dave Schlosser and crew. Therefore, we know we need to see this one return in 2025 for the first time since 2017.

8. “Community Beer Works’ Peach Cobbler Pilsner,” I shouted in the direction of Ryan Demler and the rest of this Buffalo-based crew. This goofy little bastard was a welcome pandemic discovery. I first experienced it in 2021 and then it came back again in 2023. I somehow missed that re-release, but to make up for that, CBW should stick this on the 2025 release schedule. Please and thank you!

9. “Pressure Drop’s Blackalicious imperial stout,” I gently whispered into the universe, fighting back some bittersweet tears. This Buffalo-based brewery closed its doors in 2024. Ellicottville Brewing then scooped up the brand (as it did previously with the shuttered Empire Brewing). Efforts have been made to faithfully recreate some of brewer Karl Kolbe’s best creations. Karl’s no-frills imperial stout stands as one of my Pressure Drop favorites. I think it would be awesome if Ellicottville was able to bring it back in 2025.

10. “Silver Lake Brewing Project’s Barrel-Aged Double Rye,” I offered as a challenge to this little Wyoming County craft beer outpost. This one takes time and patience. So maybe 2025 isn’t ideal for a re-release. Aged in a Black Button Distilling barrel, this imperial rye ale stood as one of the coolest barrel-aged offerings when it was released in 2018. So I’m kindly asking brewer Tony Jones to see what he can do in 2025 to appease me.

11. “Thin Man’s Filthy Flow IPA,” I triumphantly shouted at the top of my lungs (though no one was probably listening). This one, along with Citra dry-hopped Trial by Wombat hazy IPA, is still one of my favorite New England-style IPAs ever released in this region. It was a collaboration with the now shuttered Mikkeller NYC. It first came into the world in 2017 and then re-emerged in 2019. With the acquisition of Thin Man by fellow Buffalo brewery Community Beer Works in 2024, a re-release of this beauty would be a cool way to celebrate this new partnership.

12. “Rohrbach Sam Patch Porter,” I politely, yet firmly demanded. This one is Rohrbach original and it was re-released in 2024. So maybe I was right about one thing?

13. Other Half x Genesee Genny Dream Ale: The original release melted beer nerd brains, led to an outpouring of coverage nationwide, and encouraged more than 500 people to line up across the Pont de Rennes bridge on a chilly March morning in 2019. (Outside of curating the Expo for the past two years, I am still more proud of helping facilitate this collaboration than just about anything I’ve done in my beer-writing era.) It made a brief comeback as an OH anniversary release in 2020 (it’s the one pictured above). Now would be the perfect time to bring back this super dry-hopped, oat’d cream ale. And I am going to call for even more OH x Genny collabs, as well as the need for the big Genny to release this one as a bigger batch (we’ve

These were off the top of my head. I know I’ve forgotten plenty. So here’s to being saucy and safe on NYE. And who knows, maybe we’ll get some happy returns in the coming year? After all, it doesn’t hurt to throw it into the universe (and see which breweries are paying attention).

What beers do you want to return in 2025?

Another note: I’ll have my favorites of 2024 list published later this week or early next week. Always fun and informative to look back at where we were and consider where we might be headed next.

A final note: It’s pretty wild to think I’ve been working on this independent publication for nearly three years now. In that time, I’ve published 250 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.