# Tell me about Genesee beer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [November 6, 2011, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044 "2011-11-06T08:21:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/1 "2011-11-06T08:21:06Z")
The grocery store I work at just started carrying 12-pack samplers of Genesee for $8.78, which is a pretty dang low price for that much beer. I’ve never heard of this brand before - a web search tells me they’re based out of New York, and I don’t believe i’ve seen that brand in any stores around WA before (or not noticed it, anyway). It seems like a pretty good price, but it also seems too good - experience has taught me to be wary of any beer that’s TOO inexpensive, and my taste in beer tends more towards IPA and microbrew ales rather than standard lagers (I DETEST Budweiser/Coors/Miller-type stuff, and about the closest I come to macrobrew is Henry Weinhard’s). I’m wondering if anyone who’s tried the stuff before can attest to whether it’s a good drink or not. The case in question includes three varieties - “Genesee Beer”, “Cream Ale”, and “12 Horse Ale”. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/2 "2011-11-06T10:41:19Z")
The reviews of the beers on [Beer Advocate](http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/302) (granted, a fairly snobby source when it comes to beer) are not positive. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/3 "2011-11-06T10:43:05Z")
The beer is nothing special, but if they’re selling the Cream Ale at that price, stock up. You won’t regret it much. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/4 "2011-11-06T13:38:50Z")
In Upstate New York it’s considered an ordinary run of the mill beer, “a good pissing beer” as one of my friends called it. Buy for price but don’t expect anything great tasting. ---
**Author:** ![humanafterall](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/humanafterall/32/19654_2.png) [@humanafterall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/humanafterall)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/5 "2011-11-06T13:47:16Z")
My dad loved drinking that stuff when he lived in Upstate New York after he got out of the Navy. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/6 "2011-11-06T13:53:02Z")
I grew up on Genny in the late 80s/early 90s. I had the opportunity to have a Genny Ale at a Boston beer bar recently. It was still awful. For reference I am a flowery east coast IPA person. Not uber bitter, but pretty bitter nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/7 "2011-11-06T14:21:08Z")
It was considered only a step up from Utica Club, which was the standard for the worst beer around. ---
**Author:** ![LaurenIpsum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@LaurenIpsum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LaurenIpsum)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/8 "2011-11-06T14:29:41Z")
I live in Buffalo (as do my parents) and Genesee Cream Ale has been my dad’s favorite for decades. Although he does admit that it’s an “old man’s beer.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/9 "2011-11-06T14:31:44Z")
I live in PA, and just find it odd that you never heard of Genesee. They don;t play the commercials for Genny Lite? ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/10 "2011-11-06T14:49:15Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > I live in PA, and just find it odd that you never heard of Genesee. They don;t play the commercials for Genny Lite? Washington is pretty far from Pennsylvania… Getting back to the OP, I’ve had it before (granted, this was almost 30 years ago), and it wasn’t as good as my friends from PA (I was in the service) made it out to be. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/11 "2011-11-06T15:14:50Z")
I don’t know of any restaurants in Rochester that serve Genny. You’d think they’d serve it out of local pride, but they really can’t. It’s too low-end. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/12 "2011-11-06T15:23:03Z")
When I first moved from the West to NYC I treid some. It’s simply the local cheapo stuff for NY. Just like pearl is the local cheapo in TX & Brew 102 is/was the local cheapo in LA. As with the revival of PBR, or the mid 60s mania for Coors back east, the point is giving hipsters a chance to find something new to go viral about. Maybe Genesee wil click with the WA coastal locals;probably not. But the brewery has almost nothing to lose by trying. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/13 "2011-11-06T15:25:45Z")
For a student at SUNY Oneonta in the late 70’s, Genny Cream Ale (is it still in the green cans?) was a fine addition to any party. Take that as written. Slight hijack - Whatever happen to Molsen Golden Ale? That was pretty big in the late 70s-early 80s, but I don’t think I’ve seen it since then. Even on a couple of trips to Ottawa, no one seems to remember it. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/14 "2011-11-06T15:26:39Z")
Cream Ale is at the least way better than the standard BMC and PBR macros, making it a good choice for a party, although it’s nothing special. Sometimes it’s the cheapest stuff in the store, which is even better. Their Bock is a spring seasonal that is actually decent. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/15 "2011-11-06T15:56:52Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It was considered only a step up from Utica Club, which was the standard for the worst beer around. Utica Club had good ads, though: \*Landlord: You must pay the rent! Beautiful tenant: I can’t pay the rent! Landlord: You must pay the rent! Tenant: I can’t pay the rent! Landlord: You must pay the rent! Tenant: I can’t pay the rent! Have a Utica Club. [Pause] Landlord: You don’t have to pay the rent.\* Did he forgo the rent because he liked Utica Club, or did he do it to get out of having to drink Utica Club? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/16 "2011-11-06T16:24:55Z")
Moved from General Questions to IMHO. **samclem** , MOderator ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/17 "2011-11-06T16:49:21Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I don’t know of any restaurants in Rochester that serve Genny. You’d think they’d serve it out of local pride, but they really can’t. It’s too low-end. Really? A lot of places serve it. Look, I even found a menu for one online: [http://www.owlhouserochester.com/pdf/beverage.php](http://www.owlhouserochester.com/pdf/beverage.php) ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/18 "2011-11-06T17:04:54Z")
> [@cckerberos](#): > > The reviews of the beers on [Beer Advocate](http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/302) (granted, a fairly snobby source when it comes to beer) are not positive. “B” on Beer Advocate is a pretty respectable grade, especially you like the style. Lots of my favorite beers are in that range. “C” can often translate to “unremarkable but inoffensive”. “A” seems to be reserved for “best in the world”. So I would interpret that as Beer Advocate says Genesee makes some bad beer and some good beer, though it’s nothing exceptional. ETA: For what it’s worth, Honey Brown was my preferred cheapass beer in college (which is Dundee but I see that they were bought out by Genesee). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/19 "2011-11-06T17:17:08Z")
Genesee is a cheap local beer. There’s nothing special about it other than regional affection. In addition to their regular beer, they make Genesee Cream Ale, which is an uncommon style of beer. I personally don’t like it but it does have its fans. Genesee is no longer a true “local” beer. The brand and its brewery were bought by the same corporation that makes Labatts. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044/20 "2011-11-06T17:20:14Z")
I spent a month in upstate NY when I was younger and Genesee was Ok. Since you are from Washington, **Smapti** , think of Genesee as the Olympia beer of the NE. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-genesee-beer/602044.md?page=2)