Our History
Twenty years ago, craft beer was not terminology known to most Western New Yorkers. In 1991 Mike Alcorn moved to Rochester from Southern California to help Kodak pursue a new digital imaging focus. Interestingly enough, Mike was here in Rochester to start a totally different revolution, one focused on beer rather than pixels. In 1997 Mike left Kodak and forever changed the landscape of craft beer in Western New York. Disappointed by the lack of quality craft beer in the area, Mike decided to open a brewery in Honeoye Falls, NY and brew private label beers for area bars and restaurants. He named the brewery Custom BrewCrafters to reflect the company's core business model of brewing private label beer. Examples include Jeremiah's Frog Grog and Hogan’s Park Ave Ale. A small tasting room was built to give customers the opportunity to sample the private label brews and take home filled growlers. Within a few years, the overwhelming success of the business allowed Mike to brew a few craft beers under their own brand "CB" and sell them to select retail markets and draft accounts in Rochester, NY.
After 10 years and the addition of several more CB brand beers, the brewery reached capacity limits. Mike was faced with a dilemma familiar to many WNY business owners, stay in state or move out. "Locally brewed beer that is enjoyed locally is at the heart of CB Craft Brewers" says Mike. "I knew I wanted to stay in WNY, and more specifically I wanted to invest in my hometown of Honeoye Falls."
In 2008 CB Craft Brewers went from a 1,500 square foot facility in Honeoye Falls to a 10,000 sq foot building just down the road from their old brewery. Several new tanks and a bottling line were added, allowing the company to further expand their CB brand year-round and seasonal offerings in both bottle and draught. In 2009, small nano-breweries began to approach CB along with new start up entrepreneurs with a dream of a brewery start-ups. Another business within the CB Craft Brewers umbrella soon came to life; Contract Brewing. By 2012 Contract Brewing consumed almost 25% of the CB business.
Expansion
In late 2012 CB Craft Brewers added two 60 barrel fermenters which represented a 54% increase in capacity. By March of 2013 the brewery was back up to full capacity. And added two additional 60 barrel fermenters along with an enhanced bottling line, spent grain handling system and waste water system. These enhancements both helped CB Craft Brewers operationally, but they also helped extend the eco-friendly nature of the brewery operation. The brewery has no current plans to expand distribution out of NY State.
"Craft beer is best enjoyed fresh and in the backyard of the brewery where it was brewed", says Mike Alcorn. "Our tag line Small Batches. Big Taste. is at the heart of what our customers can expect from our beer. By keeping our distribution local in WNY we can keep true to our roots and deliver on the promise of this new tagline. A beer that is in a warehouse and shipped on freight truck for a week or more will never taste as fresh as one that was shipped direct from the brewery within 48 hours of bottling." The brewery has no current plans to expand distribution out of NY State. "Craft beer is best enjoyed fresh and in the backyard of the brewery where it was brewed", says Mike Alcorn. "Our tag line Small Batches. Big Taste. is at the heart of what our customers can expect from our beer. By keeping our distribution local in WNY we can keep true to our roots and deliver on the promise of this new tagline. A beer that is in a warehouse and shipped on freight truck for a week or more will never taste as fresh as one that
Adding food to the CB Experience
In 2011 CB Craft Brewers opened a brew pub at the brewery called the Pint & Goblet Tavern, serving food and pints of their CB brand and custom beers Thursday-Sunday. The Tavern has become well known for their Gourmet Burgers. The Pint & Goblet Tavern has grown to be a key part of the brewery’s retail and Tasting Room experience.
Come visit, and after rewarding your taste buds with a sample of some of our special brews in the tasting room, tour our unique facility, peek inside our stainless steel kettles and learn about the brewing process. We'll even throw in a little amusing folklore both you and the kids will enjoy! We have free tours on Saturday afternoons
