We are entering the home stretch of the tenth annual Buffalo Beer Week, and since there are only a few days left of this glorious time of year, the time in nigh to put something local in your glass. If you have yet to hit a Beer Week event, then tonight is the night because Pearl Street’s annual Tapping of the Pumpkin is tonight, which is always one of Beer Week’s best events.
There’s also a bunch of beer releases from New York Beer Project and Five and 20 Spirits & Brewing, and if you missed them yesterday, Big Ditch and Buffalo Brewpub tapped their Beer Week collaboration, Honey Marzen, and In the Mix Brewing released their Maple Espresso Brown Ale, brewed with Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters Maple Creme Coffee, maple syrup and local honey.
Want to win some free beer from my friends at Buffalo Brewing? Good, because it’s easy to get in the running. They are giving away a case of beer – fresh cans of 1932 Oat Cream IPA and 1906 New England IPA – now through 11pm tonight. All you have to do is visit them on Instagram (@buffalobrewingcompany), follow them and tag three friends in the comments. If you win you can pick up your beer on Saturday during retail hours. It’s just that easy. A few clicks and you could be one case of beer richer.
Now onto today’s events…
It’s not truly fall until you drink a pint of beer from an actual pumpkin. Yes, for the sixth straight year, Pearl Street Grill & Brewery hollow out a pumpkin, jam a tap in it, fill it with their Pumpkin Spice Ale and serve it directly to you (5pm). Grab a pint poured directly from a real pumpkin. There will be pint specials, maple-cinnamon sugar rimmed glasses (if you’re into that sort of thing) and the first pour will be at 5pm from PSG head brewer Chris Herr.
The official release of Five & 20’s fall seasonal, Haulin’ Oats Brown Ale, in bottles (5pm). In addition to the beer release, enjoy $2 off all drafts, food by Bird, live music and special swag giveaways. The brewery will also be offering guided informational tours of the brewery/distillery and the TimberFish project on site.
Join the Buffalo Beer Goddesses as they celebrate seven years of promoting women in the craft beer industry at their 7th Anniversary Party at Mr. Goodbar (7pm). $5 for members, $10 for non-members. Tickets include food, door prizes and one pint.
New York Beer Project is tapping a pair of beers, West Coast Destination IPA and Vanilla Muffin Oatmeal Stout and 42 North is taking over the taps at World of Beer (7pm).
Elsewhere during Buffalo Beer Week, as has become custom, Buffalo Brewing Company will be open every single day. Pearl Street (seasonal beers with Beer Week booklet) and Lafayette Brewing are offering $3.50 pints all Beer Week long, and score $2 off pints at Pizza Plant (both locations) and $4 pints at Riverworks Brewing with coupons you can find in the official Beer Week book. Also, Blackbird Cider Works have daily specials, Hamm & Fattey’s and Fattey Beer Co. are running select $3 pint specials (check Buffalobeerweek.com for more details) and Five & 20 will be donating a portion of the proceeds from their specially priced Beer of the Month to Habitat for Humanity during the entire course of Buffalo Beer Week.
If you’re drinking something local during Buffalo Beer Week, post it on social media and tag the BBL – @Buffalobeerleague (Instagram), @Buffbeerleague (Twitter) and @Thebuffalobeerleague (Facebook). Also, use the hashtag #Buffalobeerweek.
Keep it locked to www.buffalobeerweek.com for more daily blog posts regarding all of the beers, all of the events and all of the happenings going on throughout Buffalo Beer Week. To see all the events that are happening over the next 10 days and to read the official Buffalo Beer Week book, visit http://www.buffalobeerweek.com. The theme this year is ‘ten years of craft beer.’ For more information, please visit Buffaloniagarabrewersassociation.org and Facebook.com/BuffaloNiagaraBrewersAssociation.
These next 10 days are about beer yes, but above all else, drink responsibly and be safe. If you need a ride home, try Lyft, Uber or Liberty Cab’s Ride Local. There are plenty of options to both drink and get home responsibly.
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 for Step Out Buffalo. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at buffalobeerleague@aol.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague) and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).