Good Rochester Brewery?

I'm going to be in Rochester this weekend for a wedding and was thinking of checking out a local brewery Friday night. I found Rohrbachs: Brewery Rochester - Microbrew - Tour - Ales - Lagers and Rochester Mills Beer Co: Rochester Mills Beer Company. Which would the locals recommend? I also saw MacGregor's, but they are just a tap house it seems, so I'd rather go for something local.

I used to live in Oakland Twp...I HIGHLY recommend Rochester Mills!

They used to have stellar food, and their Double Bock...wow!:rockin:

I've only been to McGregor's and it was a good place. Plenty of beers on tap (100+ if I remember correctly). Worth a stop if you're in town already.

Which Rochester are you going to?

NY or MI?

Heh... which rochester? Rochester Mills is in MI, but Rohrbach is in NY....

I wouldnt waste your time with Rohrbach if you're coming to NY. Though their city brewery does a "tour" and tasting, there's not much to it. And to be quite frank, their quality has really gone downhill since they fired their head brewer for cheaper help last fall.

There is another brewery to check out a bit outside of town..

Custom BrewCrafters Home Page - Great beer for great people

They are south of Rochester, but put a good tour together with a nice sampling room at the end, and two of their beers were rated A/A- this month in BA's magazine.

Also, if you have any interest in seeing what a truly great taphouse is, skip MacGregor's and go to the Tap & Mallet on Gregory St. in the city:

Tap and Mallet public site

I'd even be so inclined as to meet you for a beer, though it would be likely that I would be there having one even if you weren't in town...

Oh haha, I didn't realise there was a Rochester in MI. Guess I won't be going to Rochester Mills then, as I am in NY... Damn, it sounded so good too. Thans for the suggestions Chumprock. We're staying at the down town Radisson, so I'm not sure which is closer? I don't mind a little drive for good stuff Does Custom BrewCrafters have food too? My wife and I were looking for dinner too. I'd never refuse the company for a beer, I think it's great to meet other HBTers, especially when so far from home

On a side topic, do any of the LBHS in Rochester, NY have glasses with their logo on them?

So we ended up at the Tap and Mallet, we actually walked the 1.5 miles from the hotel to get there. It was nice with a good beer selection. I was drinking Flying Dog Tire Bite, which was good. Never heard of the brand before, is it an East Coast thing? The place wasn't very busy for a Friday night, though nowhere in Rochester seemed to be busy ever...? Anyway, good recommendation chumprock!

HAH... you were there Friday?

So was I. Sorry we didn't meet!

Tirebite has been my go-to there for the past week. Such an easy drinking Kolsch-like beer. Pretty sure they're based out of MD so it's probably an east-coast thing.

Had I known you were in town last weekend, I would have made more suggestions. Not much as far as LHBS's go, but you really needed to see Beers of The World..

And yeah.. the city proper is a ghost-town. There's lots of festivals, graduation parties, and vacationing going on right now.. most places we went to this weekend were completely dead.

chumprock said:

but you really needed to see Beers of The World..

Click to expand...

Beers of the World is my new favorite store after my last visit to Rochester. I am thinking about driving again next time I go just so I can bring back as much beers as I want.

Haha, we were sitting in the back room in a booth from about 7:30 to 9:00. Guessing you were at the bar? Too bad I missed Beers of the World Didn't have a lot of extra time while there, but I would have made it work. Now I know what to go for next time!

Why the Rohrbachs hate?

The restaurant in Gates has certainly gone downhill but I find that their staple beers are as good as always. However, I usually get the same stuff when I'm there.

I suppose I also have a little bias because Rohrbachs was the first "good beer" I ever had, and got this whole thing started for me.

Just found this thread, thought I'd throw my two cents in. My folks live about 2 minutes from the Gates Rohrbacks so I've been there often, and I gotta say I've had some really good beers there. Their food ain't bad, either.

I just had Custom Brewcrafter's for the first time (I think it was called spring-something... it seemed like an amber), and it wasn't bad. I'd love to try some more of their stuff.

Rorbachs and CBC are fair. My only complaint with them are their use of hybridized dual purpose yeast (change the temp for lager or ale). It has a pretzel-ish taste that permeates every beer. Some styles I love the note, others are disasters with it. All in the name of profit margin.

I am trying to talk the SWMBO into going to Tap and Mallet next Friday. That is if I ever leave Beers of the World.

Do it, have you been before? I really liked their selection.

I have not been there before. I moved from Rochester a long time ago and only visit 1-2 times a year.

D'oh! I didnt see this thread... did you get a chance to hit up T&M, ed?

Next time I'll pay better attention and try and arrange to buy you a beer.

I would throw my vote in for visiting custom brewcrafters. My girlfriend is from the area and any time her mom comes to visit us in Ohio she brings beer. Its very hard to get that type of selection in this area.