Hamburg Brewing Releases Big Lou DIPA in 19.2oz. Cans

Hamburg Brewing is the latest Western New York brewery to join the 19.2oz. arms race with their new Big Lou Double IPA, which is available at Consumer’s Beverages now. Big Lou is a big bodied 9% DIPA with aromas of citrus, heavy, resinous mouthfeel and a big amount of hops. Consumer’s is also now carrying 19.2oz. stovepipe cans of Big Ditch Brewing Hayburner IPA, Resurgence Brewing Raptor King IPA and Ellicottville Brewing Blueberry Wheat.

Pressure Drop to Release New West Coast & Hazy IPAs

Pressure Drop Brewing is set to drop a new hazy IPA, Auto Flower, on April 15 (11am), and have also teamed up with Brooklyn’s Wild East Brewing on Trouble in Paradise, an 8.7% West Coast-style Double IPA brewed with Simcoe and Citra hops for notes of citrus, pine and tropical fruit. Auto Flower is brewed with CTZ, Mosaic, and Cascade hops for flavors of grapefruit, pineapple, and bubble gum, with notes of resin and earth. It will be available on draft and in 16oz. 4-packs. Trouble in Paradise will be also available in 16oz. 4-pack cans and on draft in Western New York soon.

Sour Power Returns to Pizza Plant Transit

Sour Power, Pizza Plant’s annual celebration of all things sour ales, returns to their Transit Road location on April 16. The event will feature dozens of sour beers on draft and in bottles and cans, including Thin Man Minkey Starburst, Firestone Walker Bretta Blanc 2018 and 2019, Fantome Saison 2020, Cascade Sang Royal 2018, Bellwoods Jelly King Raspberry / Blueberry 2021 and Raspberry Cherry Plum 2018, among many others, including their own Pod City Beer Labs Black & Blue. They will also have special Cantillon bottle pours, as well as flight specials.

12 Gates Will Not Hold Rock the Gates Festival in 2023

Rock the Gates, 12 Gates Brewing’s annual summer celebration of craft beer, food and live music, will not take place in 2023. Citing the recent opening of their second taproom in Ellicottville, 12 Gates explains that opening a new site requires a lot of time, energy, and attention. “Sadly, we have made the tough decision not to hold the festival in 2023,” the brewery said. “With the opening of our second location in Ellicottville, it’s been a crazy year. We appreciate your continued support and patronage.” They added that Rock the Gates will return sometime in the future.

Hofbrauhaus Buffalo Launches New Rewards Program

Hofbrauhaus is the latest Western New York brewery to officially launch an in-house rewards program. After you sign up, you will receive 1 point for every dollar spent at the brewery, and once you hit 100 points, you can redeem your rewards to unlock a $5 bonus. And right now, for a limited time only, you can receive 25 bonus points when you sign up. You will also receive a special birthday bonus after joining. You can sign up for Hofbrauhaus Rewards for free right here.

Last Call for Big Ditch Brewing Galaxy Red IPA

Galaxy Red, Big Ditch’s unique and popular seasonal offering, is going away for good, the brewery announced, adding that “something just as delicious will take its place.” Galaxy Red is a 6.8% India Red Ale brewed with Galaxy hops for notes of sweet malt, pineapple, mango and papaya. You can still find Galaxy Red right now while you can wherever great craft beer is sold or in-person at Big Ditch’s taproom on tap and in cans to-go. You can also order Galaxy Red online and have it shipped directly to your door (New York State only).

Win a Pair of Tickets to Thawfest at Buffalo Riverworks

Step Out Buffalo is giving away a pair of general admission tickets to Thawfest 2023, an annual celebration of New York’s breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries, at Buffalo Riverworks on April 21. To enter, all you need to do is head to Step Out Buffalo’s Instagram page, follow Buffalo Riverworks on Instagram, like the contest post and tag a minimum of three friends in the comments (extra tags are extra entries (unlimited comment tags allowed)⁠). Visit stepoutbuffalo.com/giveaways for more chances to enter this giveaway. The deadline to enter is Monday, April 17.

If you don’t win those tickets, limited amounts are still available for purchase. VIP tickets are $65 (includes buffet-style food, additional bottle and can pours) and general admission tickets are $45. You can visit http://thawfest.com/ to purchase yours today.

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).