“When we first started the business, people didn’t really understand craft beer,” describes Mike Alcorn, owner of CB Craft Brewers in Honeoye Falls. “But seeing how people adopted it and watching the business grow has been so rewarding to me.”
In fact, CB Craft Brewers has grown so much over time that they’ll be celebrating their 20th anniversary on August 25 and 26. The anniversary celebration will feature the new and old favorites of CB Craft Brewers’ craft beer, live music, games, a pig roast, a mechanical bull and much more.
Founded in Honeoye Falls, CB Craft Brewers, previously known as Custom Brewcrafters, got its start by brewing private label beers for area bars and restaurants.
“Microbrewed beer came back to the scene in the 80s, so I took it up as a hobby,” explains Alcorn. “I got used to doing some home-brewing after it became legal and I decided I wanted to try my hand at a business for myself.”
Prior to opening up CB Craft Brewers, Alcorn moved around the country working in software development and engaging with small entrepreneurial companies, helping them with systems development. CB Craft Brewers came about only a few years after craft beer became legal in the United States.
Alcorn saw a market for it in the Rochester area. Establishing a brewery was no easy prospect though.
“I never thought it was a giant hurdle, but I had very little money to start the business with,” says Alcorn. “Luckily, through positive relationships with banking partners and creative funding, we were able to finance what was at the time called Custom Brewcrafters.”
“I felt a real lacking of good craft beer here and I tried to find out what the pitfalls were of other breweries that got into the business,” says Alcorn, whom many consider a pioneer in the craft brewing industry in the Rochester area.
Though there were many drawbacks, one was particularly prominent. Large brands and their distributors could easily squash the competition out. Through free kegs, special deals and even trips to the Super Bowl, restaurants and bars could be enticed to take small breweries off the menu.
“My goal when starting the business was to get a lot of diversity in our market here in Rochester. By partnering with a dozen restaurants or so, I didn’t have to worry about competition because it was the owner’s beer, along with me,” says Alcorn.
“Instead of two or three beers, we offered a dozen unique beers at a dozen different places,” describes Alcorn. “Businesses had a great opportunity, and I had found a great way to create a niche.”
Steeped in tradition, the brewing process hasn’t changed much over the years. Now using new technology, the basic ingredients remain the same; water, malt (which is the grain, barley, most of the time), hops and yeast.
During the 20th Anniversary Hoedown, its flagship beer, Caged Alpha Monkey IPA, will be available. For a full list of their brews, visit their website at www.cbcraftbrewers.com or join them on Aug. 25 and 26 for beer tasting fun!
