Will Cleveland

@WillCleveland13

In the midst of a $49 million dollar expansion to create one of the world's most advanced breweries, New York state's oldest brewery will rely on a bygone method of transportation as the next phase of transformation approaches.

Twelve massive fermentation tanks for the Genesee Brewery are set to be shipped from Albany to Rochester via barge on the Erie Canal.

The 2,000 barrel tanks, which are 60 feet tall and 20 feet wide, are too large to ship by truck or rail, according to the brewery. Instead, the brewery announced a six-day, 225-mile trip down the Erie Canal. The journey is slated to start on May 12. The brewery plans to release a travel itinerary in the coming days.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our employees and loyal Genny drinkers. We expect to see people on the banks of the canal capturing this special moment in our history,” said Janine Schoos, associate marketing director at North American Breweries.

The arrival date is tentative based on canal traffic and other logistical considerations. The tanks will be offloaded at 150 Lee Road in Gates and then transported to the brewery by truck. They'll travel down Lee Road to Lyell Avenue and then go from Lyell to St. Paul Street.

Two tanks per day will be trucked to the St. Paul Street campus. Travel will be conducted overnight to minimize traffic impact. The brewery said it is working with local authorities to secure permits.

The tanks started their journey over 6,000 miles ago in China, where they were manufactured. From China, they headed through the Panama Canal, ventured to New York harbor, and then traveled up the Hudson River to Albany.

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Genny said the decision to use purchase Chinese brewing tanks came down to quality and cost. "For the equipment, we needed the highest quality brewing equipment available for a cost that fit within budget," the brewery said in a release. "We talked with firms all over the world, and to do this project and significantly upgrade our systems, we needed to use equipment suppliers from both Europe and China."

The brewery statement continued: "Make no mistake, we would have loved to spend every single dollar of North American Breweries’ private investment of $40 million in the U.S. The largest portion of those dollars will be invested in vendors and partners in New York state and the U.S."

The tanks will be used for primary fermentation of Genesee Beer, Genesee Light, Genesee Cream Ale and other Genny favorites.

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Three 9,060-barrel tanks jacketed to resemble oversized cans of Genesee's three flagship beers were removed in November. That was the visible sign to the public of the brewery's transformational renovation plan. Twenty eight tanks were removed in all.

"It tells Rochester that we’re here to stay," Mark Minunni, the brewery manager at Genesee, said last year. "We’ve been up and down with our investments for the past 40 years. There has always been some doubt about whether or not we would still be here. We’re investing millions. It’s now visible."

With so many communities and bars and restaurants along the canal, Genny is encouraging onlookers to share photos of the tanks' journey on social media utilizing the hashtag #ToastTheTanks.

WCLEVELAND@Gannett.com

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