Genesee Introduces Its Cream Ale

In 1960, the Genesee Brewing Company introduced Genesee Cream Ale in Rochester, New York. Brewmaster Clarence Geminn developed the beer as a replacement for the brewery’s poorly selling 12 Horse Ale. Although Genesee had produced an earlier Light Cream Ale during the 1940s, the present Genesee Cream Ale originated with Geminn’s 1960 recipe. Cream ale had developed in the United States during the nineteenth century as an ale-brewed response to the growing popularity of pale lagers. Genesee’s version combined the crisp, easy-drinking character associated with lager with ale fermentation and became one of the style’s best-known surviving examples. Its popularity grew substantially during the following two decades, with sales eventually exceeding one million barrels.