Over one year since a devastating fire ripped through their Lewiston brewery, Brickyard Brewing Company has persevered and endured through the darkest of times, picked up the pieces and put them back together. If not for countless brave first responders, the brewery might have been a total loss. But thanks to the efforts of those brave men and women, the brewery is on the cusp of reopening, which may have been completely unthinkable 365 days ago.

Having never forgotten the five local fire companies and first responders that battled that blaze on May 26, 2020, Brickyard Brewing are commemorating them and giving back the best way they know how – with beer. On June 11, Brickyard will release Nozzle Nut Ember Ale, a 5.5% malt-forward red ale. The beer will be released at the brewery on Friday (4pm), then at the Artisan Market on Saturday.

Proceeds from sales of the beer will be donated the Fallen Fighters Fund, as well as charities of the local fire companies choosing.

“Brewed in collaboration with the local fire companies, this is a thank you to first responders everywhere,” Head Brewer John Paul Meteer said. “It is a very special thank you to the men and women who poured themselves into saving so much of Brickyard and BBC on that fateful night last year.”

Meteer explains Nozzle Nut as a “bright red ale that’s malt forward enough to be complex, but light enough to be ridiculously drinkable. It’s unassuming and awesome, just like our favorite first responders. It’s an old school Irish-style red with all old school English hops.”

Last June, Brickyard owners Eric Matthews and Ken Bryan thanked all of those that helped to put out the blaze, as well as the Lewiston community and the staff that showed up to the fire to help lend their support.

“What started off as a bad dream late Tuesday night has quickly become our new reality. But with many tragic things, there is some sort of light. The love we have all felt is nothing short of amazing,” they said via Facebook. “Now that the dust has started to settle, and we plan our rebuild, we wanted to express our overwhelming gratitude to every fire department that showed up and worked tirelessly to save something that we and so many others hold dear to our hearts. Your hard work, sweat, determination and courage did not go unnoticed – and we will be forever grateful for every single firefighter, EMT, police officer and volunteer that was there on the scene.”

“As for our community, our friends, and our family we can’t thank you all enough for the love and support,” they continued. “Lastly, to our staff past and present that showed up within minutes of hearing about the fire: Thank you. You stayed by our side the entire night, and well into the morning as we watched what we built and love burn. We are beyond grateful no one was harmed that night. WE WILL BE BACK. BRICK BY BRICK.”

And, true to their word, they will be, sooner rather than later, a true testament to the strength of not only the brewery and its staff, but the entire Lewiston community.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/BrickyardBrewingCompany.

We were joined by Meteer on our latest WNY Brews podcast, where we discussed the fire, what damage it did to the building, what he was doing and how he found out the night of, their brewing plans moving forward, beer coming down the pipeline and  more. To listen, click here.

Brian Campbell is co-founder and Brand Manager of the 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 brian@buffalobeerleague.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).