Rohrbach's John Urlaub stepping aside after 30 years at helm of Flour City Brewers Fest

New York State Brewers Association will assume control of the state's oldest beer festival starting in 2025.

For John Urlaub, the last three decades have gone by in the blink of an eye. The Rohrbach Brewing founder marvels that a little beer event with roots at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua has become of the region’s premier celebrations of craft.

And now as he gears up for the 30th edition of the Flour City Brewers Fest, Urlaub is in a contemplative mood. The latest edition is slated to kick off at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16 at the Rochester Public Market. At the conclusion of this year’s festival, Urlaub is walking away and handing the reins to the New York State Brewers Association, long one of the beneficiaries of the event.

“It’s been a wild ride,” Urlaub offered. “I am thrilled. Thirty years sounds crazy and it makes me feel old. But it’s cool that we’ve been able to do it this long. We try to keep it fresh. If we lose our passion about it, I really think festival-goers would too. So far it hasn’t.”

It’s truly a perfect match for the longest running beer festival in the state. Urlaub knows the festival he lovingly curated will continue to flourish. And for the NYSBA, it makes perfect sense. The trade group already hosts events in every corner of the state. So this fills a Rochester-sized void in its calendar.

“We’re trying to gear this one for all walks of life,” Urlaub told D&C reporter Annette Jimenez for an Aug. 16, 1995, preview article. “This is for anyone who is into a high-quality beer product or just wants to have a fun afternoon.”

Thirty years later, Urlaub’s focus and motivation remains the same.

The event was originally called the “Finger Lakes Brewers Festival.” And the first edition, thrown in partnership with Sonnenberg, featured 20 breweries and about 80 different beers. Fast forward 30 years and this edition will have around 75 breweries and likely over 200 beers. (Tickets for the original event cost $15 in advance.)

This year’s fest will again feature solely New York state beverage producers (there will also be a number of cideries, a kombucha brewery, a winery, and a distillery), an impressive lineup of food trucks, exclusive beers for VIP ticket-holders, and the best event venue in this region.

VIP tickets are already sold out. But general admission can be purchased online here.

With the current state of the beer industry, festivals included, and the amount of work needed to coordinate the event, Urlaub feels the time is right to step away. And he’s ecstatic to have found a perfect steward to continue the event.

“Things are going along. Things have changed a lot,” Urlaub said. “We’re finding our way. We’re still growing. Not at the pace I’d like, but up is better than down. We have a great staff and our customers are still loyal as ever.”

It has been a period of transition for Rochester’s oldest craft brewery. Former director of brewing operations Joel Will recently left his position at Rohrbach and was replaced by former Young Lion head brewer Dan McCumiskey. McCumiskey spent nearly nine years at Genesee before jumping over to Young Lion.

“He’s doing a great job. We got really lucky,” Urlaub said. “I miss Joel. Joel was great. But Dan has a lot of brewing experience. We’re in a good place.”

Outside of its history, the festival’s location remains one of its biggest advantages. The Public Market is easy to access and features plenty of room to move around.

“It’s about the overall experience,” Urlaub said. “I don’t think we get all the people who are totally into craft beer. We get people who say, ‘Hey, we like hanging out at the market. It’s fun. There’s good music.’ It’s the whole package. And that’s where we try really hard. I don’t think there is anything super unusual about our event.”

The NYSBA has a 10-year history of producing beer festivals. Paul Leone, NYSBA executive director, said the focus will remain the same — a showcase for New York breweries and an opportunity to raise money for the Brewers Association. The NYSBA, founded in 2003, works to support the state’s 500-plus breweries “through advocacy, promotion, and education,” according to a release.

The Flour City Brewers Fest has a “rich tradition of celebrating New York state craft beer and giving back to the community and industry through charitable contributions,” Leone said in the release. “The New York State Brewers Association intends to continue that tradition and couldn’t be more excited to take over one of the best craft beer festivals in the state starting in 2025.”

“The NYSBA is committed to providing an unparalleled craft beer experience and looks forward to continuing the tradition of excellence established by the Flour City Brewers Festival,” NYSBA membership and events manager Emily Forrester added. “We invite everyone to join us this year in celebrating three decades of craft beer in Rochester and to look forward to exciting new developments in 2025.”

Rohrbach is celebrating this milestone with a week of events before the big shindig on Aug. 16. It’ll include two beer releases, a beer dinner, a pre-party, and then the big event itself. More details are available on the Facebook event page.

Six breweries that caught my eye

1. Birdhouse Brewing: This Honeoye brewery recently upgraded its system. I’ll admit that I haven’t visited in far too long. So this is a perfect chance to see what Birdhouse is up to. Quietly, it has been producing some really good beers for a number of years now. And I bet the new brewhouse has allowed Birdhouse to expand and improve its offerings.

2. DeWolf Brewing: DeWolf isn’t open yet. This forthcoming Victor spot hopes to open its door next year. After sitting down with brewery founder Justin DeWolf, I am very intrigued and excited about this place. The brewery recently announced the hiring of a head brewer. This will be DeWolf’s first beer fest. (The beers it’ll pour were brewed in collaboration with Nine Spot Brewing in the city of Rochester.)

3. Copper Leaf Brewing: I always enjoy trying what this Pittsford brewery produces. Therefore, I am looking forward to see what offerings it’ll pour at Flour City. Copper Leaf, which brews on a nano scale, very quietly punches above its weight class.

4. Crafty Ales and Lagers: It’s hard to believe this Phelps brewery is 11 years old now. It was Ontario County’s second craft brewery (after Naked Dove opened in a year or two earlier in Canandaigua). The beauty of Flour City is that it allows attendees to check up on so many of the local spots. I will definitely be seeking out some Crafty beers.

5. Stumblin’ Monkey: Big things are in progress for this Victor brewery. There’s a new brewer, former Nine Spot head brewer Mike Beebe and there’s a forthcoming expansion of the original space (along with a new, expanded brewing system). I’ll have more on all these changes soon. But until then, here’s a chance to try some of Mike’s first beers. I’m excited about that.

6. Mountain King Brewing: This brewery hasn’t opened yet. It looks like it’ll be downstate in the Catskills. I’ve never heard of it. But the logo looks cool and it’s always fun to try new beers. So who knows?!

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.