Four reasons why Rochester went crazy for Genesee Dream Ale
Will ClevelandMore than 500 people queued up Friday morning for the chance to purchase the Genesee Dream Ale, a joint venture between Genesee and Brooklyn-based Other Half Brewing.
People lined up as early as 7 a.m. for the collaborative cream ale. At one point, the line stretched across the Pont de Rennes bridge spanning the Genesee River. So why were people so enamored with this unlikely beer partnership?
An unlikely partnership
The three co-founders of Other Half, one of the most buzzed about breweries in the country, are huge fans of the Genesee Cream Ale. Other Half is currently in the process of opening a second location in East Bloomfield, Ontario County.
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More:Genesee Dream Ale line stretches across Pont de Rennes bridge, beer sells out in two hours
The taproom and brewery, the former Nedloh Brewery, are still under construction. And Other Half has been holding weekly mobile can sales in East Bloomfield since late November. This was the first mobile can sale at Genny.
So what started as dream, literally, became a reality after I put them in contact with the state's oldest brewery. Then discussions began about what the beer could be.
A dreamy creation
The beer is a marriage of Genny's iconic Cream Ale, which first launched in 1960, with an Other Half twist. Other Half is known for its hazy and juicy New England-style India pale ales. The Brooklyn brewery produces a series of dream and daydream IPAs that feature oats, lactose, and a generous heaping of late-addition hops.
Genesee Dream Ale comes in at 4.6 percent. It has a ton of citrus and tropical fruits on the nose. The body is velvety smooth. And it finishes with that textbook cream ale corniness. The beer highlights what each brewery is known for.
Release details
The beer was brewed in February and announced to the world via social media on March 18. The 20-barrel batch yielded roughly 170 cases of 16-ounce cans.
People began lining up as early as 7 a.m. And by 10 a.m., the line had ballooned to more than 200 people and then the line stretched across the Pont de Rennes bridge. Genny also released special Dream Ale-branded glassware and T-shirts to commemorate the release.
Initially, the beer was limited to three four packs per person, but that limit was dropped to one to make sure more people got beer.
Future plans?
Let's get into some speculation. I'm hoping that the beer gets scaled up at the big Genesee Brewery across the street from the Brew House. The Genesee Brew House is only able to make 20 barrels of beer at a time.
The big Genesee Brewery, where batches of Cream Ale and Genny Light come from, features a 500-barrel brewhouse. I think Genny would be silly not to make this beer on a larger scale and get it into as many eager hands as possible.
I know there are talks about future collaborations between the two breweries. Other Half will undoubtedly brew some collaborative beers with other Rochester-area breweries. But with the release of the Dream Ale, you saw the marriage of Rochester's oldest brewery with the one that generates the most social media fervor (and for good reason).
I would bet that this isn't the end of this dreamy partnership.