While Farm to Pint primarily celebrates Western New York’s rich history of brewing, our region is also home to many vineyards, heritage hog farms, cheese makers, meaderies, cideries and distilleries, all of which will be celebrated during Farm to Pint week, which continues through May 20. The celebration casts the spotlight on the growing farm-to-table, and farm-to-glass, movement in the worlds of both food and drink.

The third annual Full Circle Fest at 42 North Brewing, which is sold out, takes place on Saturday, May 19 (2-6pm). The event features beer tastings from over a dozen local breweries, live music with the Tyler Wescott trio, and a pig roast with a pig raised on 42 North’s spent grains. Root’s Kitchen will provide sides and sauces for the roast.

“F2P celebrates Buffalo Niagara’s exciting new growth of hops and small grains farming which has given local brewing companies the ability to produce craft beer from local sources right here at home,” Willard Brooks, Chairman of the Buffalo Niagara Brewers Association Board of Directors, said. “The addition of so many independent, locally owned breweries is truly making Western New York a real tourist draw for craft beer and food enthusiasts alike.”

The fifth annual Farm to Pint, the annual celebration of beer created exclusively from local ingredients, returns for a fifth year on May 20 at Hamburg Brewing Company, 12-5pm. Limited edition and one-off brews will be available from 12 Gates, 42 North, Big Ditch Brewing, Community Beer Works, Ellicottville Brewing Company, Five & 20 Brewing & Distilling, Flying Bison, Four Mile, Gordon Biersch, Hamburg, New York Beer Project, Old First Ward, Pearl Street Brewery, Resurgence Brewing, Rusty Nickel, Southern Tier Brewing, Woodcock Brothers and Windy Brew. The event is ticketed this year ($30 presale, $40 day of, $10 Designated Driver), which include a 10oz. Belgian Tulip F2P tasting glass, samplings of all beers available, an order of pretzel bites and live music by Max Muscato. Full pints and growlers fills will be available after 5pm. Presale tickets can be purchased at Hamburgbrewing.com.

Farm to Pint tentative tap list:

Thin Man Brewery – Aura
Resurgence Brewing Company – Black Currant Kettle Sour
Community Beer Works – Frank
42 North Brewing Company – Buckwheat Brown Ale
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant – NYS IPA
Big Ditch Brewing Company – Orange Blossom Honey Ale
Rusty Nickel Brewing Co. – Pickle Pail Palletizer Pae Ale
Gene McCarthy’s/Old First Ward Brewing Co. – Therapy Session Pale Ale
Buffalo Brewing Company – 2008 Rye Maple Bitter
BlackBird Cider Works – Estate Reserve – Semi Dry Hard Cider
WINDY BREW – FolsomPale
Five & 20 Spirits & Brewing – Grape Lakes
Sato Brewpub – Farm 2 Bento
Four Mile Brewing – Maple Brown Ale
West Shore Brewing Company – Rust Belt Copper Haze IPA
Southern Tier Brewing Company – Concord Grape Gose
Woodcock Brothers Brewery – North 425 Pilsner
Pressure Drop Brewing – Mother Rucker
New York Beer Project – Hop Technique: Code I
Ellicottville Brewing Company – Cashmaster
Ellicottville Brewing Company – Whiney Wheat
Flying Bison Brewing Company – Best Bitter
Hamburg Brewing Company – Ground and Glazed

Also as part of Farm to Pint Week, Lilly Belle Meads will have their Honey and Hops Mead on tap all week long at Pizza Plant.

“It’s important to use locally grown ingredients because it supports those around us who do grow local ingredients and to let the consumer know ‘Hey, this stuff was grown down the road,’” Russo says. “It’s for the same reason people purchase food at farmers markets, fresh locally grown product. It’s also not just about hops and barley. This region is great for extracting maple sap from trees and making the commonly known maple syrup! We want to promote Farm to Pint because it draws attention to a topic that is sometimes overlooked when it comes to beer. Most people do not realize that you can make beer from ingredients grown in your own backyard. The idea of farm to pint is more than just beer. It’s a fun way to interact with those who make up the different steps it takes to get the liquid in your glass.”

The growth in the craft beer industry is supported by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s farm brewery bill, which calls for designated “farm breweries” to use, until the end of 2018, at least 20 percent NYS hops and 20 percent of all other ingredients in their beer, a number which rises to 60 percent from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2023 and 90 percent from January 1, 2024. Both Hamburg Brewery and Old First Ward Brewing are now designated as “farm breweries.”

For more information, please visit BuffaloNiagaraBrewersAssociation.Org/F2P.

Brian Campbell is a co-founder/Brand Manager of the BNBA’s enthusiast arm, Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at buffalobeerleague@aol.com, on Twitter at @buffbeerleague, on Instagram at @buffalobeerleague and on Facebook at @thebuffalobeerleague.