Geared for Growth: Strangebird Brewing Brings “The Lighter Side” to Eclipse Beer Partnership
Strangebird Brewing is capitalizing on the upcoming once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse in Rochester, NY with a limited time collaboration with other breweries in Greater Rochester. Eric Salazar, Director of Wood Aged Beers, was featured on Geared for Growth this week as part of Greater Rochester Chamber’s ongoing partnership with 13WHAM/Fox Rochester. Salazar discussed the company’s history and their exciting partnership with other organizations in Greater Rochester.
Strangebird is a craft brewery located on Marshall Street in Rochester. Eric shared that their focus is on traditional beers in a Belgian and German style. The
brewery opened three years ago and has grown steadily since opening. Eric shared that he has over 25 years of experience in the industry that he’s now using to help craft Stranegbird’s modern, approachable feel.
This year, Strangebird partnered with Rohrbach and Three Heads to release a collection of limited-edition beers representing the different phases of a solar eclipse. Strangebird’s beer, The Lighter Side, is a light Helles lager representing the first part of an eclipse. “This beer was barrel-lagered, lagered in oak barrels rather than stainless steel to pick up some of that flavor and aroma profiles from the barrel,” Salazar described. When asked about their process, Eric explained that these beers come from traditional styles that have been perfected over hundreds of years in Belgium. “I stick closely with the processes that they’ve done. It’s all done to create specific flavor profiles and style of beer,” he shared.
On the note of partnership, Eric shared that “we have a strong collaborative brewing culture here in Rochester.” Strangebird’s partnership with Rohrbach and Three Heads has been years in the making, and they came together to ensure that they came together to make their beers paired well together. With all three breweries deciding on lagers, Rohrbach created a black lager for Totality, and Three Heads made a Steam Lager for The Darker Side. The set of all thee beers are available for sale at Wegmans locations throughout Monroe County for anyone looking to try for themselves.
For more information about Strangebird Brewing, visit them at 62 Marshall Street or online at StrangebirdBeer.com. To learn more about other Eclipse themed festivities in Greater Rochester, check out VisitRochester.com/Eclipse.
Be sure to tune into FOX Rochester every Wednesday morning at 8:45 AM to hear other exciting member growth stories in every segment of Geared for Growth.