A Brewery Built a 30-Foot Christmas Tree from More Than 500 Kegs
Genesee Brewery in Rochester is the oldest brewery in New York, and it’s also (unofficially) the brewery with the greatest amount of cheer. For the fifth year now, Genesee has created a Christmas tree out of empty beer kegs. This year is the biggest yet, with 12 layers of kegs building up to a tree that is more than 27 feet tall and made up of more than 530 kegs.
The tradition started when the brewery was thinking of ways to bring a bit more cheer to the community. Rochester is one of the snowiest cities in the U.S., and in a year averages only about 60 clear sunny days. So, a little extra excitement can be a welcome thing (editor’s note: I am from Rochester, don’t you dare speak ill of her).
“Everyone from 22-year-olds to 75-year-olds comes to me saying this is what brings their family together for the holidays, they all come to the Genesee Brewery, and as much as it is lighting up the tree, it’s a moment for them to celebrate the holidays together,” says Janine Schoos, associate brand director for Genesee.
The brewery also makes a larger outreach effort. In years past, they have done a food drive or clothing drive, but this year they are spreading more cheer by teaming up with a local company who makes wreaths. For every wreath someone buys, one will go out to a family in need.
When it comes to building the actual tree, Genesee turns to Mike Gaesser, who spends the rest of the year as director of packaging innovation. “I guess we consider this a packaging innovation,” he jokes about the tree. Gaesser picks a team from across the different departments of the brewery for the project. “We wanted it to be a cross-functional team so that it brought the whole brewery together. It's been great.”
To start, the brewery uses a 16 x 16–foot platform with adjustable legs that sits flat on the parking lot. Then they start stacking the empty kegs. Each layer has a precut wooden platform that fits the exact number of kegs they need. “We build it like a cake,” says Gaesser. When a layer is complete, they wrap a 1/8-inch steel cable around the outside of it and tension the kegs together. As the layers rise, the team clips in to harnesses and lowers kegs onto the stack from a construction forklift.
When they reach the 12th layer, a single keg topping it all off, they run 25 cables down from the top to anchor the stand to the ground, and it’s not going anywhere. “It’s like a tank,” Gaesser says. The team then runs green LEDs around each layer to make the kegs (and inevitable snow) glow. Then they run strings of LEDs down the vertical support cables. More than 20,000 LEDs make the tree glow. What’s more, the brewery has programmed the lights so that they flash along with holiday tunes. “We add a song every year,” says Gaeseser. “It’s not quite Christmas music, but the Brew House staff voted and this year we are adding ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen.”
Every year, once the tree is completed, Genesee throws a tree-lighting ceremony where they invite the community to come out and count down as the lights are flicked on for the first time. This year, more than 6,000 people showed up.
The tree will be up until late January. So if you are near Rochester, swing by the Genesee Brew House to see their tower, and even try this year’s Keg Tree Ale: a Cinnamon Cream Ale.
('You Might Also Like',)
