Kodak, Jell-O and Craft Beer in Rochester, NY

I’m a camera geek. I even once had a yellow lab that I named Kodak. So when passing through Rochester New York on the way to Toronto, the Eastman house was on the list of must stop places. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the craft beer spirit is also alive and well in Rochester. Here’s my picks of stops:

George Eastman House

This amazing home is filled with interesting history and artifacts from the startup and glory days of Kodak. From the original “brownie” camera, to the ledger of Eastman and the very first digital camera made by Kodak there’s a lot to take in here and it’s easily worth a few hours of anyones visit to the Rochester area. www.eastmanhouse.org

Half-Pint Pub

A short walk from the Eastman house, this cute Irish-themed bar and pub is both unique and dog friendly. The tiny size of the place is what caught our attention and the scaled down theme continues inside with their unique serving method of half-pint glasses, allowing you to sample the full range of its drink options. That’s perfect as the craft beer list is excellent and the sidewalk seating is a nice touch, so some sampling is probably in order. They even welcomed Thor. You can find them on the corner of Oxford Street and Park Avenue, or online at www.thehalfpintpub.com.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.
Started in 1983 as a mobile concession for bikers, this restaurant has maintained its original atmosphere and reputation for great service. Things are slightly different these days, though. The Dinosaur Bar-B-Que has a full bar, full dining service and a reputation for hosting some great live music. Its food has won awards in acclaimed magazines and been featured on various popular television programs. Perhaps the best, most unusual thing about the Dinosaur Barb-B-Que is its diverse customer-base. Whether you are sampling the craft beer and food with your family or your biker friends, you will always feel at home here. The craft beer options are plentiful and reasonably priced. And really, what better pairing is there than a rack of ribs and a delicious IPA… www.dinosaurbarbque.com.

Macgregor’s Grill and Tap Room
If high quality craft beer is your number one priority you can’t go wrong with Macgregor’s Grill and Tap Room. They have six locations, including FOUR in Rochester. On average they have a mind-boggling 75 beers available at any one time, making it easy to broaden your beer horizons. The list is as diverse as it is long. I was impressed to see cellared verticals (Anchor Christmas from 2 different years) alongside the obligatory dozen IPAs. They also offer a beer club that works more like a frequent flier program than the traditional “mug club”. Check out their beer list and the details of joining the Beer Club over at their website: macgregorsgrillandtaproom.net.

Finally, not in Rochester but in nearby Le Roy, NY we stopped at the

Jell-o Museum

Yes, there’s a Jell-o Museum. Le Roy New York was where Jello was created and was the home of the Jello factory until 1964. The museum is a small building with a lot of the history of the marketing and development of flavors of the famous jiggly dessert. They even sell Jello in more flavors than I have ever seen at a grocery store. The one disappointment, no samples…
jellogallery.org

There are a lot of craft beer choices in the Rochester New York area. We think these are some of the best… Of course, if you find somewhere you think is even better let us know!