Seven Story Brewing in Perinton will close by the end of June

Citing a decision from its landlord, the 5-year-old brewery will close its Bushnell's Basin location. Owners say more exciting announcements forthcoming.

The owners of Seven Story Brewing, based in Perinton along the Erie Canal, announced Wednesday it would close by the end of June after five years in business.

Owners Seth Clark and Casey Dunlavey said the property owners, Paul and Karen Zachman, declined to renew the brewery’s lease despite five straight years of growth. The Zachmans confirmed that.

The brewery, located at 604 Pittsford-Victor Road (Route 96), maintains plans to go out with a bang, promising new releases and events in its final three months of business.

Clark and Dunlavey also own Lock 32 Brewing in Pittsford and said each of the 30 employees, most of whom work part time, would be offered shifts at Lock 32. Many of the employees already work at both breweries. Employees were told of the closure in a meeting Tuesday night. Employee well-being remains the top priority as the closure approaches, Dunlavey said.

“It was very successful,” Dunlavey said. “It was financially viable. We had plans to be there long term. We’ve grown every year, which is not easy in the business world. I also want people to know that Lock 32 is growing exponentially every year. So we’re at a really good spot. It’s just, unfortunately, the risk you run when you don’t own a property. It was a surprise to us, but it’s out of our control. That’s the downside of renting.

“We have a lot coming and we’re not done growing.”

The Zachmans echoed those sentiments, stating that they initially expected to continue the Seven Story partnership. They fully intended to extend the lease. But they reached a point where the Zachmans realized “there just wasn’t a workable relationship,” Paul said. “We just knew we needed to move on. It’s not something we ever wanted to happen. It’s the last thing we wanted to see.”

Both sides are moving on with good things to say about the other party. There is no animosity. Both admitted it was time to move on for a number of different reasons (which they both decided would be best to keep between them). The partnership lasted nearly five years and provided one of the east side’s best destinations for a beer with a view.

Seven Story/Lock 32 head brewer Phill MacArthur will continue to formulate recipes and brew small batch offerings for both breweries. Larger batches will continue to be contracted through Rohrbach and Roc Brewing, Dunlavey confirmed. MacArthur will also continue to utilize the small Seven Story pilot system.

The statement alluded to the announcement of exciting news from the Lock 32 crew in the near future.

(And as someone who is spoiled with information and access, I can confirm this news is wildly exciting and will be shared through the newsletter just as soon as Dunlavey and Clark are ready to publicly share it. But when I say get excited, I really mean it here. Expect more news on that front very, very soon.)

Here’s my story on the brewery’s opening in 2018 from the Democrat and Chronicle: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/lifestyle/rocflavors/2018/07/16/first-bushnells-basin-brewery-opening-erie-canal/736685002/.

Dunlavey and Clark initially crossed paths with the Zachmans at Lock 32. Seven Story immediately captured a thirsty audience. It sits in a perfect location along Route 96 and offers a great chance for folks to sit outside and enjoy a beer, especially during the days of social distancing amid the pandemic. MacArthur regularly brews up creative and thoughtful beers, while the brewery flagships are ideal complements to the idyllic canal views.

The owners acquired the inspiration and name for the brewery from one of the engineering marvels of the canal construction. In 1822, workers completed the Great Embankment section of the canal — it continued for one mile and rose 70 feet high to carry the canal above the Irondequoit Creek valley.

Dunlavey and Clark noted the name was a nod to the ingenuity of the canal construction. It also saluted its future since the brewery made use of a refurbished home from the 1850s.

Dunlavey admits they’re disappointed to see Seven Story end like this. But after allowing himself to feel badly for a few days, Dunlavey knew it was time to “move on positively.”

“We’re gonna take care of our staff and make sure that we continue to provide for the local community, especially through Lock 32,” Dunlavey said. “We’re learning from this and not letting it impact any other possible growth or Lock 32’s future or anything like that.

“It’s not what we planned, but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna let it define us. We’ll adjust and move forward. We have too much fun doing this to let a change like this that has diverted us from our initial plan bring us down. We’ve got a lot of great stuff going on.”

And with the current Seven Story home seemingly perfect for another brewery to move in, don’t be surprised to see someone else occupying that space in the near future. The Zachmans said they’ve already received interest and hope to have a new tenant by July (contingent on working out a lease and receiving the approval of state authorities).

The hope is to have a new brewery moved in quickly so they can take advantage of the big summer crowds. That includes 210 feet of canal frontage on which customers can enjoy a beer. Stay tuned to this space for more information in the near future.

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