Rochester Real Beer Expo update

Changes on tap as Rochester rare beer fest enters 11th year.

Rochester is definitely a festival town. We come out in huge numbers for big events. And on our yearly calendar, we are blessed with some truly incredible beer festivals.

I’ve long maintained that Rochester has three can’t-miss beers events every year — Homegrown, which is co-produced by Three Heads Brewing and Lovin’ Cup in Henrietta, Rohrbach’s annual Flour City Brewers Fest at the Rochester Public Market, and the Rochester Real Beer Expo, traditionally held in the beginning of June in the city’s South Wedge neighborhood.

Joe McBane and the Business Association of the South Wedge hosted the late spring showcase event. Joe put Rochester beer on the map with this festival. He made it so breweries from all over the country wanted to come here and show off what made them special. How cool is that?

It highlights the best (and weirdest) in local, regional, national, and even international beer. The Expo is the one spot where you can expect to have beers you’ll never have again in your life. It’s not about flagships. It’s about breweries flexing their creative muscles and presenting beers you’d never expect to find in your glass.

Photo by Lauren Petracca/LaurenPetracca.com.

(I buried the lede!)

With the closing of Tap and Mallet, the iconic South Wedge pub and beer bar in late 2021, there were questions about the future of the festival and where it would be held. I am proud to report the festival will continue in 2023. It’ll take place on Saturday, June 10 this year.

And after 10 festivals, McBane is stepping aside as Expo beer curator/organizer. And I’m wildly excited to share that I’m taking over. Over the past 10 years (almost), I’ve had the honor and privilege to chronicle the western New York beer scene. And over the last 10 years, we’ve experienced a ton of growth and evolution in Rochester and the surrounding areas.

Here’s what you can expect in 2023:

1. The soul of what makes the Expo special will remain. This means you can expect the esoteric and the rare on draft. The idea of one-offs releases sets this festival apart. That won’t change.

2. We have a new venue! (Don’t worry, it’s staying in the city. That will be announced soon.)

3. The return of a public vote to determine which local breweries will pour at the festival. The public’s voice is paramount in making this festival unique and fun. So my goal is to increase public input. You can help us throw the best beer festival in Rochester.

4. An increase in the number of local breweries present. (More details to follow on that front.)

5. More non-alcoholic options. Because life is about balance and we have some wonderful folks producing really thoughtful concoctions here.

6. The event will continue to support BASWA. It’s the group’s biggest fundraiser of the year and supports many of its efforts to beautify the neighborhood.

So this is where I open it up to you — what breweries do you wanna see at this festival? What does your dream lineup look like? I’ve got my list of dream breweries. But I’d love to hear from y’all. Drop me a line and lemme know what you think. Expect an announcement in the coming weeks with more details. (Unless I get way too excited and share them unsolicited.) More to come!

A note on sponsors

Do you own a business? Do you want to support this coverage and keep it free for readers? I can help spread the word about your business. And with your help, my work will remain free and accessible to all. Generous sponsors have supported me for the past eight months and readers have benefited. I would love to continue this.

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.

And if you enjoyed this edition of the Cleveland Prost, please subscribe and share! See you again soon.