Local brewers celebrate, despite challenging times

Brewers from around the state are gathering at the Rochester Public Market on Friday night for the Flour City Brewers Fest, an annual celebration of craft beers. But the festivities are taking place against a backdrop of increasingly tough times for the industry. Hundreds of craft breweries across the country closed over the past year, and many others are struggling. How are surviving brewers adjusting to the new reality of rising costs and shrinking demand? Guest host Julie Philipp talks about that with our panelists and finds out what they think the future holds. In studio: Paul Leone, executive director of the New York State Brewers Association Jeff Ching, managing partner at Strangebird Brewing  Andy Cook, owner and head brewer at Swiftwater Brewing  ---Connections is supported by listeners like you. Head to our donation page to become a WXXI member today, support the show, and help us close the gap created by the rescission of federal funding.---Connections airs every weekday from noon-2 p.m. Join the conversation with questions or comments by phone at 1-844-295-TALK (8255) or 585-263-9994, email, Facebook or Twitter. Connections is also livestreamed on the WXXI News YouTube channel each day. You can watch live or access previous episodes here.---Do you have a story that needs to be shared? Pitch your story to Connections.