The $40 million upgrade of the Genesee Brewery in Rochester is about to make for an unusual shipment over the Erie Canal.
A dozen huge fermentation tanks will be shipped from 
Albany to Rochester via the Erie Canal, which rarely sees commercial shipping traffic these days. North American Breweries says the tanks are 20 x 60 feet and were originally built in China. From there, they’ve come some 6,000 miles by ship across the Pacific, through the Panama Canal and up the Atlantic Coast. From New York City they went by barge up the Hudson River to Albany, where they’ll take the Erie across Upstate to Rochester.
Associate Marketing Director Janine Schoos says they’ll set off about May 12th and will take six days to make the 225 mile trip. The exact arrival time depends on weather and opposing boat traffic.