High Falls Operating Co LLC history

The son and grandson of brewers, Wehle had studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology before graduating from the National Brewers Academy in New York in 1911 and taking a job with Genesee.

Private Company Incorporated: 1932 as Genesee Brewing Co.

In September 1933 the new firm sold 50,000 shares of nonvoting stock in a public offering, and by the next year the Genesee Brewing Company was once again producing beers like the new 12 Horse Ale.

In December the company reintroduced 12 Horse Ale, which had originally been brewed in 1934.

In November of 1964 Louis Wehle died at the age of 75, and his controlling stake in the firm passed to his family.

In 1969 the company nearly finalized a merger with manufacturer Houdaille Industries, but the $31 million deal fell through.

John Wehle had continued to lead the firm as chairman and CEO, and after several turnovers in the president's job, in March of 1982 his 35-year-old son John Wehle, Jr., was appointed to the post.

In February 1985 the company reached an agreement to acquire the struggling Fred Koch Brewery of Dunkirk, New York from its owner, Vaux Breweries PLC of England.

In late 1987 Genesee created a new holding company called Genesee Corp. that would oversee all of its operations, and also bought Ontario Foods of Albion, New York, a processor and packer of dry food products like drink mixes.

In 1990 Genesee switched ad agencies as it sought to rebuild its sagging brands.

In November of 1993 John Wehle, Sr., died at age 76.

For the fiscal year ended in early 1996, Genesee reported that its Dundee's and O'Shea's beers accounted for 18 percent of total sales, double the amount of a year earlier.

In the spring of 1997 the firm introduced a light version of the successful JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager along with Genny Summer Brew, which was only available in the warmer months.

Even its most recent success, JW Dundee's, had slipped after peaking at 400,000 barrels in 1998.

After the sale was completed in December of 2000, the company's name was changed to High Falls Brewing Co., reflecting management's desire to emphasize its specialty brews.

Efforts during 2003 to recapitalize in conjunction with a third party failed, and the company found itself unable to pay another $3 million payment at year's end.

In the late summer of 2004 the firm added two "craft" brews, JW Dundee's American Amber Lager and American Pale Ale.