The Genesee Country Village & Museum (GCV&M) in Monroe County, NY will host their annual Hop Harvest Festival, featuring the journey of hops, one of NY’s original cash crops, from field, to brewery, to pint glass, on Saturday, September 10th, from 10 am to 4 pm.
Attendees will be able to tour a working 19th-century brewery, taste historical beers and local craft brews, learn about historical uses for hops, enjoy live music and a Beer Garden, and more.
GCV&M is one of the only museums in the United States with a working 19th-century brewery. Grieve’s Brewery is a reconstruction of a c. 1803 brewery from Geneva, NY, with portions of Rochester‘s Enright Brewery (closed in 1907) and an early timber-framed structure from West Bloomfield, NY.
Brewing demonstrations rely on gravity during much of the process, with liquids pumped by hand or ladled into troughs throughout the building. Visitors are invited to tour through all three levels of the brewery and learn how in 1850, New York State became a leading producer of hops. Beside the brewery, visitors will find a Hop House (built c. 1870 in Greece, NY), surrounded by a small hop yard.
At the Hop Harvest Festival (and all season long), visitors can enjoy two craft beers on tap in the Museum’s historic Freight House Pub, both brewed referencing historical beer recipes by Rohrbach Brewing Co. Sample Stocking Hill Ale, an American Wheat Ale, and Fat Ox Ale, an American-style brown ale. Visitors can enjoy a sample, purchase a pint, or bring home a growler of either of these historical brews.
Talking Cursive Brewing Company (Syracuse NY), Strange Design Brewing (Geneseo NY), 9 Spot Brewing (Rochester, NY) and Rohrbachs (Rochester, NY) will be pouring in the Beer Garden from 11 am to 4 pm. 9 Spot Brewing is Rochester’s newest brewery, tying together the legacy of brewing in New York State and the current excitement surrounding craft brewing in the region.
Visitors exploring the 19th-century Historic Village can learn about the fascinating history of beer and brewing in the Genesee Valley Region. Learn what role women and migrant workers played in the hop harvesting and drying process, explore the medicinal purposes of hops, savor the aromas of sausages cooking in ale sauce in historic kitchens, purchase savory treats like steak and ale hand pies in the D.B. Munger & Co. Confectionery, and more.
Visitors can spend the afternoon in the Beer Garden (from 11 am to 4 pm) and enjoy beer tastings and pints from a variety of local breweries. Food specials will be available in the Pavilion Garden Restaurant (Sauerbraten sandwiches, German potato salad, peanut butter pie) and Terry’s Tips and Beef BBQ food truck will be in the Beer Garden to pair low and slow BBQ favorites with craft beverages. Live music in the Beer Garden will be provided by Rochester band Big Logic and the Truth Serum. Visitors can also enjoy traditional dances in costume on the Carport Stage by the Heindengold German Dancers and alphorn music on the Whislestop Stage.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the GCV&M website.
Photo of Hop Harvest Festival provided.
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