Flour City Brewers Fest 2019

No ‘Brewview’ for tonight; instead we are switching gears to discuss the Flour City Brewers Fest. Two amazing people from Rohrbach Brewing Company, Peter and Brittany, presented me with the opportunity to attend this year’s Fest. For that I am forever grateful.

Located at the Public Market in Rochester, the Flour City Brewers Fest celebrated its 25th year of displaying the intricate art of craft brewing. This year the Public Market hosted 94 booths of either craft breweries, cideries, and others involved in the art. Right after walking in one thing was apparent, everyone was there to have a good time. Not at all was it difficult to see that Flour City Brewers Fest unites brewer and consumer in full support of independent craft brewing!

Though I will not be listing every brewery that was present, I will be sharing notes of those that my wife, Kim, and I had the luxury of enjoying. If you would like to know who was there, I invited you to visit https://www.flourcitybrewersfest.com/breweries for a complete list.

Having VIP tickets Kim and I were able to gain entry at 5:00, allowing us an extra hour of libations. First and foremost, we began at Rohrbach’s and were able to try three new beers as well as enjoy their amazing Oktoberfest(one of my favorites of the style.) My first beer of choice was 2448 Days Watermelon Basil Lager which expressed delicious German aromas mixed with watermelon and flavors of crisp lager accented with watermelon. Kim’s first beer was 25 Peachy Years a Double New England IPA. A delicious NEIPA with a pleasant peach presence, most notable was the peach after taste. Rohrbach’s ending up being our last call booth to which Kim and I enjoyed Instruments of Darkness Imperial Coffee Stout. This beer is one to take your time with, full bodied and dense with flavor. A great beer of choice to end the night with.

One of the more unique breweries present was Seneca Lake Brewing Company. Brewing only cask ales, served at cellar temperature and naturally carbonated, Seneca Lakes provides a different but just as delicious way to enjoy beer. Kim and I indulged in both beers they were serving. The Beerocracy Bitter Ale  was everything I expected when drinking an English Bitter, a must try. The Steamship Stout was one of Kim’s favorites and made her remember how much she enjoys stouts. Most notable for me was the creamy carbonation held by it, it allowed The Steamship to expand the stout experience.

The brewery that took the gold for Kim was Four Mile Brewing Company with their Tropical Wheat. A delicious fruit beer that possessed a delicious sweet tropical flavor. I’m also thinking this would be one of my favorite beers brewed with lactose.

WeBe Brewing Company, a brewery that I have never heard of before, brought with them their Maple Milk Stout. A stout that didn’t hold much maple flavor but expressed the sweet side of maple syrup. There was also an excellent presence of Black Malt, Flaked Oats, and Fuggle hops. Possibly a new favorite stout for me, I love Fuggle hops.

A more unique style of beer that I haven’t had much experience with yet are Sour IPAs. Finback Brewery brought a delicious one with them named Exogenesis. Kim and I both agree this beer was noteworthy. It boasts a sour hoppy aroma and the IPA and sour flavors compliment each other in the perfect manner.

Other breweries worth mentioning are Resurgence with their Key Lime Pie Sour and Big Ditch’s Citrus Vision, a delicious citrusy sour. Trip Hammer Bier Company delivered a very unique beer, Diggin It, which is a Grissette. A style of beer I have never heard of. A Belgian style beer with a smoky Belgian taste and perfect hop bite. K2 Bros Brewing had beers with a fruity touch to them, the Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake IPA is a beer worth looking for.

This list could go on and on.

To further everyone’s enjoyment there were two amazing bands to keep the good times flowing. Though the weather did hinder the tunes for a bit, everything got sorted out and the show was able to go on.

What would a brewery fest be without food? Present were multiple food trucks to enjoy alongside the amazing beers being served. Kim enjoyed an amazing pulled pork-mac’n’cheese grilled cheese sandwich from Cheese & Confused. I myself enjoyed a delicious meatball sub from the Meatball Truck. If weren’t trying to leave room for more beer, I’m sure we would’ve indulged ourselves from every food truck.

Would I go to Flour City Brewers Fest again? Absolutely! The atmosphere was amazing, nothing but echoes of people have a good time, enjoying great beer, great food, and great company. Whether you’re a lover of craft beer or just getting into it, Flour City Brewers Fest is the place to be. With multiple breweries present there will always be a beer you haven’t tried yet and a beer that will forever catch your eye. Kim and I can’t wait for next year!

Thanks again Peter and Brittany for providing Kim and I with this opportunity.

Cheers!