When Rochester’s newest craft brewery opened in the Lower Monroe neighborhood a little more than a year ago, it came on the tail end of an uncertain period in an industry that had been shook by unprecedented pandemic restrictions and the changing tastes of consumers as a whole. Despite these challenges, Nine Spot Brewing (190 Monroe Ave., Rochester) has carved a comfortable niche out for itself. Led by Chris and Marina Nothnagle, along with award-winning brewer Mike Beebe, the brewery has been enjoying modest growth while continuing to push the envelope with regard to craft beer focused on New York State ingredients. Most recent accolades include a Gold Medal at the 2023 New York State Craft Beer Competition for their “Pearl to Pine” Weizenbock collaboration with Wood Kettle Brewing, and a gold medal in the historical beer category at the U.S. Open Beer Championship for its Roy Lichtenhainer, a sour smoked German-style wheat beer.

Sometimes the best opportunities come along when you least expect them. Located in the old Militia Armory on South Clinton Avenue since 1985, Geva Theatre is a regional non-profit professional theatre company. Home to two stages hosting a full season of productions, Geva has cemented its reputation as an important cultural touchstone of our community. A complete renovation of their café and bar area took place in 2021, with the idea the theatre would partner with outside vendors for food service. At the end of 2022, Geva previous partnership ended, and Chris Nothnagle, an admitted “theatre nerd,” saw an opportunity to expand the Nine Spot brand. When the theatre reopens for its next main stage production, Nine Spot will operate the cafe, and dedicated taps for Nine Spot beers will be available in the bar (which will continue to be operated by Geva).

Having a dedicated secondary outlet for Nine Spot beer at Geva Theatre opens up so many opportunities for cross-promotion between the theatre and the brewery. The distance from Nine Spot on Monroe Ave. to Geva Theatre on South Clinton is only 1,100 ft., or about a seven minute walk. “This is a great way for us to introduce craft beer to a crowd that might not ordinarily be exposed to it, and likewise introduce the theatre to our customers,” said Chris Nothnagle. Collaboration with the theatre is nothing new, as Nine Spot has previously brewed their 8 Humbugs Winter Warmer to coincide with the showing of “A Christmas Carol.” Continuing in that vein, the new Break-a-Lager will be brewed exclusively for and available only at the Geva café, which will be rebranded “Nine Spot @ Geva.”

“Not only is this a way for us to expand our brand, but also a way to connect our two neighborhoods together while supporting our community.” explained Marina. Also expanding will be the food menu, thanks to the larger kitchen attached to the café. “We’ll be able to add new things to the menu at the café that we can’t do at the brewery, like flatbreads and pretzels, but the extra space will allow us to increase production of other existing menu items.” The extra capacity allows Nine Spot to take on catering and other opportunities as well.

While Chris and Marina will be splitting their time between the two locations, they can’t do it alone. “We’ve added three new positions to help us get the new kitchen up and running,” Marina said. Nine Spot @ Geva is set to open the first week of March with the theatre season. The café will be open two hours before show time, as well as at Intermission. “You don’t need a ticket to visit the café,” explained Chris, “and you can also order your food to be ready to eat during the Intermission.” Both beer and food are ordered from the same cashier for ease and simplicity.

As we head into a new year, it will be interesting to see what the future holds as established craft breweries contemplate their expansion plans. While we’ve seen breweries from New York City establish outposts in the Finger Lakes (Other Half in Farmington and Big aLICe in Geneva), Rochester breweries open tap rooms in Buffalo (Mortalis, Frequentem; and K2 Brothers’ partnership with Hatchet & Hops), Nine Spot Brewing is the first to expand within the confines of the city. Perhaps it is this kind of thinking that will set an example for others as our maturing craft beer industry takes its next steps in development.

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