Nearly 60 years after its 70-year-long reign as Syracuse’s most popular brew, Congress Beer is back on tap.

The Onondaga Historical Association recently partnered with local craft brewery Willow Rock Brewing Co. to relaunch the historic brew, which swept central New York from the 1890s through the 1960s. It will be available at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown’s restaurants, Eleven Waters and Shaughnessy’s Irish Pub, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. this evening.

The brew draws on the city’s history, but was lost when the original brewing company, Haberle Congress Brewing, shut down in 1962, said Gregg Tripoli, executive director of the OHA. The organization acquired the trademark license for the beer, but it will come back with a few twists.

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“Congress Beer will now bear a new logo. It will be a Syracuse craft lager, light and crisp — at abv 4.8 percent — traditional and whole in flavor, but not too bitter,” said Rockney Roberts, co-founder and brewer at Willow Rock.

Roberts said he and his business partner, Kevin Williams, grew up with a shared passion for craft beers. They explored the beerscapes of Syracuse before establishing Willow Rock in 2015.

After months of trial and error, the pair decided on a beer that would fit with the goal of creating a “Congress” that represents its legacy and satisfies the tastes of today’s beer drinker.

“This whole relaunch has been a great collaboration between OHA and Willow Rock,” said Robert Searing, curator of history at OHA and close friend of Roberts and Williams. “I came on board last year, but Gregg has worked on this for a good number of years now.”

Tripoli said the relaunch of Congress Beer has helped support local agricultural industries, in addition to helping an entrepreneurial company like Willow Rock to expand its business and enter new markets.

The OHA is hoping to use the proceeds from the sales of the beer to further operations in similar projects that are intrinsic to the city of Syracuse, Tripoli said. They will continue to use their position as a historical association to make history more accessible to the city.

The executive director said the brew “was the beer that your granddad or your dad drank.”

After the unveiling tonight, Willow Rock will host a release party at the brewery on Saturday, Aug. 18, where the brew, which is competitively priced, will be available along with merchandise including T-shirts, stickers and coasters.

The beer will be available at Marriott Syracuse and its restaurants after tonight, as well as at the upcoming Great New York State Fair.

The new logo says: “Congress is in session again.”

Published on August 15, 2018 at 11:20 am

Contact L.A.M.: lymichae@syr.edu