Ah, spring in Rochester. The snow has (mostly) retreated, the potholes have finally blossomed to their full, suspension-destroying majesty (seriously, can we get those potholes filled on the 490E entrance ramp near the Inner Loop right before you cross the Freddie-Sue Bridge), and we can once again take our beer-drinking outside without risking mild hypothermia.
The good news? Rochester’s breweries are giving you plenty of reasons to do exactly that this week — and some of them are arriving fresh off the medal podium. Here are two events I am particularly excited about.
Right on cue, Rohrbach Brewing Company is rolling out the barrels for its annual Frühlingsfest celebration, taking place Thursday, May 28, out at the Buffalo Road beer garden in Ogden. (Always love saying “roll out the barrels,” because the song with the same title became a jovial sing-along tradition during football at my alma mater, the University of Montana.)
To understand the roots of Frühlingsfest, you have to look back to Germany’s deep-seated need to completely shake off the seasonal depression of a long European winter (a feeling we Rochesterians understand right down to our vitamin-D-deficient bones). Historically, these spring festivals — the biggest being the annual celebration in Stuttgart, which traces its agricultural roots back to the early 19th century, and Munich’s slightly newer, highly rowdy counterpart — were essentially giant, beer-soaked kickoff parties for the planting season. Brewers would bust out the last of their strong, malty winter ales (hello, Maibock) to clear out cellar space for the lighter summer brews, locals would celebrate the ground finally thawing, and everyone would generally just rejoice at the sight of the sun. It’s essentially Oktoberfest’s plucky, slightly smaller younger sibling, swapping out the heavy autumn harvest vibes for spring awakenings and a highly necessary excuse to drink outside without freezing your bratwurst off.
Back in modern-day Rochester, the Thursday night main event kicks off at 5:00 p.m. and runs until 9:00 p.m. Expect an abundance of German food, fresh beer specials, yard games, and the ultimate test of questionable forearm strength: stein hoisting (pro-tip: lock your elbow, folks). Local favorite Mariana Gonzalez will be laying down the traditional tunes from 6 to 8 p.m. The whole thing is totally free to attend and, yes, it’s family-friendly.
Rohrbach is spreading the love across a full week at both of its locations. If you find yourself closer to the Public Market, the Railroad Street Beer Hall is getting in on the action with themed trivia, its own lineup of German specials, and a dedicated Saturday brunch (because eggs just taste better with a side of schnitzel).
There’s an extra layer of celebration in the air for this year’s fest, too. If you haven’t been glued to this space, Rochester’s oldest craft brewery recently underwent a massive changing of the guard. Back in March, founders John Urlaub and Patty Yahn-Urlaub — who literally built the Rochester craft scene from the ground up starting in 1991 — passed the torch to Brockport natives (and brothers) Joel and Nathan Will. Joel is stepping in as President and COO, while Nathan brings a business background to the table as CEO. The new brain trust has promised to keep the brewery’s identity and team completely intact while quietly building on it — a promise they’ve already made good on, having swooped in to acquire the Young Lion brand earlier this year to keep those recipes pouring.
You can find all the Frühlingsfest details over at rohrbachs.com/events.
Sager-Stoneyard event celebrates another German classic
But if the spring festival spirit has you wanting to keep the party rolling into the following weekend, there’s another celebration worth your attention — and this one comes with a genuine victory lap baked right in.
Sager Beer Works and Stoneyard Brewing Company are joining forces for a Kölsch Fest on Saturday, June 6, at the Sager-Stoneyard Pub (46 Sager Drive), and both breweries are arriving fresh off the 2026 New York State Craft Beer Competition medal stand.
Sager struck gold in the Amber Lager category with Sager Bock, topping a field of 54 entries. Not to be outdone, Stoneyard took home gold in the Specialty Beer: Stouts and Porters category with Chocolate After Midnight, besting a category of 50 entries.
The event is modeled after the traditional Kölsch service in Cologne, Germany — the birthplace of the style — where the beer is served cold, crisp, and unwaveringly in its proper vessel: the stange, a tall, narrow cylindrical glass that exists specifically to keep your pour fresh. When your beer is empty (or just before you get there, someone will bring a fresh pour to your table.
Your $20 ticket (pre-sale, tax and tip included) gets you four glasses of Kölsch-style beer delivered right to your seat, poured from a rotating lineup of local breweries that includes Sager, Stoneyard, Faircraft, Swiftwater, and Eli Fish. And here’s the best part: you keep the glass.
For the uninitiated: a Kölsch is a pale, top-fermented ale that is then cold-conditioned like a lager — a hybrid approach that gives it a clean, crisp character with just a whisper of fruitiness and a delicate hop presence. It originated in Cologne, where brewers developed the style over centuries and eventually codified it so strictly that in 1986 the Cologne Brewery Association drew up the Kölsch Konvention, a formal agreement limiting the name "Kölsch" to beers brewed within the city limits. (Kinda like Champagne, just with a beer. The Germans do not mess around with their beer geography.) The result is a style that is deceptively simple — light-bodied, refreshing, and endlessly drinkable — which makes it either a gateway beer for newer craft drinkers or a welcome palate reset for the nerdier drinkers among us.
Food will be handled by Doughboyz ROC, the resident culinary partner at the Sager-Stoneyard Pub and one of the better reasons to show up hungry. Expect their full spread — naturally leavened, wood-fired sourdough Neapolitan pizzas (drooling just thinking about them), brined and smoked wings, and the legendary Sager OMG Giant Pretzel, a house-made behemoth served hot from the oven with beer cheese and mustard that might require its own zip code and should probably have its own fan club by now. (Maybe I’ll start one.)
Tickets are available at events.ticketleap.com. This one is worth planning ahead for — five local breweries pouring Kölsch on a Saturday in early June, with Doughboyz food and a glass to take home, is about as good a combination as Rochester has to offer right now.
(Unrelated, maybe I should cut down on the parentheticals in my work. After all, I’m not David Foster Wallace.)
Empire State of beer: 2026 New York Craft Beer Competition winners crowned
Ten years in, the New York State Craft Beer Competition has grown into something of a controlled chaos: more than a thousand beers, dozens of judges, flights of glasses marching across tables, and the occasional moment when everyone stops, looks up from their scoresheets, and realizes they’ve just tasted something pretty special.