Sipping Beer in the Finger Lakes Region: There's More in Rochester, New York Than Just Wine

Rochester New York's "Finger Lakes" region is quite popular for its wine. In fact, wine tasting in the Finger Lakes is -- I have learned - an age-old, mega-popular activity for anyone who knows wine or wants to act like they do: and in the Finger Lakes region it's one that sees hundreds of local residents hop from one winery to the next, sampling the local Bordeaux and probably getting more and more tipsy in the process.

But the Finger Lakes region is also about BEER and the micro-breweries that produce it. Beer doesn't have to be wine's bastard cousin. The Finger Lakes region boasts several micro-breweries and they are worth visiting. I know -- because I've checked them out during my stay!

A few words for un-initiated: we all know that breweries make beer. Goodbeer.com explains that a microbrewery is a relatively small brewery which produces up to 15,000 U.S. barrels, or 465,000 gallons, per year. If there is a restaurant component the operation would be called a brewpub, not a microbrewery. Regional breweries are larger in size and produce from 15,001 to 1,000,000 barrels.

Just so you know, Ales and lagers - the product of the typical micro brewery differ ONLY by the yeast strain (or family) used to ferment the beer. Both ales and lagers can be pale or black. Furthermore, either can be light or strong, hoppy or not, flat or highly-carbonated, warm or ice-cold. Goodbeer.com explains that ale brewers employ Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and the beer ferments quickly (in about a week), while lager brewers use Saccharomyces uvarum yeast. Lagers take longer to ferment (about four weeks) and require cooler temperatures to do so. Trust me - this will be important information to know when you are stumbling around trying to act like you know what you're talking about. And if you can pronounce either "Saccharomyces cerevisiae" or "Saccharomyces uvarum" after five or six lagers, than you are a better man than me.