Wildflower Meadery to Open in Niagara Frontier Food Terminal
Wildflower Meadery will open a new taproom space inside the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal (1500 Clinton Street, Unit 167) on Feb. 22 (2pm). The meadery will open with a full selection of meads on tap, including Original Honey Session, Cranberry Orange Session, Bubbly Apple Cyser, Bubbly Pomegranate, Still Wildflower Traditional, Still Sweet Traditional and Blackberry Currant, as well as in cans and bottles (Bubbly Guava, Bubbly Cranberry Orange, Bubbly Meadarita, Spiced Ginger Pear Session), non-alcoholic offerings like NA meads and mocktails, a limited food menu and packaged mead to go. Moving forward, they will be open Fridays, 5-10pm, and Saturdays, 2-10pm. They will open opposite Chateau Buffalo.
Brazen Brewing Teams With WNY Beer Trail on New Beer
Brazen Brewing is teaming up with the WNY Beer Trail for the release of a brand new collaborative beer, Trail Brazer Blueberry Blonde Ale. The beer will be released at the brewery during a special happy hour event on Feb. 20 (4-6pm), which will feature half price appetizers for those with a 2025 Trail Pass, passes available for sale, $0.75 wings, special giveaways, the Buffalo Brews Podcast on hand and more. You can find out more about the WNY Beer Trail here.
42 North at the Flats to Host First Beer Pairing Dinner
42 North Brewing will host their first beer pairing dinner at 42N at the Flats, their location in the Theatre District, on Feb. 18 and Feb. 20 (6:30pm). The special event will feature a 5-course dinner from Queen City Bistro paired with 42 North beers, pre-dinner appetizers and a complimentary welcome beer upon arrival. Tickets are $75 per person and limited seats are available for the event. You can purchase tickets at 42the-flats.square.site or by calling 716-815-4042.
Brickyard Brewing Drops New Wanderlust IPA
Following early iterations as a Double West Coast IPA and a New Zealand IPA, the evolution of Brickyard Brewing’s Wanderlust IPA continues with the release of Wanderlust East Coast IPA, a 7% hazy IPA brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops that features tropical fruit flavors and dank hop aromas. Wanderlust East Coast IPA in now available at Brickyard’s Lewiston taproom in 16oz. 4-pack cans to go and on draft.
CBW, Thin Man, Smoldered Society Take Over Farmcraft
The crews at Smoldered Society, Thin Man Brewery and Community Beer Works are taking over the taps up at Farmcraft Brewery on Feb. 16 (12-4pm). They will be bringing a number of beers from all three brands, including Thin Man Minkey Mosa Sour and Pills Mafia, CBW Cloudberry Sour and Irish Cream Whale and Smoldered Society Illusion of Safety Double Dry Hopped Hazy IPA (Bru-One, Mosaic Cryo, Alora and Cashmere hops) and Civil Unrest DDH Hazy IPA (Phantasm, Mosaic Cryo, Motueka, Motueka Hopburst and Magnifico Hopburst hops). There will also be a vendors market. The event is free and open to the public.
Erie County Fair Homebrew & Cider Making Competition Returns
The 2025 Erie County Fair Homebrew and Cider Making Competition is now accepting entries, with a deadline of April 30. The judging is based on creativity and not necessarily by style, and while all BJCP styles can be entered, the main criteria will be “creative relevancy” or the most fun beer/cider to enjoy at the fair. The winning homebrew beer will be brewed at Hamburg Brewing, while the winning cider will be brewed by BlackBird Cider Works. Both will be available on tap at the fair, Hamburg Brewing and Resurgence Brewing, as well as in cans. Entries can be dropped off at Resurgence or Hamburg’s taprooms, or at the Erie County Fairgrounds Main Offices. There is a $25 entry fee.
Big Ditch Finishes Construction on Lockport Taproom
Big Ditch Brewing has announced that they have completed most, if not all, of the construction work on their Lockport taproom, located at the Historic Post Office (1 East Avenue). The brewery says that all front of house construction, including flooring, has been completed and all bars, draft towers, brewing and kitchen equipment has been installed and is operation. They say that next they need to put in barstools, install televisions and speakers, bring in ingredients and train staff, which they add will take the longest to do. A grand opening date is forthcoming. Big Ditch is planning to have 4 exclusive beers on tap at the opening.
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, Threads and Untappd (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).
