CURL UP WITH A COLD BREW AT THESE WARM, INVITING BREWERIES AROUND LIVCO
If you’re a craft beer aficionado, you’re going to love LivCo. We take our craft beer seriously around here, with an array of brewers who craft a wide variety of beer styles using locally grown and sourced ingredients. Every sip is like a little taste of LivCo — and, after that first taste, you’ll be quickly calculating just how many six packs you can take home with you.
Even if you’re not a craft beer fanatic, though, you’ll still enjoy the brewery scene throughout the county. Our breweries offer fun, inviting atmospheres and calendars filled with engaging activities, from game nights to holiday parties, where you can gather with friends, away from the winter chill outside, and have a great evening. (Most also offer libations other than beer, too, in case you’re not up for a pilsner or pale ale.) So, where should you head to experience LivCo’s best brews? Here are the spots you won’t want to miss.
This craft brewery has found a home inside the restored Dansville Mount Morris Railroad Depot, giving this historic building an exciting new life and honoring LivCo’s ties to the railroad industry through unique design touches such as tables crafted from the original depot doors and bar area footrests that were once old steel rails. The brewery has 12 craft beers on tap, from the Battle Street Blonde to the Hoppy Conductor NEIPA, and a scrumptious dining menu will sate your cravings for all your favorite bar foods, like pizza, wings and quesadillas.
Near Conesus Lake, little Lake Brewing is a micro beverage center offering small-batch, artisan beverages brewed on-site. It’s not just beer that’s on tap here, though. You can also find hard seltzers, house-made sodas, and freshly brewed coffee, as well as options from other local breweries. Plus, little Lake Brewing is a favorite for a quick breakfast, with fresh-baked pastries available every morning.
This award-winning brewery offers craft beer in two locations. Visit the original location which includes a tasting room, manufacturing facility, and beer garden near the north end of Conesus Lake, or stop by their new tasting room in the Village of Victor. Whichever you choose, you’re sure to find high-quality, delicious brews in an array of styles, whether you prefer an ale, sour, IPA, lager, porter, or anything in between.
Just a short drive from Rochester, Rising Storm Brewing Company sits on a picturesque 12-acres. Founded by two home brewers and SUNY Geneseo alumni, the microbrewery offers a blend of stouts, seltzers, sours, and IPAs. Don’t miss the brewery’s annual Ugly Sweater Christmas Party!
If you’ve been to Buffalo or Rochester recently, you may be familiar with this growing craft brewery. The OG location, though, is in Avon, where you can sit amongst the tanks and sip beers that were made just steps away. There’s an inside taproom for the winter months and, in addition to local beer, there’s also a rotating food menu. Brews range from sours (which Mortalis is especially known for) to IPAs, but we like a good stout in the winter months. It’s just the thing to ward off that Western New York cold.
Strange Design Public House has the honor of being Geneseo’s first brewery. However, while this brewery may be relatively new, the space it’s in is not. History buffs will love this brewery’s surroundings, as the current building was once the Livingston County Poor House. Check out Strange Design’s calendar before you head over, there’s always something fun going on, from live music to Drag Shows to open mics to crafty workshops.
This brewery is what’s known as a nano-brewery, serving small batches of local beers made with home-grown hops. Only open on the weekends, swing by for a flight when you’re in town. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to catch the brewery’s pop-up holiday market, where local vendors offer their wares, local foods keep you fed as you shop, and free activities — like photos with Santa and crafts and cocoa — keep the kiddos entertained. The live holiday music just further helps set the stage for a lovely winter afternoon.
The newest addition to the LivCo Libation Loop, Solitude Brewing Company mixes the influences of nature with craft beer just steps from Conesus Lake. The only brewery in Livingston County with rooftop seating, this spot serves up exceptional craft beverages and a refined fast-casual menu in an unparalleled setting.
