Cayuga County brewery adds second location in Rochester area

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

Executive editor

Getting to Aurora Brewing Co. used to mean going out of your way.

The brewery's original Ledyard taproom, overlooking Cayuga Lake since 2015, is 30 minutes from Auburn and 30 minutes from Ithaca. Most of its customers travel at least that long for a pint or two.

Meanwhile, Aurora has been winning fans from afar by distributing and, for a time, directly shipping its hazy IPAs, heavily fruited sours and other styles ranging from the traditional to the experimental.

Last week, the Cayuga County brewery learned just how many fans it has won when it opened a second taproom somewhere people don't have to go out of their way to get to: the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin. Located along the Erie Canal and between the bustling suburbs of Perinton, Victor and Pittsford, the hamlet alone has more than five times as many people as the village of Aurora.

Aurora co-owner Mark Grimaldi told The Citizen that customers have been calling, messaging and even coming through the doors of the new location, previously Seven Story Brewing, for months.

"We can't believe how many fans we actually have that we didn't really know about. A lot of them didn't travel down to Aurora that much," he said. "People are hungry for our beer and that's awesome."

WHAT: Aurora Brewing Co.

WHERE: 604 Pittsford Victor Road, Bushnell's Basin; and 1897 Route 90, Ledyard

WHEN: Bushnell's Basin: Open 2 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 2 to 10 p.m. Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays; Ledyard: Open noon to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays

INFO: Visit brewaurora.com or facebook.com/aurorabrewco

Grimaldi said he and Aurora co-owner Joe Shelton had been looking to open a second location for years. After sharing that intention with Rochester beer writer Will Cleveland in a March interview, they learned about the opportunity to lease the former Seven Story. The remodeled farmhouse-style building and hamlet are "beautiful," Grimaldi continued, in addition to seeing robust foot and vehicle traffic.

The Bushnell's Basin location has 10 taps of Aurora beer, plus a Czech side-pull faucet that gives the brewery's lagers a foamier head. Grimaldi, Shelton and their team are not producing any beer there, but they will bring fresh kegs from Ledyard every week. They also plan beer releases exclusive to that location. Rounding out the beverage menu are wines, cocktails, ciders and nonalcoholic options.

Food is limited to snacks for now, but that menu will expand to small plates and, eventually, a kitchen if the space can fit one. Adding lunch and dinner six days a week to Aurora's Ledyard taproom has business "absolutely cranking" there, Grimaldi noted. Until then, he and Shelton will consider hosting food trucks in Bushnell's Basin, and customers are encouraged to have takeout delivered there.

The Aurora owners have even more ambitious plans for outside. If the necessary permits can be obtained, this spring they hope to open a large canalside area with fire pits, picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. Bands could play at a nearby dock, and a tap shack could serve customers beer without them having to walk back to the taproom. As Grimaldi knows all too well, such travel can be discouraging.

"We're really happy to be in this area," he said. "It's a nice addition to our business and the people have been overwhelmingly positive."

LEDYARD — Adding a kitchen to Aurora Brewing Co. accidentally set in motion a six-figure renovation project that made its owners reconsider st…

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

The new location of Aurora Brewing Co. in the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin.

Executive Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or [email protected].

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