Genesee Brewing Company

If you are just visiting downtown Rochester like I was– this is a great place to stop. We didn’t take a tour or visit the restaurant– just the brewery and shop. You can get a flight of some great beers for a $ 2 donation and they do a fun job tracking donations and switch it up between great causes each month. While we were there, they also had a great deal on two growlers of beer a great carrying bag. Overall, a pleasant and successful tourist stop.

Great views from the restaurant&patio. Beer was consistently good and you can’t beat the $ 2 flights of 4! Make sure to do your beer tasting downstairs though, flights are way more expensive upstairs! Food was very average, didn’t hate it, didn’t love it. I got the bruschetta chicken sandwich, nothing to write home about. Boyfriend got the black and blue burger which tasted a little too charred but was good none the less.

We went here while visiting from out of town. This is a super cool place to go, even with the kiddos. The downstairs is a gift shop and a section that does tours, it also has a great history of Rochester. The upstairs is a huge open room with a 2^nd story patio. Its kind of loud, but very comforting. The food was pretty good and reasonably priced. My kids hamburgers were giant. They also have an outdoor bar section on the ground level that had live music when we were there. The view of Rochester Falls from the brew house was amazing! Highly Recommended.

Brewery tour underwhelming. Missed opportunity to cover brewing and Genesee history, and brewing info presented was very basic. Tour is also of pilot system and not the production brewery. Interactive displays, however, are great and make up for lack of tour’s information. $ 2 flights excellent deal.
Amazing view from roof terrace.

Such a fun atmosphere ! The outside patio has a great view of High Falls and Downtown Rochester, perfect spot to grab a few appetizers or a burger. I will for definitely be back for the beer tasting which is only $ 2 and goes to charity!

If this were the Genesee Poohouse, it’d be a toilet (that’s so juvenile, but then when am I not). If it were the Genesee Loohouse or Doodoohouse, same thing. And if it were the Genesee Screwhouse, well then it’d be something like the B-52’s «Love Shack» baby. Love shack baby!
The Genesee Brewhouse is pretty spectacular, especially at night. I didn’t even know it was here… I was in the middle of a food tour, and made a turn and just came upon it… so to speak. It was pretty breathtaking. I was taken aback. I stopped, took pictures, and then drove all around it, found a place to park, wandered around. It’s one of those moments when you are exploring that is like… «whoa.» If you know what I mean.
It adds a lot to the skyline and atmosphere in this part of town. Literally, probably, because I’m sure it adds to the pollution too. But for sheer visual spectacle, it scores 5.

3.5 stars…
The Pros:
–Full bar and restaurant on the second floor
–Rooftop deck overlooked the high falls
–Spacious parking lot
–Cheapest flights ever ($ 2 for 4 samples)
–One of the largest brewery stores you’ll ever find
–A pseudo-​museum full of interesting information
The Cons:
–Some of the worst beer ever
–Most inpersonal and uninteresting tour/​tour guide ever
–An unfriendly and unhelpful bartender in the tasting room
A Pro & Con:
–They had one of the coolest growlers we have ever seen but this special ceramic growler was priced at an astounding $ 80.
Let me elloborate on the beer. Genesee (or «Genny») beer, especially Genny Light, is known in these parts as being the dirty cheap beer you get as a college freshman to play beer pong with. If you’ve never had Genny Light but have hat «Natty» Light or Keystone Light, it’s pretty much the same thing. It’s a disgusting almost tasteless watered down beer not worth drinking unless you’re already drunk and even then I wouldn’t touch the stuff. This is coming from a guy who actually enjoys Miller/​Bud/​Coors Light. You may think to yourself, well don’t go for the Genny Light then. Well you’re right except for a number of their beers look and taste almost identical to this option. We tried 8 of the 10 options they had on tap and the majority of the beer was this pale yellow tasteness garbage beer. They must know how bad most of their beer is because they have released a number of beers under the «Dundee» name instead of going with the historic Genesee name they’ve been using since 1878. That’s not to say all the Dundee beers are great. Surprisingly though we did very much enjoy two of the beers here, the Pilot Batch Scotch Ale (7.5%abv) and the Brewhouse Dopelbock (8%abv). We would have bought some of this to go but were so turned off by the service and the other beers we just moved on with our trip and left to go elsewhere.

This place was great !!! Came with the fam. We had to wait a while as it was very very crowded but they eventually found spots at the bar to wait
Highlights
— View of Falls from Balcony
–View of Falls from roof even better
–free beer samples!
–tour of brewery
Everyone seemed to enjoy their appetizers, my brother said his burger was dry, mine was fine, I personally tried their Cream Ale and something with Honey in the name both tasty and I dont drink beer. I ordered the brewhouse burger and yummmm. First, this had the thickest bacon I have ever seen, like ever, lol it was more like a piece of ham in strips as far as thickest (it was totally bacon though) I also ordered fried pickles as my appetizer they were very good.
I have no complaints of this place and it was 1 of the 2 only restaurants i visited in rochester that did not run out of something.

I like their food! Their burger is solid. Wings are great! Their drinks are cheap. If you go on a tour, you can get a flight for super cheap-​like $ 4. I’ve always enjoyed trying local brews. Definitely worth coming here. Great place to bring visitors in town. Excellent view of High Falls!

This place is great. The view of the falls are incredible. I really liked the large selection of beers. Who knew Genny had so many flavors. I will definitely be back with friends.
And the staff was also very pleasant. The bartender was really knowledgeable about all my beer questions. The waitress was very pleasant and got our orders very quickly. Also, kudos to Genny for keeping an open mind in their hiring practices. One of the managers came over, an OBVIOUSLY gay large guy with shaved head, asked us about our experience and gave us some nice suggestions.
All and all 5 stars, would return!

The museum is a nice collection of kitsch and history, and the tour’s a pretty standard brewery tour.
What’s really nice is their super-​cheap flights in the brewing area, where they have special drafts that they don’t sell in bulk.
Overall, a nice little afternoon activity to do.

They were really really busy but we still got pjr fold in a timely manner! Friendly staff! Got kinda loud oh well still worth it

This beer wasn’t a really «stand out» type of beer for me. It’s kind of a Coors type of lager. They have a craft line up, but there wasn’t anything stellar. It’s not a bad beer, but I couldn’t see this displacing Oskar Blues, or Great Basin as a go-​to beer any time soon. What this brewery DOES have going for it, is the location — fantastic views of the High Falls and downtown Rochester, NY! Not a disappointing visit — I’d go back to hang out there. Fun place to stop at if you’re from out of town with lots of history.

One of the best places in Rochester!
The view of high falls from the roof in the summer is one of my favorite things. Staff is always knowledgeable about their beer, and very friendly. Easy parking, great food, great beer. What else can I say?

The service is always great here. Staff has great knowledge of the menu and drinks being served. They take the time out to mingle with you as well. It brings me back for sure.

Loved coming here on a Sunday afternoon! We initially parked near the address posted (445 St. Paul St) on the streets, wondering why it was so quiet. Then we realized that the entrance to both the brewery and the brew house were the same at 25 Cataract St (still can’t get over the fact that there’s a street named cataract). Upon entering is a cute little museum and store about the brewery’s history and presence in Rochester. A short walk further in was where most people were hanging out– the tasting room. Yes, it’s $ 2 for four tastings. not $ 2 each. Can’t believe how cheap it was. Anddd it goes to charity! Drinking for a cause, I likey.
Tours are on the hour and you just show up around the tasting room (no need to sign up or anything). The tour was alright, I was wearing open toe sandals so I couldn’t go downstairs where half the tour was. The tour guide wasn’t really loud enough so I couldn’t hear what he was saying.
After, we went upstairs to the rooftop patio overlooking High Falls. Beautiful view and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. There was some live music playing downstairs which was a bonus too.

Awesome brewery, awesome drinks with originality, and good service. The restaurant menu is really good. They have recently remodeled and the brew house consists of a mini museum, gift shop with great cream ale T shirts, a tasting room, a full restaurant on the second floor, and even a roof level sitting area with a view of high falls. Genny light has been voted best tasting light beer for a reason, but then again this is coming from a straight up Rochester homer.

I freakin love this place. The view of the high falls, the beer museum, the food. Even the parking is great. Try the pretzel sticks they are yum! Great service. Please go upstairs and put your name in when you arrive, then go back downstairs for a tasting and the museum/​gift shop.

This Review for Tour Only: Tour on the hour is a look at Genesee’s experimental brewery – 20 bbl capacity. Pic Uploaded.
Brewery output is sold in the brew house restaurant. Last tour 8pm.
The actual brewery is off limits to the public.
At end of tour, offered four few-​oz pours of your choosing for $ 2 – well done. Personal favorite was the Genesee IPA – didn’t even know this brewski existed.
Brewery now owned by a Costa Rica company, and is putting $$$s into the business.
Tip: Call ahead to ensure that the public tour isn’t closed for a private group – ours was so delayed for over an hour
Tip II: bring or buy your Growler. Growlers are filled for good prices
Note: we walked from downtown.
If you think this review with photos is useful, funny or cool, I’d appreciate your feedback below.

Genny Cream Ale is one of maybe two or three cheap beers worth your money and worth drinking (the other two being Schlitz and Olympia). Prior to Schlitz going back to its old recipe, there would certainly be only two, and Genny Screamer would be the clear favorite.
In a town where everyone still swills PBR all night, you’re hard pressed to find a Genny at a bar. Several places have it in a number of different can sizes though. And one of my favorite dive bars has regular Genesee and Cream Ale, although if they are low on the Cream Ale, they won’t let you have it because it’s the band beer! Bullshit!!!
I’ve turned more than a few people on to this most delicious of budget brews. Now it’s your turn.