The Pure Brew Week event will return July 24 through August 2 with a collaborative pilsner brewed in Geneva to support Seneca Lake water-quality programs and highlight farms and breweries across the watershed.
The annual event, organized by the Seneca Lake Order of Brewers and Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, will offer PURE Pils at participating breweries, restaurants, wineries, distilleries and retailers around the region.
This year's beer was brewed at Big aLICe Brewing in Geneva using agricultural ingredients sourced from the Seneca Lake watershed. Poormon Farms in Seneca Falls supplied barley that was malted by Murmuration Malts in Bloomfield, while Pedersen Farms and Cornell AgriTech in Geneva supplied hops.
Some of the hops came from Cornell's breeding program, which is developing varieties with greater resistance to disease and pests and a reduced need for chemical inputs, according to the release.
Derek Edinger, president of the Seneca Lake Order of Brewers, said the lake is a shared resource and the largest ingredient in the group's beers. He said the partnership with Pure Waters connects local brewing with efforts to protect the lake.
Big aLICe owner and co-founder Kyle Hurst said producing the pilsner with New York-grown ingredients reflects the farm brewery's focus on local agriculture. He said the project links local beer, farms, water and the communities that depend on them.
Participating businesses include Ports Cafe, Solera Taphouse, Bravery Winery, Finger Lakes Distilling, ONCE, Scout Vineyards, Fox Run Vineyards, Geneva Country Club and Geneva On The Lake, along with breweries across the watershed. The beer will also be available at Wegmans stores in Pittsford, Geneva, Newark, Penfield and Canandaigua and online through DrinkNYCraft.com.
Pure Waters Community Engagement Coordinator Kelly Blackhurst said purchases help support the association's education, restoration, monitoring and community-engagement work focused on Seneca Lake.
Other project partners include TLF Graphics, which provided can labels; RahrBSG, which provided yeast; and Lindenmeyr Munroe, which provided discounted cans.
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