GENEVA, NEW YORK
The 14th Ontario County brewery to open since the Craft Beer Revolution started ’round 1998, WeBe BREWING COMPANY initially tapped its draughts on March 31, 2018, in the Seneca Lake town of Geneva. Entrepreneurial brewing enthusiasts, Colleen and Daniel Lieberg, have crafted a wide array of stylistically balanced suds in small batches for WeBe.
At an off-white concrete and brick warehouse with two overhead doors, large grassy backyard and windowed brew tanks, WeBe decorates its wood-metal tabled interior with a cool paint-chipped epoxy floor and Edison lights hanging from the rustic ceiling. There are three TV’s at front, back and center.
I grab a spot at the 20-seat, lacquered bark-topped bar to draw some liquids from the dozen draught handles (skipping all three fine ciders) while my wife chomps on spinach artichoke pizza during my December ’23 Finger Lakes adventure.
First up, a German-styled light pilsner. Fizzy lemon sugaring reached honeyed pilsner malts for Bills’ner, leaving herbal whims in the distance.
Vanilla-creamed banana sweetness and light clove spicing welcomed The Golden Peel Hefeweizen, lathering its honeyed wheat base.
Orange-peeled coriander spicing and banana chip sweetness coddled witbier, At My Wit’s End, posting dry rum sentiments at the durable citric-plantain finish.
‘Silky smooth’ S.O.S. Scotch Ale gathered dewy peat moss for milked coffee, dark cocoa and caramelized toffee riffs.
Tart mango juicing joined stylish sea-salted coriander spicing for Man-Gogh, a variant gose with wavered guava-gooseberry souring.
Tropical NEIPA, Yard Games, plied navel orange, lemon verbena and tangerine marmalade to buttery saffron spicing and lightly salted oated wheat.
Juicy double dry-hopped NEIPA, Serenity Now! merged tangy pineapple sweetness and melon-cantaloupe snips with lemon-limed gooseberry souring, gaining dry wood tones to contrast mild oated wheat creaming.
Sour double dry-hopped NEIPA, Sour Squeeze Play, conditioned with blood orange and tangerine puree, received moderate lemon salted acidity contrasted by its delicate oats-flaked creaming.
Decadent lactic milk stout, Grammy’s Candies, draped caramelized brown chocolate syrup atop oats-flaked sugaring. Lovely Buche de Noel, chocolate chip cookie, creme brulee, Graham Cracker and cappuccino illusions add to the luscious sweet-toothed glory.
