Rising Storm purchases its Livonia location, outlines plans to expand

Livingston County brewery recently opened its second location at the Daisy Flour Mill in Penfield.

You can rightfully question what the heck Bill Blake and Jeff Riedl are doing. Just months after completing and opening a monstrous second location in Penfield, the Rising Storm Brewing co-founders already have another massive project lined up.

Blake and Riedl recently opened the gorgeous 19,000-square-foot Rising Storm at the Mill location, 1880 Blossom Road, which features a taproom, restaurant, and production brewery. That renovation took 14 months. Now, after 18 months of negotiations, they've turned their sights to the brewery’s original Livingston County property. They recently closed on the purchase of the space and are planning what upgrades they want to make to the 12.3-acre property at 5750 S. Lima Road in Livonia.

The Livonia location opened in September 2018. Originally, RSBC occupied about 40 percent of the building with a small taproom and 5-barrel brewhouse, while the property owner used the remainder of the 8,000-square-foot building for his woodworking operation. Blake and Riedl had a lease-to-own option for the property and always planned to buy it outright. But like many things in life, it took more time than expected.

There is no timeline for completion (and RSBC still needs town approval for some updates). Blake is excited nonetheless. Just give him a second to catch his breath. There are plans to move the kitchen inside (sorry, can’t help but lol here). For the past few years, the wonderfully talented Rising Storm kitchen staff has been pumping out food in a cramped outdoor food truck.

Blake also expects they’ll expand the seating area inside and give a portion of it a bit more of a sit-down restaurant feel with an expanded menu. That portion could also have table service. This should also provide the flexibility to host more private events, Blake said. The taproom space should also be increased. RSBC will continue to pump out inventive small batch beers with the Livonia system. (The Mill location has a 20-barrel system and has been cranking out a massive variety of IPAs, fruited sours, and lagers.)

Rising Storm has a devoted following for its summer concert series. The sloping lawn and seemingly endless acreage provide a perfect palette for events. Blake also wants to expand the brewery’s family-friendly offerings, including its annual Easter egg hunt and outdoor-centered events. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rising Storm’s Other People’s Pints (OPP) Festival return.

“We’re sifting through possibilities right now and then we’ll make a final decision,” Blake said. “It’s a lot of space that we can leverage for a lot of cool things.”

Outside of the interior renovations, Blake envisions expanding the brewery’s parking lot (probably onto the front lawn). They’ll be able to amend their site plan now that they own the property. They present to the town planning board on May 13.

“It is amazing to have closed on it, to be honest,” Blake said. “Because it was so long of a process and because there is so much we want to do, it’s really exciting to finally be able to think about that. The last 18 months have really been focused on getting the purchase completed.”

Blake said business has been awesome at the Mill. He’s looking forward to a full summer season and allowing patrons to take advantage of the entirety of the 3-acre space. The outdoor area, which will soon include a bar, abuts Irondequoit Creek and Ellison Park. It’ll be a prime spot to enjoy a beer and Chef David McDonald’s awesome food this summer.

Rails and Ales fest coming up!

Tickets are still available for Rochester’s most unique beer festival. Rails and Ales, which takes place on Saturday, May 18, at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum off Route 251 in Rush, invites attendees to sample some great craft beers while riding the rails. The event runs from noon to 3 p.m. Tasting tickets cost $35.

Attendees ride on vintage trains between tasting stations and are sure to experience a wide variety of beers. Tickets are limited to just 300 and only 100 remain available. The event is organized by museum president Otto Vondrak, who also curates the Rochester Beer Blog.

Confirmed vendors include Faircraft Brauhaus, Heroes Brewing, Okay Beer Co., Nine Spot Brewing, Talking Cursive, Stoneyard Brewing, Sager Beer Works, Dublin Corners Farm Brewery, Eli Fish Brewing Co., K2 Brothers Brewing, Rohrbach Brewing Co., Mortalis Brewing, Watershed Brewing, Nine Maidens Brewing, and Seed + Stone Cidery.

Festival-goers can also enjoy a self-guided tour of the largest collection of historic trains in the state and can visit the museum’s repair and restoration shop. The event serves as a fundraiser for the volunteer-led museum.

Reserve your tickets now at https://rochestertrainrides.com.

Let’s raise some dough for Joe!

This last blurb isn’t beer-related, but it’s a plea to help out a buddy going through a life-altering battle with cancer.

Joe DeVito is currently facing down a rare form of cancer, Angiosarcoma, which is a vicious motherfucker. It attacks the body through an invasion of blood vessel linings and lymph vessels. Joe is about to start eight weeks of radiation before surgery and he could really use a dollar or two to help him through this journey.

“Joe has always been there for others, extending a helping hand and a warm heart to anyone in need,” according to the GoFundMe set up on Joe’s behalf. He has touched the lives of many across various communities, and now it's our turn to rally around him.”

Every dollar donated will go directly to Joe. You can learn more about Joe and hopefully donate to his fight here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-raise-some-dough-for-joe?utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&utm_medium=sms&utm_source=customer.