Some would argue cream ale is one of three truly American beer styles.

And many others would state that the Genesee Cream Ale is the standard-bearer of the style. Genesee's iconic Cream Ale, originally conceived by brewmaster Clarence Geminn in 1960, features the same recipe it had when it was introduced.

But now the look of the Genesee classic is getting a facelift. Starting this month, the Genny Cream Ale will be rebranded and relaunched across the market. The iconic green can/label remains. But it now features a classic script declaring it an "American Classic."

The packaging doesn't say Genesee Brewery any longer. (It's only listed in small letters among the government warning on the side of the can.) It does have a golden "G" seal with the iconic Genny wheat stalk and "proudly brewed since 1878."

Genesee's other legacy brands will also get a facelift in the coming months, but the brewery declined to comment on what those labels might look like and when it might happen.

“It started with doing research and talking to consumers about how special Cream Ale is to them,” said Janine Schoos, Genny's associate brand director. “We always felt like it had potential. It wasn’t like the other brands. People always told me stories about Cream Ale. They have a deep connection to it and were surprised when people hadn’t had it."

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Schoos said this was a proactive, not reactive process. Without getting into specific figures, she said that like other brands in the value segment, there is "trending a decline. Cream Ale has not been given the separate attention or focus that it's needed or deserved."

The last packaging overhaul in 2015 was more of a tweak, Schoos said. This redesign process started about 18 months ago. And Schoos said it's an opportunity to clear up consumer questions and concerns.

"When we did consumer research, it would always pop up, 'I don't even know where this goes. Does it go with value? Does it go with premium? Does it go with imports?' It's just different, and it should be with craft," Schoos said.

Genesee Cream Ale is unique. It's essentially a lagered ale. That means it's fermented cold like a traditional lager but with an ale yeast. That allows the beer to finish a bit crisper and also adds a touch of sweetness.

Schoos and her staff decided that a beer that has garnered 14 major awards, including multiple gold medals from the World Beer Cup, deserved more. So the packaging is designed to cement the beer's reputation as a true American pioneer.

"The strategy is to be bigger and better and to invest in this award-winning brand," Schoos said.

So Genny is implementing a price raise, probably in the neighborhood of $1 to $2, to convince consumers that it is a premium brand. The price raise is designed to literally shift geography of where you can find it on store shelves. That won't happen with Genny Light and Genesee Beer. So you'll no longer see it on the shelves next to Budweiser or Busch Light or any other value-driven brands.

Genesee wants to play on the iconic nature of the brand and believes that shifting its place on the grocery store shelves might introduce it to new consumers, ones who might only be looking at craft options, not macro options.

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"Let's figure out who the right consumer is and what the right positioning is and what should the packaging look like," Schoos said.

Research was conducted both inside and outside the core area of Rochester. "More modern, more premium and represented how awesome the beer is inside," Schoos said.

Genesee, which opened in 1878 and remains New York state's oldest brewery, is fundamentally a regional brewery with a big emphasis on four states — New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. "But Cream Ale is the one who has the most legs out of all of my brands," Schoos said. There are what Schoos called "pockets of Cream Ale" in places like Florida, Atlanta, Nashville, some markets on the West Coast. The hope is that the new identity expands that market.

As part of the rebranding effort, Genesee launched a Cream Ale-specific website, originalcreamale.com. It's part of an effort to separate Cream Ale from its competitors and repositioning it.

Schoos said the brewery knew there were certain aspects of the packaging they couldn't touch. The iconic green hue of the label sat at the top of that list. The "G" wheat stalk, which was on one of the original labels, also needed to remain, Schoos said. There is also a gold accent on the label that has been part of the packaging for eons. The packaging doesn't, however, feature any prominent mention of the Genesee Brewery.

"The number one consumer insight was how to do we make it more style forward," Schoos said. "Consumers are shopping by style. We know we have this gem, but Cream Ale was secondary on the primary packaging. Over the years, Cream Ale has popped so much more. We just took a page out of our past and are leading with style first. It mirrors what is happening in the craft category and we're still paying homage to our past."

Schoos said the packaging is designed to emphasize three things in the fleeting glance consumers will give it when on store shelves: beer style, its place as an American original and the green color.

WCLEVELAND@Gannett.com

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