Good Question: No Genny in a bottle?

ROCHESTER N.Y. (WHEC) – A viewer had a Good Question about beer and not just any beer — what Rochester is most known for! Genny.

Frank sent News10NBC’s Brennan Somers this email:

“I buy Genesee Light beer at Wegmans on Hudson Avenue in Irondequoit. For the past several months the Genesee Light beer has rarely been available in bottles; only in cans. I asked Wegmans what was going on and they said that the Genesee Brewery has told them that they are phasing out bottles! I know that I am not the only one who prefers beer from a bottle and wondering if you can look into this for us?”

Somers did just that. So, is this the end of Genny in a bottle? Kind of.

A spokesperson told Somers "We have discontinued our 12-packs of Genesee bottles but still have 24-packs of bottles available. This decision reflects strong consumer preference for cans."

That’s not to say that, even today, you can’t find a 12 pack of bottles around town. We did. Those are just few and far between.
While Genesee says this swap from bottles to all cans in 12 packs is based on demand keep this in mind as well—this is still a business.

Companies always have to watch their margins.

For example, glass bottles are heavier — adding to shipping costs. They also take more energy to recycle.
Aluminum is lighter. Cans have grown in popularity but the downside is some new metal is always needed for new cans and you get that from mining.

Cans just take more effort to make from the beginning. There are pros and cons to both.

The most important thing, regardless of how you like your beer, make sure it ends up in the recycling bin.

In Monroe County, we put out about 40,000 tons of curbside recyclable material every year. If you’ve ever wondered how that all gets sorted and reused then check out this story.