Will Cleveland

@WillCleveland13

The Genesee Brewery as currently seen on St. Paul Street in Rochester, will look drastically different in the next three years.

North American Breweries, Genesee's parent company, said it will spend more than $39 million of its own money on an expansion and redesign of the state's oldest brewery. It's a remarkable turnaround for a brewery that was on the brink of closing just a few years ago, NAB CEO Kris Sirchio said.

"The Genesee Brewery Company is a part of New York. It’s a part of the New York experience, it’s a part of the New York family," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "I remember, like it was yesterday, when they talked about closing the Genesee Brewing Company, you felt like you were losing a part of yourself."

Cuomo appeared at the Genesee Brew House Wednesday to announce an additional $9.5 million in state funding, including a $5 million capital grant through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative to make up the $49.1 total project budget.

Sirchio said the governor's announcement shows the state's belief in the Genesee Brewery.

"It’s a great day for our employees," Sirchio said. “They’ve been here for generations, and to be able to announce this type of investment for public and private partnership, it really does secure the legacy of this business and those jobs for generations to come.

"This is an amazing place. The pride here is unique and special, and they make amazing beer. And to see the state and the region invest and show confidence and trust in them, as the CEO, what else could you ask for. We’re very, very lucky."

Genesee Brewing details a major eco-upgrade

Officials said the plan will create 128 jobs, half of which will go to people living in poverty. The brewery currently employs 592 people. The expansion will take roughly two to three years, Sirchio said.

“It will make this a state-of-the-art facility," Cuomo said. "It means that not only will Genny be staying, but growing to new heights."

NAB announced new details about its expansion at the brew house it opened four years ago. The company has been hoping to add a museum and a meeting and education center to the facility.

With the help of state aid, the brewery wants to create an "eco-brewery district" for the High Falls area.

Sirchio added that NAB has invested $70 million in the Genesee site over the past six years. NAB is currently the sixth largest brewery in this country.

The eco-brewery project calls for an 18,000-square-foot expansion at the St. Paul Street brewing campus. That would include the demolition of some of the buildings, including the building that currently houses NAB's laboratory. The iconic tanks on St. Paul Street that resemble stories-high beer cans with Genesee labels will also be removed.

New tanks will be installed, and new brewing equipment will allow the brewery to make more craft-centric batches in smaller quantities.

The Genesee Brew House will also expand, Sirchio said. The 20-barrel brew house pilot brewery will add fermentation capacity and will also install a bottling and canning line.

WCLEVELAND@Gannett.com

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