PHOTO BY GINO FANELLI
Greg Searles, co-owner of Birdhouse Brewing in Honeoye, pours a pint of ale.
As much as St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday, it is also very much a beer holiday, one in which sales of suds increase by 174 percent on average, according to a WalletHub report.
The American St. Patrick’s Day celebrates the culture of pub drinking, the all-day sipping sessions of the Emerald Isle’s low-alcohol, malty brews and the camaraderie that comes with it.
But for the second year in a row, COVID-19 has put a damper on traditional revelry.
“It really is sad,” said John Urlaub, owner of Rohrbach Brewing Company. “Not just as a brewery owner, but it’s part of who we are as Americans. I think social interaction is a key thing.”