Fourth Annual HillTAP Festival at Holiday Valley
42 North Brewing presents the fourth annual HillTAP Festival at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville on July 27. The event begins with a chair lift ride to Spruce Lake, and the festival will feature music, craft beer from 42 North and a full array of outdoor activities. There will be live music all day from Smilo & the Ghost (1-4 pm, Spruce Lake Cabin Stage), Miller & The Other Sinners (4- 5:30 pm, Tannenbaum Stage), and Workingmans’ Dead (6 – 8:30, Tannenbaum Stage). Tickets are on sale now (Early bird – $35, advance – $45, day of – $50) and can be purchased here.
Village of Angola’s BTR Brews to Close July 31
BTR Brews, the craft beer bar/bottle shop in the Village of Angola, has announced that will be closing their doors on July 31. In a Facebook post, no specific reasoning was given. “Thank you everyone that has supported BTR Brews over the past 2 1/2 years,” owner Brandy Lombardo said in the post. “Our doors will be permanently closed July 31. This was an extremely difficult decision to make and in the best interest of my family and personal well-being (mentally and financially) we’ve tried to make it work and it’s just not sustainable any longer.” BTR Brews held their grand opening on Dec. 3, 2021.
Iron Cedar Brewery & Meadery Coming to Buffalo
Iron Cedar Brewery & Meadery have announced plans to open at 4345 Genesee Street, next to Comfort Inn, across the street from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. They plan to feature a full slate of meads, including Dragons Breath (dragon fruit, orange and pomegranate), Maiden Voyage (blackberry, peach, vanilla and oak), Blueberry White Truffle (blueberries, blue agave and white chocolate), and more, as well as beers brewed with honey, such as Shepherds Ale (Blackberry Lime Ale), Pearable Ale (Pear and Anis Ale), Iron Crest Sour (Black Cherry Sour), Cedar Crest Ale (Apricot Ale) and Bisons Beard Malt Stout (Chocolate Espresso Stout). They also plan to offer food. Iron Cedar hopes to be open later this summer. Find more information at https://www.ironcedarbrewingandmeadery.com or by calling 716-427-4776.
History on Tap at Genesee Country Village & Museum
You can sample local craft beers, wines, and ciders, including some of Genesee Country Village & Museum’s own historical brews, at History on Tap on Friday, June 7. The event will feature live music, food, magic lantern shows, after-hours access, and more. Vendors include OSB Ciderworks, Eli Fish Brewing, Brickyard Brewing, Bee Spit Meadery, Lilly Belle Meads, and more. Historical beers include Fat Ox Ale (American Brown) and Stocking Hill Ale (American Wheat), brewed by Rohrbach Brewing. Kara Fink (Village Square Stage) and Blue Envy (Davis Beer Garden) will perform. This event is 21+. Tickets are $30 ($27 for members) and can be purchased here.
Big Ditch Brewing to Re-Release Two Beers Friday
Big Ditch is digging into the archives and resurrecting a pair of beers for a double can release on Friday, May 24. Stark White Dad Shoes IPA, brewed with Riwaka and Galaxy hops, features notes of passion fruit and low bitterness, and West Coast Burner, a take on Hayburner IPA but with an extra kick of grapefruit, pine, and more bitter. Both beers will be available at Big Ditch’s taproom on May 24, on tap and in 4-pack 16oz. cans, with limited distribution next week. You can order online at https://www.bigditchbrewing.com/order-beer-online.
Maifest at Spring Garden Park in East Aurora
Maifest at Spring Garden Park, located at 3838 Two Rod Road in East Aurora, will feature a specially brewed Maibock, a German lager that is paler and more hop-centric than traditional bock beers, from Buffalo Brewing Company. There will be a keg tapping ceremony at 1:30pm, special guest appearance by The Caledonian Pipe Band and SGTV Edelweiss Dancers, and live music from The Polka Boys at 2pm. The park opens at noon and food will be available at 1pm. Admission is $6. Visit springarden.com for more information.
Mortalis Brewing to Drop Handful of New Beers This Week
Mortalis is bringing the heat this week with nearly half a dozen new brews. On Thursday, May 23, the brewery will release Hydra: Sangria (Fruited Smoothie Sour), featuring apple, concord grape, orange, raspberry, peach, and lemon (16oz. cans, 4-packs), Depths of Hydra (Fruited Smoothie Sour), a collaboration with Homes Brewery brewed with passion fruit, peach, papaya, pineapple, pink guava, lime, and coconut (16oz. cans, 4-packs), Happy Learned How To Putt IPA, a collab with Frequentem Brewing brewed with Motueka and Simcoe hops, (16oz. cans, 4-packs), Pomona: Banana & Peanuts Imperial Stout, conditioned on bananas and house roasted peanuts (500mL bottle), and Barrel Aged Pomona (Copper Wax), aged for 14 months in Willet bourbon barrels and conditioned on house roasted peanuts and banana.
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).
