Genesee beer tanks begin Erie Canal journey
WATERFORD -- Three 60-foot-tall Genesee beer tanks began their 225-mile journey on the Erie Canal on Friday, helping to mark the opening of the historic canal's bicentennial celebration.
The massive fermentation tanks, part of a $49 million expansion at the Genesee Brewery in Rochester, entered Lock E2 in the Saratoga County town of Waterford around noon as a few dozen schoolchildren and camera-wielding onlookers watched.
The Erie Canal opened for the season Friday and will mark the 200th anniversary of the start of its construction throughout the summer.
The 2,000-barrel tanks -- which will be followed by nine other tanks in the coming days -- will travel the canal by barge for the next six to seven days at speeds of six to eight miles per hour before being offloaded in Gates, where they will be put on trucks and taken to the brewery.
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The 200-foot barge will remain docked in Waterford until Monday as it awaits the other tanks, which have been docked in the Albany area.
Then, all 12 will slowly head west toward their final destination, tentatively reaching the Syracuse area on May 27 and the Rochester area on May 29 or 30, according to Genesee.
“This is a moment worth celebrating for Genesee Brewing Company and for our fans," Janine Schoos, associate marketing director for Genesee.
The trip has been something of a marketing boon for the Rochester-based brewer, with the tanks' trip generating interest on social media since it was first announced earlier this month.
The schedule was delayed by a week while canal officials waited for water levels to recede, allowing the large barges to enter the waterway.
The tanks were manufactured in China and made their way through the Panama Canal before working their way up to New York.
Onlookers snapped photos from bridges as the barge slowly made its way into the Erie Canal on Friday as a camera-loaded drone -- flown by a company hired by Genesee -- buzzed overhead, capturing footage as the water in the lock slowly rose.
Workers broke ground on the canal, which is now primarily used for recreational boating, on July 4, 1817, less than three months after the state Legislature approved its construction.
The state Canal Corp. will host a series of bicentennial commemorations along the canal this year, including a forum and series of events at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester on July 14 and 15.
The Corning Museum of Glass, meanwhile, will launch a performance vessel known as "GlassBarge" on June 2 in Fairport, featuring glass-making demonstrations and historical presentations.
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul officially opened the canal's season Friday, leading an elementary school class in a countdown before ordering the lock gates opened.
"Lockmaster, please open the gates to Lock No. 2," Hochul said as kids cheered and awaiting boaters blew their horns.
Tentative schedule
Genesee estimates it will take six to seven days to complete the 225-mile trip. According to Genesee, here's the planned schedule for the barges, which is subject to change:
- May 19: First barge enters Erie Canal at Waterford; Will remain in canal there until May 23 as it awaits other barges.
- May 23, 24: Barges travel through Schenectady County to Montgomery County
- May 25, 26: The trip continues on through the Utica area.
- May 27: Leaving New London, the barges continue to Baldwinsville near Syracuse.
- May 28: From there, they continue west to Lyons.
- May 29 or 30: Lyons to Newark to Palmyra to Macedon to Pittsford to Henrietta before offloading and arriving at 150 Lee Road in Rochester.