Getting ready for winter with Genesee Cream Ale sampler and bonus Black bomber.
I had never heard of the Genesee beer brand until I made a trip to upstate NY to visit my future in-laws, back in the early 1990s. Driving up Route 30 from Amsterdam, I saw a billboard with a bearded backwoods character holding a can and the simple headline “Our Beer”. I procured a suitcase of Genny Cream Ale, aka Screamers, and found it pretty tasty. And I quickly discovered I never had to worry about sharing my beer because nobody who actually lived in the back country wanted to be seen holding a can of Genny and being branded a hick.
Genny Cream is now an occasional part of my rotation, best enjoyed in the summer when looking out at the reflections on Lake Pleasant in Speculator, NY. I’ve found a Genny aficionado in Saratoga Springs who is also a collector of Isuzu VehiCROSS, a brand I once wrote marketing copy for, and likes Genny’s annual 12 Horse releases because they are low alcohol so he can drink more of them. Not a fan. I need an ale that is 7% ABV minimum, and the various varieties tasted almost identical to me.
Recently, new things are happening at Genesee Brewing. They built a spiffy tasting room at their headquarters in Rochester, NY, and brewmaster Dean Jones has initiated a pilot tank program producing experimental beers that are on tap at the tasting room and occasionally offered in wider distribution. Many of the early projects were gadget beers (Lemon Drop Imperial Cream Ale) or European style brews that don’t appeal to me. But right now there’s a 12-pack Cream Ale sampler which includes an “Imperial” (in quotes because it’s only 7% ABV, h/t to that low alcohol tradition), a nicely hopped (Mosaic) variation … and a creamsicle ale that tastes as weird as it sounds.
Thanks to the street cred of Dean Jones (who is active in his local home brew community) and the pilot program, Genesee is the only large brewery allowed to participate in the New York State Brewers Association, a trade group representing the craft beer industry.
And better yet, Genesee has introduced Genny Black, a 24-ounce can at 8% that’s flying off the shelves at local Stewart’s convenience stores and beer stores. It’s a genial lager without the “here comes the hangover” sweetness that distinguishes its malt liquor competitors, and it’s a bargain at $1.39 a can.
If you can find these new Genesee products, give them a try. They’re innovative and well-priced. But don’t expect kudos from your fellow beer lovers. A local brewer historian mentioned Genesee on Facebook, and got this reader comment: “When I was in Rochester for a conference this past spring a group of us ate there and I was told I had to order a Genny Cream Ale because I’d never had one. I did and then everyone made fun of me!”
